The process of planning and preparation will undoubtedly change for events after coronavirus quarantine measures. Disease prevention measures will be implemented not only for the trade show attendees, but also for booth and facility staffs. Public health concerns will be top of mind for anyone attending large gatherings. Enacting socially responsible operations will set companies apart from each other in the minds of potential customers. While event organizers will develop actions for every exhibitor and attendee to take, exhibiting companies should take as many additional actions as possible to ease any fears. Here are five health and safety strategies your trade show marketing team can implement to prepare for conferences and trade shows in a post-COVID-19 environment.

Send Branded Face Masks to Attendees Prior to the Event

Face mask have taken on a dual purpose as both a recommended safety precaution and fashion statement. Sales of personalized masks have exploded on-line and trade show suppliers have started offering branded masks due to the high demand. While handing out masks at the event is a logical step, companies can go one step further in building relationships with current and potential customers by providing masks before a trade show.

A common tactic of trade show marketers is to perform outreach to event attendees and remain in contact with them leading up to the event. A great way to make a lasting impression is to send packages of branded face masks for use during the trade show. Attendees will make plans to get masks before the trade show; the free convenience will go a long way with potential and current clients.

Place Hand Sanitizer Dispenser Branded Stands in Booth Area

It goes without saying that we can expect hand sanitizer dispensers to be everywhere in public places and events after Covid-19 risks has lessened. Companies will be putting in place health regulations and policies that should extend to all events and activities outside office buildings and headquarters. While in-office sanitation stations can be branded or unbranded, any health safety supplies outside of the office should include some type of promotional branding.

A smart cost-saving strategy for businesses would be to buy branded hand sanitizer dispenser stands in bulk and distribute them throughout office floors and to events as needed. Trade show marketing teams would not need to worry about procuring them ahead of time, as the exhibiting company would already have plenty in stock and ready to go. Taking sanitation precautions will be an absolutely vital practice to ease public health concerns while doing business and keeping extra hand sanitizer dispenser stands on hand will make that task easier.

Practice Social Distancing Measures

Despite attending large events, people will still be practicing social distancing methods out of concern for their health. Companies should do their best to make the practice as easy as possible for their current and potential clients. Taking stock of attendee concerns prior to a trade show in terms of their schedules and health concerns will help teams plan their sales strategy. A tip is to offer an abundance of meeting opportunities outside of the official event activities This will keep the amount of people at your booth to a minimum.

This strategy is especially helpful when engaging with current customers; fostering goodwill by prioritizing their safety will help sales team maintain great business relationships. For new clients, trade show staff can work to schedule meetings with their booth attendees outside of the crowded exhibit floor. Teams could also plan to be in the trade show host city for an extended amount of time to allow for more meeting opportunities. The hotel industry is one of the most health safety cautious industries in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and companies can express concern for the safety of their employees while traveling by recommending prevention methods and curfews.

Utilize QR Codes

Posting QR codes for scanning at trade shows is not a new method of information sharing. The small, square printed graphics are meant to be decoded by smartphones to reveal promotional codes, contact information, and websites. However, they provide a great contactless way to pass on the contact information for a sales team member instead of passing out business cards. Companies can save both printing costs and prevent the spread of germs by bypassing the provision of business cards to their employees for events after coronavirus. QR codes can be printed on any trade show display and in any location, which offer a quick and health-conscious way for attendees to gather a company information on products, services, and team members.

Clean Event Displays and Counters Regularly

Actions speak louder than words, and one of the best ways for trade show exhibitors to take actions against the spread of coronavirus or any other illness is to ensure their booth remains sanitized. Companies should provide their staff with plenty of cleaning supplies, including disinfectant sprays and wipes. Instructions should be provided to trade show staffs to regularly clean the entire display area at designated time increments, such as every 30 minutes. This will not only demonstrate social responsibility and a value for public health but will also ease the minds of exhibit attendees.

Planning events after coronavirus will require companies to look at their entire sales strategy and work to implement public health safety measures in all activities. Both employees and attendees will benefit from sanitation efforts and the peace of mind those efforts provide. Companies need to take these tactics seriously because Covid-19 prevention and public health are everyone’s business.

Don’t Let COVID-19 Stall Your Event Marketing Goals in 2020

While the world anxiously awaits the opening up of the economy after the threat of COVID-19 lowers, it is likely those waiting for large attendee events will have to wait even longer. Experts predict a steady approach to getting people back to work, but concerts, sporting events, trade shows, along with any large gathering, will be the last to fall into place. Many companies large and small rely on trade shows year-round to pursue potential clients, engage existing customers, roll-out new products, and reinforce their brand messaging. The global workforce has shifted operations to adjust to the “new normal” and marketers have an opportunity to use the same exhibit displays in what will soon become their most valuable selling arena — their own offices. Below are some great ways marketing teams can translate the advertising power of a trade show strategy to an in-office strategy.

Custom Exhibit House Displays 

Exhibit house design firms that produce the large, impressive custom display booths that draw crowds at trade shows have the same capability to bring that wow factor to any location. Creativity is unlimited with experienced exhibit houses known for working with Fortune 500 brands to create completely original booth layouts can certainly transfer those skills from portable structures to permanent installations. From counters to shelving to 10ft display walls, custom interior fabrications are a perfect solution for businesses in any industry.

LED Light Box Display Installation

Backlit displays have steadily become the standard at trade shows as manufacturers continue to make better and cheaper options. The use of backlighting can draw attention to targeted areas and highlight brand messages. The LED lights used in the displays last years, making them great options for interior installations meant for long-term use. The premium dye-sublimation fabric graphics can be created for any size frames and are easily interchangeable, making switching up graphics for new products, sales initiatives, or visitor-specific messaging an easy task. A professionally installed light box sign in a corporate lobby can fill up empty wall space with modern, attractive promotional decor.

Digital Display Screen Incorporation

Along with static branding printed on graphics and display elements, monitors can easily be added to any section of the installations to add dynamic media like videos, live streams, and presentations. Digital assets are important components of a marketing strategy and incorporating them into exhibit displays is a common practice. The use of monitors and tablets translates well in an office environment, especially when placed in waiting areas. Touchscreen monitors and tablets with interactive elements that guide visitors through educational or promotional content can be set into wall displays or sturdy kiosks. Companies with excellent social media presence can cast a stream of their online engagement and encourage visitors to interact with their profiles long after they have left the office building.

Unique Trade Show Experience In-House

With permanent office installations businesses can mimic highly customized and unique trade show experiences they use in their exhibit marketing strategy. Entrances can be configured to lead visitors through a museum-like experience with history, content, and product demonstrations on their way to the reception desk. A setup like this will make striking first impression and assist a sales team by giving potential clients plenty of background information on services and products before a meeting begins. Dynamic and interactive exhibit experiences can transport trade show attendees from a crowded event to a dedicated area where they can focus their attention solely on the company’s message. Extraordinary designs, such as a landscaping company integrating a live garden into 20ft x 50ft exhibit displays or an appliance company constructing a fully decorated kitchen in their convention hall space, can always be adapted to fit into corporate offices and dazzle guests.

The continued uncertainty caused by COVID-19 should be viewed by marketing teams as an opportunity to challenge themselves and switch up their strategies. When businesses resume to regular operations it is likely that large events will still be on hold until 2021. However, missing trade shows does not mean companies should put their sales and marketing efforts on hold. The right custom exhibit house design agency can provide guidance on how a permanent office display installation can fill the void of in-person exhibitions and keep business moving in new, unexpected ways.

The best salesperson can tell you that there is nothing that can compete with an in-person sales pitch, but the ability to make in-person sales and client service calls is now impeded. Video conferences are no longer just a convenient resource, they have now become the only option for face time. On Sunday, March 29, 2020, President Trump announced an extension of stay-at-home recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19 from March 31, 2020 to April 30, 2020. As with the initial orders, this requires millions of workers from hundreds of industries to disrupt their usual way of business. Americans don’t have a specific date as to when they can return to their normal routines and companies are being forced to quickly adapt to working remotely.

Despite these uncertain times, profits and quotas are still the priority and cannot be put on hold. Therefore, the amount of virtual sales calls and webinars is on the rise. Employees must adjust to making these calls from home. Technology may allow face to face meetings, but without the typical corporate environment even the best pitches can fall flat and feel unprofessional.

The #1 Video Conferencing Tool

The solution? Supplying employees with branded, clean background graphics. These necessary digital interactions with prospects, customers, and co-workers need an organized and professional looking “office” setting, even when made from the home or other nontraditional business settings. With the extension of stay-at-home orders, companies cannot afford to wait out the crisis. They must adapt to holding remote meetings for the foreseeable future.

Give your team the ability to give the best possible impressions, even when they are in their own homes. Our 4ft backdrops, printed with your company logo or current marketing message, will give your employees a unique advantage. Instead of a kitchen, family photos, bookcases, or couches in the background of their video conferences, supply your team with backdrops that are easy to set up and ship quickly.

Give Employees the Resources to Succeed

Managers can’t hesitate in giving their teams the resources to succeed. The backdrops will impress new and old clients with a simple, yet impactful, solution. Not only do the backdrops lessen the stress of preparing for video conferences, they are a fantastic branding opportunity. In addition, the displays are useful resources for other marketing needs in the future.

Another feature of video conferencing is the ability to have multiple people from multiple organizations on a call simultaneously. Company collaborations and full team sales pitches are commonly done in-person. There is no doubt which organization each person is representing in physical meetings. Indy Displays’ backdrops allow employees from the same company to easily be identified in a group video call. This eliminates any possible confusion as to which organization each speaker belongs.

The lightweight displays are easy to assemble and take up little space when not in use. The fabric is high-quality and won’t cause any glare. Indy Displays is offering a discount on a purchase of five or more. The displays can ship out to employees at their respective homes.

Don’t let this unfortunate crisis slow down results! Many experts online have already indicated that what clients and prospects see behind remote workers matters and recommend not letting backgrounds appear cluttered, too busy, or distracting. This sudden change let many companies unprepared. Embrace the chaos and be the team that adapts the quickest and remains the most professional. The use of these portable, easy-to-assemble backdrop display stands ensure company personnel is maintaining a professional image during these difficult and ever-evolving times.

Here are some additional tips to for success when working from home:

Indy Displays has added COVID-19 Emergency Medical Tents to their product line in an effort to supply institutions, companies, and government agencies with necessary screening and treatment pods as this situation continues to evolve, for those affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis. To assist immediate needs and resource restrictions, Indy Displays is making ourselves available after hours and weekends.

As this situation evolves, Indy Displays will be available for assistance 7-days a week. For immediate assistance, please call our main line a (317) 565-2255 or our after hours line (317) 362-4145. We will also be keeping our indydisplays.com Live Chat widget open on weekends, or feel free to submit the details of your urgent request through our Contact Us page. 

“We have been diligently searching for high-quality, temporary emergency response structures after seeing field images of tarp covered mobile hospitals in hard-hit areas. With the strain on our medical system, we hope that these state-of-the-art pop-up treatment centers can expand the bandwidth of medical institutions and help save lives.”

– Nathan Slavik, Indy Displays founder and president

The COVID-19 EM Tents are an ideal solution for rapid deployment in medical or emergency situations, like the Coronavirus pandemic. The containment cubes include air filter systems and can be temperature-controlled for patient isolation, screening, disaster relief, triage centers, first aid stations, or emergency command posts.

To ease intake overload, mobile hospitals are being deployed across the globe. Existing medical centers need higher capacity to treat COVID-19 patients, including other sick or injured patients that the current medical system cannot support. Our products meet CPAI-84, NFPA-701 and CAN/ULC-S109 Fire Resistant Requirements and offer the quality necessary for heavy usage.

The COVID-19 Emergency Medical Tent features our 10’x10’ high-grade shelter, deluxe canvas roller transport bag, weight bags, and air filters. The COVID-19 EM Tent is an ultimate solution for rapid deployment. They can provide necessary assistance in cities and towns struggling with medical capacity during the Coronavirus pandemic. The EM Tent operates as a supplemental medical care facility that offers privacy and isolation in a temperature-controlled environment, while reducing the risk of contamination to healthcare professionals and patients not yet afflicted with Coronavirus.

The mid-zip sidewall can serve as a door or two half sidewalls. Three additional sidewalls will completely enclose the tent provide privacy, security, and protection from the elements. Easily assembled, the frame structure allows for five height options. The compact canvas roller bag included allows for simple transportation in any size vehicle. To create larger wards, the shelters can be configured together.

COVID-19 Statistics

As of our publication date, there are approximately 8,700 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with more than 130 deaths. Expert medical professionals estimate the virus could infect between 160 million and 214 million of the American population. As a result, this could cause up to 1.7 million deaths over the course of the pandemic. (NY Times)

Indy Displays encourages everyone to follow the pandemic instructions from both the CDC and WHO. Our hope is that the introduction of our Emergency Medical Tents can help alleviate the strain on our hospitals, medical centers, and disaster relief institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank our country’s dedicated and brave healthcare professionals. They work tirelessly to provide life-saving care to those that need medical assistance during this trying time.

Anyone running a business, whether that be a new start up or a successful long-established company, knows the importance of marketing their services and products at trade shows, conferences and corporate events. Events like these are ideal ways to get your brand name out into the wider sector, and while making the right impression while your company is actually at the event through the use of LED lighting and outstanding displays is important, getting people to attend the event in the first place is vital.

But what is the best way to go about it?

A huge amount of effort goes into event promotion, and effective marketing via the correct social channels has a vital role to play in generating a buzz online, reaching target audiences and creating a great hype around the services and products which you’re promoting.

There can be a number of pitfalls when it comes to hitting the perfect audience at the perfect time. Utilizing social media to its best effect is something which needs to be learned, and this guide is designed to help you negotiate this potential minefield so you can enjoy optimal success in your venture.

 

Choosing The Correct Social Media Channel

Before finding out more about how to utilize social media to promote an event, you need to know how to select the right social media for your target audience.

There are numerous social media platforms available these days, so how do you know which one is right for your specific event? There are several steps you’ll need to take to ensure that you get the choice right:

1. Define and locate your attendees
2. Make your company and event visually appealing by optimising your social media profiles
3. Determine the kind of relationship with followers which works best on every platform
4. Consider the kind of content that is suited to every network

Different demographics are attracted to each social network. For example, Facebook has a larger proportion of younger users aged between 23 and 37, while LinkedIn is most popular with higher earners and Pinterest drives more traffic towards eCommerce stores than any other channel. Knowing the demographic you’re targeting with your strategy will inform your choice of social media channels.

 

Defining Your Objectives

To select the right strategy for your business, you need to first decide what exactly you’re trying to accomplish with your social media marketing. You may have several goals, such as:

• Encouraging recurring loyalty for your organization’s events
• Selling more tickets
• Building up a long-term relationship with other professionals in your industry

 

An Overview Of Social Media Platform Techniques

There are different techniques which can be used with different social media platforms.

Facebook – it’s possible to create an events page, share updates about events, engage with followers and use paid promotion to target a specific audience.

Instagram – This is an image-based platform which works well for engagement with brands.

Twitter – you can utilize a unique hashtag for your event so a buzz can be created both before the event itself and during the proceedings. Remember to make your hashtag original, brief, engaging and understandable to achieve the optimal benefits.

LinkedIn – Ideal for B2B and industry networking, this is a professional channel which is perfect for company events and news announcements.

Snapchat – Ideal if you have a young target audience. Around 186 million people use Snapchat every day, making this a rapid engagement tool.

Pinterest – this powerful channel allows you to create strategy and pins around the promotion of your event.

 

Tips For Optimizing Your Social Media Profiles

Although it may sound easy to update your social media profile, staying on top of your descriptions and bios can be difficult. When you’re promoting events, you need to make sure that all of the information and links are up to date while also ensuring that SEO is in full use. Here are thirteen top tips for optimizing your profiles:

1. Ensure you’re utilizing the right image sizes
2. Use the same profile images consistently across all the platforms you use
3. Untag yourself from any inappropriate posts or irrelevant photos
4. Keep your handles the same across all networks you use
5. Add any relevant keywords to each profile for SEO purposes
6. Complete all of your bio’s fields using engaging copy
7. Link to the other social media profiles you have created
8. Ensure all your links work
9. Showcase some reviews and endorsements
10. Rotate your link if you have an Instagram bio
11. Like your related Facebook pages
12. Showcase all of your best content by pinning it
13. Ensure you’ve added media onto your LinkedIn jobs

Take a systematic approach to updating your social media profiles. Choose the one which is the most relevant or popular for your content and rewrite the descriptions and update all the information before moving on to the next one.

 

Plan Your Content

The importance of content in social media engagement cannot be underestimated. Videos, images, quotes, live-streams, infographics and hashtags all have a vital role to play in promoting events on social media. Decide what you’re able to offer then choose which platform will respond best to your offerings. For example, if you have stunning ideas and images, Instagram and Pinterest are a good bet. If you’ve got videos to share, a YouTube channel will work well.

Certain forms of content result in better engagement. These include:

• Memes
• GIFs
• Emojis
• Humorous stories
• Infographics

Ensuring your content is error-free as well as engaging will ensuring that it is high quality. The higher the quality of content and the more engaging it is, the more successful your event promotion will be. Here are thirteen top tips for creating the most successful content for your social media promotion strategy:

1. Diversify the content
2. Keep your content brief
3. Use subheadings
4. Develop a unique voice
5. Add keywords
6. Devise engaging titles
7. Tell stories
8. Make your content shareable
9. Remember calls to action
10. Provide links and facts
11. Incorporate images within posts
12. Ensure your content is conversational instead of too “salesy”
13. Tailor your content to suit each individual social network channel

 

Regular Posting

Posting on a regular basis is important regardless of the social media channel you’re using. When a channel is only irregularly active, this sends out a discouraging message. Building a strong community is vital to your success so ensure you post regularly through the year and not only just before your event is due to take place. Knowing when best to post on each channel will depend on a number of factors, but ensuring consistency and ongoing engagement is your key to success.

 

A Rundown Of Some Useful Strategies

Here are some great tips for using social media channels to engage with your target audience while promoting an event.

• Share pictures from your previous event or turn those images into memes
• Shoot promotional videos and post them on YouTube
• Create a Snapchat Geofilter
• Make a few visual testimonials to help build up trust 
• Organise a free event ticket contest
• Build up anticipation with countdowns and teasers
• Use behind the scenes images to show preparations and build anticipation more
• On the day of the event live stream part of the proceedings 
• Live Tweet or Snap from the event

 

A Few Case Examples

If you’re wondering how well these tips can help your company to promote its event effectively through social media channels, here are some examples to show just how good social media promotion can be.

Sherlocked

The Official Sherlocked Sherlock Convention is organised by Massive Events, a company which does an amazing job of engaging with their audience. By teasing the fans through the gradual release of information, Massive Events begins to promote the convention even before a venue or date has been arranged so that hype can really begin to build. Once the venue and date is released, the impact is huge, with over 1000 shares on Facebook and almost as many on Twitter. The company then went on to record a teaser video which only boosts anticipation even further. The result was a sell-out event.

Play Blackpool

Every year, the Play Blackpool video gaming expo is arranged by Replay Events. This company has worked hard to engage potential attendees via social media, first by using its blog to announce its annual gamer awards and asking its readers to place their votes across several categories with the chance of winning free expo tickets and other prizes. The results were announced over several consecutive days, each result being accompanied with shareable graphics to increase interest in the event.

 

As you can see, social media event promotion and market is all about engagement with potential attendees. When they get better value from your content, the more chance you have of them sharing your content with other people who may be interested too. Find out more about maximizing your event success with Indy Displays today.

The trade show industry is in a constant state of change, and trends are always on the move. One area in which there have been some major changes in recent years has been in the field of eco-friendliness. As the world in general becomes more aware of the importance of reducing carbon footprints, companies and organizations everywhere have turned their focus towards finding new and eco-friendly options. You may not be surprised to learn that the exhibition industry is leading the way, developing more environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions for exhibitors and convention halls.

One of the ways in which the industry has been doing this is by designing more eco-friendly booth options and harnessing the potential of modern LED lighting systems for trade show marketers. Not only can switching to LED lights save electricity and reduce carbon footprints, but it can also help to create stunning exhibit graphic mural lighting effects. From wowing visitors with timed illuminating structures to amazing attendees with different tones, wash lights and spotlights, it’s never been easier to create a truly captivating booth environment in an eco-friendly way.

The Benefits of LED Lights for Startups

For any startup, attracting attention to your company and brand couldn’t be more important when exhibiting at a trade show or conference. Making the right impression on customers and potential investors is crucial to the success of your business, and therefore finding ways of making your business stand out from the competition is paramount!

Industry conferences are highly competitive environments, so you must make sure your trade show booth is eye-catching, visually appealing and engaging. What better way than by integrating LED lighting? Not only will you be showcasing your products and services in a high-tech and aesthetically pleasing way, you’ll also be showing your company’s commitment to protecting the environment.

A backlit trade show counter not only makes your brand more visible in the conference center, it also gives a more professional appearance to your company. An LED light box display is the perfect backdrop solution for any inline booth size, and with the incorporation of cutting edge SEG fabric graphic technology, it’s possible to create a new and fresh design theme for each show. The ability to easily swap-out your backlit graphics between shows, will keep your display fresh and interesting to your target market. Ultimately, LED illuminated logo designs will make your brand stand out from the crowded competition.

Since backlit displays come in a range of styles and designs, you can find a “quick-ship” portable backlit inline display or a customized modular LED light box booth structure that meets your needs for any promotional event. From SEG fabric pop up displays that can be assembled and dismantled within 30 minutes by just one person, to larger custom-sized modular backlit frames that are perfect for heavy duty re-usage for years, there are plenty of new generation trade show displays featuring LED light integration, that are perfect for showcasing startup brands. These solutions have proven to enhance brand building campaigns, while at the same time demonstrate a company’s environmentally sound status.

Top Reasons Your Marketing Team Should Upgrade to LED Lighting

One of the biggest problems associated with using traditional trade show stand lights is that they can produce a lot of glare (front attaching spotlights create glare on most display graphic material substrates). This, in turn, can result in your products not being displayed to their best advantage. Front attaching LED booth lights offer significantly less glare than traditional lights, which will allow you to showcase your products in an optically efficient “clear” manner.

Every business that participates in trade shows strive to keep profits high and expenses low. This is especially true for most startups. One of the greatest advantages of LED light technology is longevity. LED lighting systems last much longer than traditional lights, which dramatically reduces the number of times you’ll need to replace or purchase new backlit display and signage hardware components. LED bulbs are long-lasting when compared to incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. The average shelf life of commercial LED lights is 10 years. As an added advantage, you’ll save money in other ways too. LED lighting systems tend to be less expensive to power than traditional booth lighting, reducing the amount electricity exhibitors will need to purchase from the show decorator. Most trade show event decorators, such as global provider Freeman, grossly markup booth electrical connection costs. Being able to consistently save money on your booth lighting services will quickly add up after just a few exhibitions. Of course, this is also extremely beneficial for the environment – a major positive point in favor of switching to LED lighting.

Convention centers and conference halls can be very warm, and long days spent at your trade stand can be very uncomfortable when you’re hot and sweating. The good news is that you’ll find you’re exposed to less heat in your trade show or conference booth when you use LED light technology. Backlit graphics powered by LED “edge-lit” light strips give off far less heat than traditional fluorescent light bars, so you’ll be cooler and more comfortable while promoting your brand inside a booth space.

LED lighting is advancing at a rapid rate. This means that if you choose to incorporate LED lighting as part of the integral components of your trade stand in the form of a backlit display or modular LED light box, you’ll be creating the impression of your company as a forward-thinking, modern business with an eye on future developments. This goes a long way towards boosting the reputation of your startup in the eyes of those within the industry and will help to move you ahead of your competition.

Every business owner knows the importance of making their brand as visually appealing as possible. Finding creative ways to showcase products is paramount, and that’s where LED display enhancements can really come into their own. From backlit stage signage and wireless LED light towers to illuminated SEG fabric graphics with LED “edge-lit” light strips, the options are now endless for startups and small businesses wanting to utilize the power of LED brand illumination to help make a fabulous first impression.

There are numerous benefits to switching to LED lighting for your next trade show, conference or retail promotion. Not only can you promote your business using today’s cutting-edge technology such as LEDs, touch screen monitors, drones and more, you have the opportunity to make your booth design stand out from the competition at an affordable price. Even better, you’ll be showing your startup’s commitment to innovation and customer experience. Utilize these technology trends to attract booth traffic with a fun and interactive experience. Trade show attendees are far more likely to remember your company if your brand features LED backlighting, fun promotional giveaways and organic interactions with your marketing team.

There are many reasons to attend a trade show in your industry. Not only does it get your brand name “out there” and in front of potential clients, but you’ll also learn from the other vendors. There is a sort of camaraderie at trade shows that you won’t find elsewhere. While your competition might also have a presence, it doesn’t mean you won’t also make valuable connections and learn how to present your business even better.

If you’re just getting your trade show marketing rolling and trying to convince your boss or client of the value of trade shows, point out that while it costs only $142 for a face-to-face meeting with a prospective client, it costs $259 for a meeting in that lead’s office. Not only do you have the opportunity to meet new potential clients at trade shows, but the cost of gaining a new client is also lower.

Once you’ve decided to leap into the trade show arena, you’ll want to ensure your booth is the absolute best it can be. There are eight distinct things you can do to brand your business at a trade show and beyond.

 

1. Grab Their Attention

The number of booths at a trade show varies. Some of the largest events may have hundreds of exhibitors, but some of the smaller ones may have under 50. No matter how many other booths there are, you have to grab attendees’ attention if you want them to stop by your booth. Bright colors, an excellent location and beautiful signage are all keys to success.

What can you do? Start by thinking about how your signs look from a distance as well as up close. You should reach people from a variety of positions.

 

2. Train Your Staff

Studies show that about 85 percent of the success of an exhibitor directly ties back to the way the staff performs. Take the time to train anyone staffing your booth thoroughly. They should be as passionate about your business as you are and able to answer any questions prospective clients have. The way you approach attendees may vary depending on the personality of your brand, but everyone on the staff should have a similar approach to customers stopping by the booth.

Conduct many training sessions before the event arrives. While it isn’t good just to have a memorized spiel — it’s potentially off-putting to people if it sounds rehearsed — it is good to have staff learn the full facts about your products, your services and your company. Ideally, booth staff should also wear the same uniforms so they are easy to identify. A uniform might be as simple as a company shirt and black slacks.

 

3. Stay in the Consumer’s Mind

One key to gaining traction from a trade show is finding ways to make your brand memorable. It’s good to stay in the consumer’s mind, but you don’t want it to be because you’re overly pushy. Hand out promotional items. About 85 percent of those who receive a free promotional item view the brand in a positive light. If you give them a product they’ll use frequently, they’re likely to think of your brand each time they use the product.

 

4. Make Your Booth Interactive

If you want to pull attendees into your booth, find a way to make it fun and interactive. They are also more likely to remember your brand if they had a great time visiting your booth. Make sure what you put in place matches your brand. For example, if you sell golf clubs, setting up a putting green and letting people try out your putters is an excellent idea. If you sell website services to businesses, the putting green doesn’t make sense for your booth.

Find something that puts your product or service in the hands of event attendees and shows them why you’re the best in your industry.

 

5. Integrate With Technology

We live in a mobile technology world. About 95 percent of Americans own a cell phone and 77 percent own smartphones. As people pass by your booth, they are likely to have a mobile device in their hands or pockets. You can use this to your advantage and reach them on a technological level.

Use signage to tell them about an app they can download. Create a hashtag for your event and encourage photo ops in your booth. When you think of unique ways to integrate with their smartphones, you’ll reach them “in person” now, reach their online social media followers and feeds later, and generally remind them who you are and what you do.

 

6. Run a Contest

A contest allows you to give one of your cool products away to a potential customer. It also gives you an opportunity to collect contact information from people who are interested in what you have to offer.

The smartest tactic is to offer one of your products or a service package as the contest prize. If you just offer something generic like a vacation, and you aren’t a vacation planner, then you’ll get entries from everyone. Instead, you want entries from your target demographic. Make sure the prize is something people in your chosen audience would want.

 

7. Don’t Be Afraid of the Competition

Don’t be afraid of the competition at a trade show. See the event as an opportunity to scope out what your competition is doing well and what they might be missing. There may be gaps you can fill that your competition hasn’t thought of. You also have an opportunity to set yourself apart with anyone who stops by your booth.

Around 91 percent of event attendees state that trade shows influence their buying decisions by letting them comparison shop between similar companies.

 

8. Follow Up Right Away

Once the event is over, demonstrate your excellent customer outreach skills by contacting the leads you’ve connected with. A simple email, a postcard or even a phone call goes a long way toward securing your brand in the mind of the consumer and showing that you care about gaining their business. A little extra effort here results in additional customers you otherwise might not reach.

 

Trade Shows Are Worth Your Time

Trade shows are worth the time and cost if you approach them strategically. Train your staff, create an eye-catching booth and understand that the goal isn’t always to land a customer at that moment. Instead, the result you’re aiming for is to make connections that lead to lifelong customers down the line.

 

About the Author:

Lexie Lu is a web designer and UX strategist. Her work is featured on Marketo, Manta, Creative Bloq and Design Roast. Follow her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.  

 

 

 

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With marijuana becoming legal in more and more places, it has become a very big business. Cannabis business conferences have sprung up all around the world to help people improve their sales, find new products and have a great time networking with others in the industry. But with so many new conferences, how do you know which ones are worth attending and which would just be a waste of your money, time and energy? Almost all conferences offer something of value if you’re on the lookout for the opportunities, but you can improve your chances of getting a lot out of the experience by checking out the ten best marijuana industry conferences for entrepreneurs.

MJBizCon

The Marijuana Business Conference Expo, better known as MJBizCon, is the most established conference of its kind. It is also one of the largest marijuana business conferences, so it is sure to have something you’re looking for. It happens several times throughout the year in different fun locations including Las Vegas and New Orleans. If you want to make sure to attend a cannabis business conference that other people have heard of and hold in high regard, then this is definitely one to keep on your radar.

NCIA Cannabis Business Summit and Expo

The National Cannabis Industry Association is the only trade association for the marijuana business, so it makes sense to follow what they are doing. One of the things they do is host this business expo. Over the past five years, this award-winning expo has proven that it will always cover a diverse range of topics to help both newbies and those who are well-established in the marijuana sales industry. You can get a broad overview of the industry or focus on speakers that appeal to exactly your current needs for information.

California Cannabis Business Conference

The NCIA is the national trade association, but there is also a state association, the California Cannabis Industry Association, serving the needs of the United States’ largest adult-use market. California made medical marijuana legal in the 20th century, so there is an entire history of knowledge in this state about the best practices of marijuana business sales. Learn from the best. 

The New West Summit

With so many cannabis business conferences happening all of the time, great ones will work hard to stand out with something different to offer. The New West Summit emphasizes the tech aspect of the marijuana business. If you want to attend a hackathon, learn about drones as a cannabis delivery service option or get help as a start-up, this Oakland, California conference should be on your calendar.

Cannabis Science Conference

Are you more interested in the science than the tech behind marijuana businesses? People who get excited to learn more about terpenoids, gene-assisted breeding and the relationship of marijuana to brain chemistry will definitely want to attend this innovative Portland conference. CSC was founded in 2016 by Joshua Crossney, the entrepreneur of medicinal marijuana in the United States. With over 3,000 show attendees and 150 booths of sponsors and exhibitors, this convention is considered the largest cannabis science exhibition in the world.  

Businesses and entrepreneurs involved in the growing side of the industry will particularly benefit from this conference. CSC offers a popular pre-show workshop called Canna Boot Camp. This all-day interactive workshop covers everything from marijuana cultivation, pre-processing, prep, analytical testing, THC extraction and manufacturing edibles. Industry professionals demonstrate technologies and techniques to share their personal experiences. This in-depth workshop gives entrepreneurs an understanding of the cannabis industry and the opportunity to network with cultivation experts. 

NECANN

Many of the United States’ cannabis business conferences happen on the West Coast, but that doesn’t mean that East Coast sellers are left out in the cold. NECANN specializes in conferences held in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other east coast states. The conferences in Maine and Rhode Island are especially popular, having been established over the past several years. People on the west coast or coming in from Canada may find new markets by attending this event.

CannaCon

This is the perfect place for people interested in learning business techniques and tips. Although all marijuana business conferences offer that information to some degree, CannaCon specializes in the business end of the business. There are conferences in Seattle, Detroit and Boston, so you can pick the one that’s closest to you or go further away to learn something new.

Indo Expo

This unique two-day conference has one day set aside just for B2B customers and a second for the general public. The B2B side of things really brings to light the important business aspects of the marijuana industry, and it is an especially great starting point for newcomer entrepreneurs that attend this conference. Exhibitors may like to attend the general public event to share their products and meet industry buyers. This expo has been hosted in San Francisco, Denver and Portland.

International Cannabis Business Conference

If you want to go to a great destination around the world – be that San Francisco or Berlin – to catch up on the latest in the marijuana business, then this is the perfect conference for you. This one specializes in bringing in well-known industry guest speakers such as cultural icon Henry Rollins.

CanEx Jamaica

Who doesn’t want to enjoy a getaway to Jamaica? It’s even better when the trip is focused on the business of marijuana and you can write it off as a business expense on your taxes! This fun conference shouldn’t be overlooked, because it also offers a ton of great information in addition to the terrific Montego Bay location. CanEx is the premier Cannabis B2B conference in the Caribbean. Track sessions include information on finances, advocacy and women in the cannabis industry.

There is no wrong cannabis business conference to attend on this list. As an entrepreneur, consider what you need to get out of the face-to-face event and whether you’ll be able to visit your preferred trade show exhibitors. If you want to get specific information about science or tech or women in the industry, look for the events that specialize in those areas, but don’t discount larger exhibitions that likely also have speakers on those topics. If you want to share your products with a new market, consider going outside of your regional area and attending one of the big conferences on another coast.

Once you’ve booked your trip to any of these 10 awesome cannabis business conferences, prepare to have a great time. Go in with an open mind, excited about the opportunity to learn from your peers. This is a welcoming industry and one with huge opportunity for growth.

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Portable SEG fabric display booth systems have recently been popular amongst competing expo industry manufacturers. Once a manufacturer launches a newly-engineered product line, other suppliers within the industry are beginning to replicate the design and functionality within a few months. This situation is making it difficult for many exhibitors to purchase a truly unique display booth. Unless an exhibiting company incorporates full custom fabrication into a new booth design project, small to medium size exhibitors will find it difficult to create a perfect eye-catching trade show display that’s within budget.. However, recent advancements in LED lighting and SEG fabric technologies are being incorporated into standard display systems, making portable backlit trade show displays now the most sought-after booth enhancement option available in the exhibition industry.

Backlit Trade Show Displays

Backlit Displays are the ideal modern exhibitor branding solution for standard inline booth spaces and larger island exhibit booths. Exhibitors can combine multiple double-sided LED modular light box SEG fabric booth walls (example shown above). In addition, display booth designers are integrating LED backlit structures into various layout configurations that include flat backlit circular hanging disc signs, large 12′ to 16′ tall square and circular LED graphic light towers, free-standing portable LED backlit graphic counters and new LED illuminated – elevated event flooring. Furthermore, apart from its ability to enhance marketing booths, Backlit Trade Show Displays are becoming increasingly popular in the commercial sign industry. In retail markets, Outdoor LED signage and interactive LED digital signage are becoming common branding options in commercialreal estate, retail market and hugebranding facilities like museums, airports and big outdoor venues.

 

Portable backlit displays have recently been the rave of the moment in trade show booth designs. Thisis markedby a sharp drop in the price of the modern LED technology, where LED trade show backlighting has witnessedwidespread attention in the past two years. Illuminateddye sublimation graphics printed on premium opaque fabric materials like our premium “TriFab”, which significantly enhances the image and colorquality through modern ‘High Definition’ large format printing or HD dye sublimation quality printing. Also, a plummet in the wholesale price has been the primary reason behind the recent emergence of backlit trade show displays.

Want to grab the audience’s attention when they walk by your booth space?  Placing a 4’w x 8’h Modular edge-lit LED light box stand in the front of your promotional floor space will do the trick!  Use these displays in an inline booth space or in the front corners of an island booth space.  The modular LED light box displays are available in six different standard frame sizes with a single sided graphic or double sided graphics.  If one of these four standard sizes doesn’t work for your booth, let us build a completely custom size.  Floating seamless SEG fabric graphic monitor mounts, quick attaching brochure holders and floating light box display product shelving that instantly attaches to the modular frame using magnet connection, are just a few standard backlit display stand accessory enhancements that Indy Displays keeps stocked and ready for expedited delivery!

Indy Displays top-selling portable backlit exhibit wall is the brand-name Pliko modular LED “edge-lit” fabric light box display. This tool-less assembling modular 10’ x 10’ SEG backlit fabric wall, is one of the few portable exhibit solutions that can easily be setup and dismantled by one user, making it the easiest custom modular LED light box display to manage available on the market. The creatively engineered Pilko black powder coated aluminum free-standing single-sided or double-sided SEG graphic display frame, simply packs down in 1-flatpack wheeled hard case that can be affordable shipped standard UPS or Fedex Ground, making Pliko the lightest and most minimalistic LED edge-lit backlit display stand in North America.

Indy Displays’ modern LED backlit display solutions create stunning SEG stretch fabric graphic mural illumination, without graphic hot-spotting or fabric panel wrinkling. The term “hot-spotting” refers to internal light shadows visible from the front side, which are created by poorly configured internal light box hardware or uneven light distribution. These issues are commonly seen on cheaper low-cost backlit display alternatives that include direct ink jet printing on the topside of thin fabric materials and improper light bar hanging or LED light strip placement.

The Pilko ultra-portable LED edge-lit light box free-standing sign wall remains one of our top-performing backlit trade show display. However, the emergence of the hybrid SEG fabric backlit pop up display (released in late 2017) has quickly become our #1 low-cost alternative to the well-known brand-name Pliko light box display. Unlike Pilko, the Hybrid SEG backlit pop-updisplay promises an even more portable and user-friendly booth setup and dismantle. The new SEG backlit pop up display system is a hybrid spinoff system of the traditional Burst tension fabric backlit display, except with much better graphic attachment components, 100% wrinkle free SEG fabric panels and sustainability. This hybrid frames can be reused by exhibitors for years and can also reconfigure into large backlit display stands and different SEG light box booth wall structures.

 

Up until 2017, our top-selling backlit trade show displays were the Pliko ultra-portable LED edge-lit light box display and the traditional Burst fabric backlit pop up displays. However, this year the Indy Displays innovative team added the new hybrid SEG backlit pop up display product line. Unlike our long time best-selling Burst backlit pop up display system, the new NEXT! SEG hybrid backlit pop up display and our next generation LED illuminated SEG modular pop up system offer simple user-friendly setup similar to the Burst display, plus an all new hybrid light box frame configuration! Now enjoy light box brand and logo illumination with your portable backlit pop up system without the worries of possible fabric graphic wrinkling (common fabric display issue that occurs after the user doesn’t properly repackage the display kit).

Backlit SEG Hybrid Pop Up Displays

combine the seamless wrinkle resistant SEG finishing technology with a unique pop up display that offers an all new and ‘next generation’ portable LED light box exhibit booth solution. Also, apart from the wrinkle-resistant fabric sign graphic panels, the SEG pop up systems also come in modular booth resize options that were up until this point only available for aluminumdisplay hardware. Now, you can easily increase the size of your pop-up stand from 8’ x 10’ light wallto a bigger 8’ x 20’ portable SEG light box booth wall by easily adding an extra pop up frame, SEG graphic bars and extra light bars.

Light Box Backlit 3D Cube Structures

has quickly become a popular backlit signage system for innovative exhibiting teams and commercial interior designers. This Graphic Cube features a lightweight modular aluminum frame, SEG fabric graphic panels and internal LED lighting on all sides. The 3D backlit graphic structure may also be used as floor standing cubes – commonly used as a 3-unit floor stack display – and can be suspended from a convenient ceiling height and used as a hanging light box sign.

This modern state-of-the-art illuminating graphic structure is available in standard frames and can easily be customized to meet any display booth fabrication requests. Also, the Backlit LED graphic cube setup and breakdown is user-friendly and very similar to standard custom modular light box display kits. Printed graphics are brilliant and rich thanks to the latest HD dye sublimation output technology that reveals a rich saturated color when illuminated. Each SEG fabric panel is stretched using a silicone edged strip attachment that makes for a wrinkle-free and stunning 3D illuminated signage structure.

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When you have a trade show display, you need to make every square inch count, because you don’t get that many of them. Ten feet by ten feet, that’s all you get. Possibly twenty by twenty feet, if your company is willing to shell out the big booth space rental bucks. In a sea of trade show displays, it can be a struggle to stand out and get noticed by prospects, especially when your brand is only visible inside a limited floor space.

If business professionals want to really stand out, they can’t simply adjust one or two things here and there, they need to reframe how they approach common problems. So, what if, instead of a mere hundred square feet, you had access to the whole showroom? That is exactly the kind of capability drones provide you at a trade show. When the ground is full, look to the air. Trade Show Drones provide a unique way of overcoming space limitations, as well as shattering the old way of doing things. Drones are unmanned arial gadgets that capture real-time views of conference meeting and convention hall space. 

Drone technology provide professionals with a new dynamic in treading the trade show waves. Drones provide unparalleled digital advertising opportunities, innovative access to customer data, and that special “wow” factor tech marketers are always chasing. Event drones can also help with exhibition hall logistical issues. How many times have you dealt with show services (union labor or show decorator) misplacing, losing or delaying your display booth delivery? Convention halls get extremely messy during show move-in dates. Aerial drones can be used to locate packages and trade show crates by searching aisles and storage areas. 

 

 

The uses for trade show drones at exhibitions, conferences and outdoor events are limited only by the the pilot’s imagination. The most straightforward use is creating a moving billboard advertisement. Instead of stationary free-standing signage at the booth, exhibitors are using pairs of drones to fly billboards through the convention hall, taking the advertising to their customers. Since humans are normally drawn to movement, and drones are new enough to still be a novelty, this is a great way to grab eyes. While there are prototypes for digital billboards retailing for upwards of $20,000, drones can modernize traditional printed banners for a much more reasonable cost.

Exhibition drones also provide marketers an exciting new way of garnering consumer and prospect data. Drones are already being put to use by municipal authorities for crowd monitoring and control, and marketers should take notice. Gone are the days of roaming the convention hall floor guesstimating the size of competitor crowds and intuiting what is working and what isn’t. In mere seconds, a drone can provide a real time, bird’s-eye view of a trade show audience. This innovative technology enables marketer to see exactly where the crowd is drawn and how long they linger within a particular location. Drone software provides an exceptional way to capture and analyze data about the quality of specific exhibiting campaign tactics. Using data analysis software tools, companies can turn previously qualitative, intuitive insights gleaned at trade shows into quantitative data and integrate it into their overall marketing strategy.

Perhaps the most humanistic benefit to using drones as advertising tools is the fun factor they provide. Trade show drones are a unique novelty and really quite amusing. Marketers that invest in this technology now will get the infamous “early-mover” bonus. One does not have to be a marketing guru or “growth hacker” to imagine show displays making use of the interactive nature of drones.

Whether it is as simple as hovering it a few inches off the ground, or as monumental as virtually allowing participants to soar through the host city while standing within a ten by ten foot booth space, drones foster attendee engagement. All of this interaction and attention, influences more visitors to engage with sales representatives.

There has never been a better time to bring trade show drones and other exhibition booth technology into your overall marketing plan. If properly integrated, trade shows are a great way to show customers, employees, and stakeholders how much energy and goodwill your company offers. When an innovative company makes strides to rise above the competition, it can create a valuable positive impression. Drone technology isn’t the end-all-be-all but with the right people and strategy in place, drones can take advertising campaigns to the next level. 

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