Exhibitions and trade shows are a necessary and useful tool that allows you to attract new clients and get your products and services known. How can you stand out when many other exhibitors are doing the same thing a few feet away?

Here are 3 easy and inexpensive tricks that will attract more visitors to your booth during exhibitions and trade shows.

1. Have an interactive booth.

Use technology to create a game or an activity that catches people’s attention. With tablets or screens at hand, you will be inciting participants to stop at your booth to participate in a game or quiz. People like to test their knowledge, especially in front of a public. You will see a small crowd gather at your booth; take advantage of this opportunity to show them what you have to offer.

Furthermore, if you are looking into acquiring promotional tools, a screen is usually a better investment than a roll-up banner. A roll-up banner may advertise your business, but putting it together, from designing it to printing it, is costly, and its content quickly becomes out-dated. A mid-sized flat screen will combine all of the banner’s functionalities, and more; it is multi-functional, bright and easily attracts attention.

Your imagination is the only limit here. During a past exhibition, we even saw an exhibitor offer free shoe shining at his booth! It was genius. Not only was his stand a hit, but he was sure to hold his future clients for at least five minutes in order to make his pitch. It’s hard to run away when the person talking to you is holding your shoes!

2. Create an inviting space that encourages discussion.

A table and a couple of chairs are the usual furnishings of a booth, but you don’t have to limit yourself to these. Visitors often feel crowded in a trade show. By furnishing the few square feet available to you with comfortable chairs or high cocktail tables, you will create an inviting area. A cozy space will attract people in search of a moment’s rest from the rest of the hubbub. This is a great time to present your products and services in a calm and subtle manner.

3. Offer free gifts.

Everybody loves free stuff! You can draw more people in with gifts. Wonder what to give them? Something as simple as fresh fruit can be a hit; on many occasions, we have seen participants stop at a booth and continue on their way taking a bite into a delicious apple. The booth suddenly becomes the spot to grab a healthy snack in the sea of kiosks at the exhibition, thereby attracting many potential clients.

You can also offer promotional products such as a pen, but try to be creative when choosing the product; you want to make sure you stand out from the crowd. If you organize a contest, place the prize well within sight; your potential clients will be more inclined to leave their email address to participate.

As professional congress organizers (PCO), we have put together hundreds of exhibitions and trade shows in the last few years, in Montreal, as well as internationally. Our experience has shown that the most popular booths are the ones that create interaction, offer an inviting space, and give out gifts. It only takes a few people standing at your booth to attract a crowd. It’s human nature to be curious!