Trade shows, conferences, Expos, and other similar events in the MICE industry have become integral cultural phenomena. Beyond being a platform to promote new products and services, they offer businesses an opportunity to network, stay up-to-date on trends and developments, and meet with potential customers.
As a necessary component to these events, exhibition booths have evolved to help businesses create a conducive environment to meet and engage with potential customers and partners.
However, not all booth designs are created equal, some are better optimised to attract more customers, facilitate engagement and ultimately improve sales conversions.
In this article, we’ll share a few tips on how to optimise space in your booth set up for engagement.
Plan Ahead
Before designing your booth layout, it is important to get a clear understanding of the dimensions of your booth, how much space you have to work with, location, traffic flow and any other relevant information.
This will allow you to plan how to best utilise the space. If you can, visit the venue beforehand to get an idea of what you're working with. Sketch out a layout on paper or use a digital tool for this, taking into account where you'll place products, signage, furniture, and any other elements.
This will streamline your day, reducing stress and saving time on the day of the event.
Design Your Booth for Easy Access and Movement
Crafting a booth layout that ensures easy access and smooth movement is essential (in most cases) for creating a positive visitor experience. To achieve this, prioritise creating clear pathways and utilising strategic signage that guide visitors to key areas. Thoughtfully arrange furniture to prevent congestion and enable visitors to move freely. By avoiding cramped spaces, you encourage exploration and engagement, while accounting for traffic flow helps maintain a steady stream of visitors.
Venture Beyond Two Dimensions
Booth space comprises more than just your floor area. Especially in smaller booths, vertical space often goes underutilised.
Think three-dimensionally. For example, you can use ring banners, or add more elements to the walls. Not only will this free up floor space, it will also make your booth stand out from a distance.
Commissioning creative custom designs might be expensive with conventional materials such as metal and wood. But it doesn’t have to be. You can achieve the same effect with alternative sources such as cardboard.
At Paper Carpenter, we have devised a series of systems that enable us to develop innovative designs that would otherwise be costly with conventional materials.
Our Cardboard Carpentry™ system, for example, lets us convert a sheet of cardboard into a 3-dimensional object. Paired with our PaperConnect™ System (a series of hollow, highly compressed paper square bars, joined together with recyclable plastic connectors) we can develop creative and innovative exhibitions booths that stand out from the pack.
Provide a Comfortable Rest Area
Your booth space can be further optimised with a rest area. This helps in one of two ways:
a. You provide an area for your staff to engage with visitors in a more relaxed setting.
b. The space would also appear more welcoming, thereby increasing its overall appeal to any visitors.
Have Clear Signage and Exciting Displays
To bring the best out of your booth layout, consider the importance of clear, high, and engaging signage. Signage must be tall enough to catch the eye from a distance, using big fonts that can attract passing glances. The language should be clear and concise to effectively convey your brand message and guide visitors.
Additionally, prominently displaying your brand name, key messages, and contact information throughout the booth increases the chance of further engagement. Consider complementing these essential elements with exciting visuals and interactive displays, all designed to increase the appeal of your booth and create a lasting impression on visitors.
Easy Tips to Draw an Audience and Boost Engagement
Optimising your booth layout is only one part of the equation. With the proven strategies listed below, you can not only attract more people to your booth, but also facilitate dialogue with your brand and ultimately improve inquiries and sales.
1. Leverage Social Media
An easy and simple way to encourage more people to visit your booth is to leverage social media.
For example, before the event, you can create anticipation by sharing behind-the-scenes peeks of your booth setup, or offer a sneak preview of the products and services, or experiences you’ll be offering. You can also use relevant hashtags to tag the event organiser’s social media profile to increase your brand’s visibility.
During the event, keep your social media channels active with timely updates. This could include photos, videos, or live streams that showcase engaging demos, talks from key opinion leaders (KOLs), or exciting activities happening at your booth.
Consider launching a social media contest, such as a selfie contest where visitors take a photo at your booth and share it with a unique hashtag.
2. Employ Knowledgeable and Trained Staff to Man your Booth
Crafted from 100% recyclable resources, our PaperConnect™️ System enables us to create exhibition booths in various configurations that can be assembled and dismantled without the use of tools.
Your booth representatives perform an essential role that extends beyond manning the booth, they personify your brand. Ensuring that booth representatives are thoroughly trained is vital for presenting your company in the best possible light.
To present a positive image, ensure each staff is well briefed and familiar with the product or service. Also, assign manageable tasks and consider providing guidelines and scripts for common scenarios.
Additionally, providing support in the form of frequent breaks and complimentary snacks will help maintain their energy levels throughout the day. Well-rested staff are more likely to provide excellent service when interacting with visitors at your booth.
Optimise Your Booth Space Today
With enough preparation and well defined strategy, you can create an optimised booth layout that is tailored to facilitate engagement.
Part of our mission at Paper Carpenter is to revolutionise how people envision cardboard. Our Cardboard Carpentry™️ design solutions, for example, not only lets us conceptualise exhibition booths that are stylish and imaginative, but also eco-friendly and sustainable.
Contact us today, to learn more about how we can help you create a sustainable, engaging, visually-striking exhibition booth. .
