At any given time, nearly 70% of trade show attendees potentially have no idea you’re exhibiting. According to Exhibitor Online and Expoweb, 38% of attendees are first timers while another 30% of an average trade show’s visitors are considered regulars. These are two segments of the crowd that can easily miss your exhibit if you do not regularly update it.
Newcomers do not have the luxury of remembering your exhibit from past years. If your exhibit has not kept up with the times and fails to stand out, all you have to rely on is your preshow marketing and previous awareness of your company. These newcomers are waiting to be impressed with new technology, trendy design and engaging components. If you do not occasionally refurbish and keep your exhibit up to date, you risk falling behind and missing out on this large portion of attendees.
The regular attendees pose a different problem regarding static exhibits. Year after year, attendees are tempted to return to the same exhibitors over and over. Up to 70% of attendees already know who they want to visit before they even step on the expo floor. If an exhibiting company has served them well in the past, why look elsewhere? If your 3-year-old exhibit didn’t woo them before, why would it now? Without stepping up the competition, you are likely forgotten and ignored. Make sure potential leads notice you past their blinders as they traverse the aisles by employing innovative and eye-catching updates in your exhibit.
Mood Media updated their Globalshop 2013 exhibit to feature an iPad-controlled video wall display and a more open design (previous exhibit shown at top of post). The new exhibit attracted attendees from across the hall.
The solution is easier said than done. When your ROI, number or quality of leads or other measurements are dropping and your exhibit design hasn’t changed in over a year, it’s probably time to refresh its looks.
When it’s time to refresh your exhibit, make sure your exhibit house has an impressive and realistic portfolio full of the kind of work you would like to see in your booth space.
