How to Plan a Trade Show Table-Top Display

Table-top displays at trade shows set amid the dozens of other displays competing for attention must be eye-catching in order to attract customers. Unless a feature of your exhibit compels visitors to take a closer look, your work may earn nothing more than a passing glance before they are off to another table. By planning your table-top display carefully, you may increase the chance that trade show visitors will stop and become new customers.

Instructions

1

Select one simple message that you want to convey. If your company name is easily recognized, that alone might serve as a significant draw. If you have a product with a unique feature that solves visitors' problems, build your message around it. Offer a special deal or a gift to trade show customers. Provide multiple points of attraction. What beckons one passerby might not interest another.

2

Design the largest and most visible part of your table-top display to get that message across to a visitor who is halfway across the room. Simple is better. If people are interested, they'll stop and ask questions and read more. A few words that can be read at a distance along with an eye-catching picture that shows product will entice visitors to your display to learn all the details.

3

Provide brochures and graphics elements that complement the central message. List your product's benefits in detail. Include elements that reiterate your special offer. Coordinate the design of the brochures with that of the rest of the display: Matching colors and graphics will help visitors connect the brochures with the display after they leave the trade show.

4

Select gifts that are unique and useful for trade show visitors. Imprint them with your logo and contact information.

5

Ensure your display is well-lit, even if you need to supply extra lighting. Stand where there's no barrier between you and trade show visitors. Be ready with a friendly smile to answer their questions. Place brochures and gifts where visitors can see and access them, but avoid making it too easy for them to simply pick them up and walk away without pausing to talk and connect on a personal level.