TradeShowTips Online, Issue #33, March 2002
You know who you are ... You collect business cards or slips of paper to give away an incredible prize. Sure, you might not use an actual fishbowl, but the principle is still the same.
If this is your definition of a booth attraction, you might want to think again.
What's wrong with fishbowl drawings, you ask? Well, first of all, they don't work to qualify anyone. You end up with buckets full of names, but few real leads (just a lot of people hoping to win the grand prize).
Truly effective booth promotions work as conversation starters. All of the following examples accomplish this.
• Aleon (a Web Technologies company) uses a simple device: clever name tags on booth staffers. Instead of sporting their own names, staffers wear oversized tags proclaiming "The Deal Guy" or "Q&A Gal," creating a bit of intrigue with attendees. The result? The staffers don't have to initiate all of the conversations.
• Don't have a glamorous product? What if you sold a machine for drywalling professionals? One such exhibitor created a "hands-on" area, using their backwall as a demo space. Attendees had a blast!
If you really can't get away from the fishbowl concept, at least make it more interactive. Two twists on this:
• Adecco (an employment agency) created their own version of "pin the tail on the donkey," using the actual party game with attendees' business cards substituting for the tails.
• Embassy Suites Hotel at KCI Airport played up their connection to a new golf course by designing their own version of the same game. They used an oversized poster of the course layout. Attendees were asked to close their eyes and place colored dots on the poster. If you land on the green, you win a prize. (Okay, so my dot landed in a tree ...)
(The key to each of these promotions is to get people talking while you have them as your "captive audience.")
And there's a lot to be said for improv in the world of trade shows. At a recent Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas, I stood in the middle of the aisle, studying my show directory to orient myself. I soon heard a friendly voice say, "You're looking for Catalyst, aren't you?" My momentary bewilderment disappeared when I realized that I was standing in front of the Catalyst Exhibits booth. As I began to chuckle, the ice was broken and the staffer (Cathe Dawson) kept up the conversation. No, I hadn't been looking for Catalyst, but I stayed. What does Cathe do that works? She makes her approach fit the situation.
May the fishbowls rest in peace!
©2002 Marlys K.
Arnold
Marlys K. Arnold,
ImageSpecialist, consults with both companies and individuals to
help them build a better trade show image. Her experiences as both
an exhibitor and a show organizer offer her a unique perspective on
trade show exhibiting. An active member of Meeting Professionals
International (MPI), she is also the
author of Build a Better Trade Show
Image (2002), and the
host of the Trade Show
Insights podcast.
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information on reprinting this article, please e-mail
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