See what I mean–choices, choices?!?
Many companies new to trade show marketing start with turnkey exhibits for the many preset design and branding options available. The turnkey is a valued training ground for new exhibitors. You fulfill a set of objectives, see what works, and start to discover how your program can grow. This oftentimes leads to the question of Going Custom with your trade show marketing. There are definite upsides to going fully custom and when you are ready to consider doing it, here are three of the big ones.
A custom designed and branded exhibit will give you Stand Out Presence on the show floor.
When it comes to grabbing attention on the show floor, bigger and especially, more noticeable custom booths tend to win the day over pre-fabricated turnkey exhibits. We all know that adage which goes something like, “You have just 4 seconds to capture an attendee’s attention on the show floor so you better make your exhibit memorable!” With so many people trying to market their businesses at the same time, the best way to guarantee heavy eye and foot traffic to your brand is with the use of custom exhibits. Bigger and bolder almost guarantees attendee engagement with your brand and can be achieved best with a custom design.
A custom designed exhibit CAN be a very functional and flexible solution.
You don’t have to put all your eggs in one basket and your trade show exhibit doesn’t have to achieve only a small set of objectives. Many, many trade show wins are possible if you plan for that outcome. In considering a custom designed exhibit, do you have a 5-year plan? Savvy product developers and marketing teams are able to anticipate growth and messaging over a several market years. They work with their exhibit designer to integrate product growth projections into the design of their custom trade show exhibit. By its very name, “custom”, a custom design exists to accommodate user needs over time. While budgets are always a concern, the flexibilities of a well thought out exhibit design can justify the expense and positively impact ROI.
Annual exhibiting goals (changes) are anticipated, for sure. But they are usually minimal to the “bones” of the exhibit because the “bones” are successful, flexible design linchpins that can keep a design fresh year after year. Concentrate on the big message carriers and the little things will take care of themselves.
A few:
Major Focal points – Establish areas where “magic” will happen each year. A great focal point may be a tall tower to carry large logo branding and graphic messaging. It may be a video wall or bank of monitors combined with the year’s main launch product; demo pods that incorporate products and messaging. A great major focal point establishes the overall success of the design.
Anchor Modules – Implement a “canvas” within the space where messaging and display will happen each year. Modules are the work horses of the exhibit and provide the back drop for new product display and messaging. They may be alcoves, display towers, even a contrast finish wall area. They are anchors and provide continuity to the underlying character of the design.
Accent Elements – Plan for an annual color change-up on certain pre-determined exhibit elements. Well-designed elements like headers, kiosks and counters can be slated to carry the annual color messaging (you could do this on pre-show basis as well). Re-colorizing can be built into the marketing efforts and visuals planning budget each year. It’s a fantastic way to bring a cohesive and cost effective solution, especially when the core design is memorable to begin with.
A custom designed exhibit is THE Best Expression of your brand on the show floor.
A truly great exhibit is one that conveys its brand in a very specific way. No one could imagine this look for any other brand! To Go Custom is to arrive at something memorable with unique touches that embrace and convey your brand. You want trade show attendees to GET your message even if they don’t actually enter your booth space. A great custom exhibit design conveys the personality of your brand at a single glance.
Are you ready to have a conversation about going custom in your trade show marketing program? ASI Displays is there to have that conversation with you!
