Struggling to create a unforgettable tradeshow experience? This about this. How quickly can you make an impression on someone? Really, you only have 3 seconds.
The 1st second is when you catch their attention as they walk by your booth.
The 2nd second is when they choose to step on your booth or walk away.
The 3rd second is when they engage or choose not to engage with your brand or product.
The First Three Seconds
Sometimes thinking about your booth with this “three-second” understanding it can help you make better marketing decisions. It forces you to think: how can I design a booth that is eye-catching and can pull people in within that 3-second time frame? What will engage and even surprise my potential customers? You have the opportunity here to create an tradeshow experience that is so inviting and innovative that it gives people instant brand memory.
Attracting the Right People to Your Booth
Keep in mind that you don’t want just anyone in your booth, either. You want to focus on getting qualified people who are actually going to engage and connect with your product or brand.
Wondering how to do this? You may have an untapped superpower right under your nose. Think of the power of using your booth to engage current customers to connect with potential customers. Real people connecting to real people can be highly impactful. And as a bonus, your customers unknowingly start to do some of your work for you. Talk about creating a lasting brand memory!
Creating a Cohesive Visual Experience
So how do you design an engaging booth space? Never underestimate the power of keeping graphics simple and memorable. The adage “less is more” definitely applies here. Thinking about the 3-second rule, remember that your audience can only take in so much in such a short time. That’s why it needs to be clean, clear, and punchy. Visually, you want it to be something they can quickly take in, without a lot of busyness or complicated text or images.
If this seems out of your wheelhouse, don’t fight the urge to utilize a design team. Trying to DIY without any real design experience can be frustrating and actually drain your funds. Even on a budget, you can end up saving money if you hire an expert. Like us, here at Rockway, who can take you from concept to completion.
A design team can also help you roll with the changing market and ever-shifting trends. Sometimes when someone does it themselves, they are more “married to” the results and have a harder time evolving the booth over time in appropriate ways.
Calculate Your Risks
The other thing that will elevate your booth is developing the skill of taking calculated risks. We’ve all heard that there’s no growth in the comfort zone, and this definitely applies to your booth design. How can you push yourself out of your comfort zone and try something more off the wall? Obviously, the “calculated” part of calculated risk means that you aren’t going to throw tons of money into something without consulting your team or making a plan. You can’t take a calculated risk if you aren’t calculating anything at all. But you do need to take risks in this business and learn how to pivot if things aren’t going well.
One last thing: remember to embrace change! Even if things are going well, you need to be thinking ahead toward the next thing, the next customer, and the next new growth so that you can stay relevant and exponentially successful. Build a dynamic team to help you keep up the energy and momentum you need to create a lasting tradeshow experience and brand impression that lasts way longer than 3 seconds.