After a nearly two-year absence, the time has finally arrived to welcome back an old friend that helps brands promote their products and services. Let’s welcome back trade shows.

With virtually every city and state lifting restrictions, trade shows are poised to make a huge comeback in 2022. Setting up a booth at a trade show represents an effective strategy for promoting brands, as well as meeting potential customers.

Your company gets the opportunity to showcase new services and demonstrate how your most popular products work. You also discover what your competitors have up their sleeves when it comes to promoting products and services.

Although nearly two years does not seem like a lot of time, for the trade show industry, it is a considerable amount of time because of the rapid changes the industry experiences. What has changed and what has remained the same concerning trade show booth ideas for 2022?

1. Promotional Bags Still Relevant

The more things change, the more they remain the same when it involves promotional bags. According to the trade show experts at GoPromotional, giving away bags with a logo and/or a catchy brand message still gets the job done for raising brand awareness.

The bigger the better should be your mantra, since large promotional bags store more stuff and allow for larger print to promote your brand at trade shows.

After giving away a promotional bag, encourage the recipient to share a photo of the promotional bag on social media. The most popular bags for promoting your brand at trade shows include backpacks, as well as tote and drawstring bags.

Related Resource: Stand Out in the Crowd With These Trade Show Marketing Tips

2. Give Away Functional Gifts

First impressions matter when running a booth at an industry trade show. One of the most effective ways to leave a positive first impression is to give away promotional gifts that deliver functionality.

Items such as mugs and coasters do not have the same positive impact on trade show attendees as promotional gifts like branded pens and custom USB drives.

In fact, a custom USB drive can provide potential customers with a tool to store valuable information during the remainder of a trade show.

In addition to making functionality a priority when handing out promotional gifts at a trade show, make sure to give away products that are made with high-quality materials. For example, giving away plastic keychains demonstrates a lack of commitment to developing the highest quality of products.

3. Create a Relaxing Ambiance

From open to close, trade shows bustle with non-stop activities. Since it is difficult to sustain a high-energy pace for 12 consecutive hours, you can make your booth stand out by providing visitors with a place to relax for several minutes. Setting up a small tent inside your trade show booth gives visitors a respite from controlled chaos unfolding just a few feet away.

Giving visitors to your booth a little quiet time also provides you with the opportunity to discuss your products and services. Just make sure to implement a soft sales approach instead of going all out to consummate a transaction.

4. Educate Visitors

Most trade show attendees want to learn something about a product or service that you offer. Setting up a booth allows you to educate visitors, as well as help them solve problems.

You can present information via a short video and/or teach visitors about your products and services during one-on-one interactions. Handing out brochures represents another method for educating trade show attendees.

5. Leverage Interactive Technology

Trade shows might have been on hiatus for nearly two years, but the interactive technology used by savvy brands never went on hiatus. The key is to engage the visitors to your trade show booth, such as adding a kiosk next to your booth that allows visitors to simulate using one of your products.

Ask attendees that engaged interactively to share their experiences by uploading photos to sites like Facebook and Instagram.

6. Create an Exciting Experience

You do not establish a booth at a trade show to make on-the-spot sales, although any unexpected revenue is more than welcome. The primary purpose of setting up a booth at a trade show is to increase the exposure of your brand.

You want to create a “buzz” that grows with each passing day, such as offering visitors a chance to win a prize and/or test out a couple of your products. Mazda created a virtual driving experience at the NAIAS trade show in 2017 that generated a considerable amount of publicity.

The Bottom Line: Trade Shows Are Back

Getting back up to speed when it involves planning to establish a presence at a trade show should not take long. Many of the same practices remain effective at helping brands attract more potential customers.

One timeless tip can help your brand stand out at the next trade show. Partner with a professional designer that comes up with a visually appealing design theme for your booth.

The return on your investment far outweighs the cost of hiring a professional trade show booth designer.

Read Also:

• The Top Things You Can Do During and After a Trade Show or Exhibition
• How to Get the Most Out of Trade Show Marketing
• 5 Important Benefits of Using Backlit Trade Show Displays