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| Source: Exhibitor Magazine, *see the source article, "Where's the Beef?" by Bob Milam in the December 2008 issue. |
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| Make no mistake, attracting crowds to your booth is a difficult job, but once those crowds have gathered, what effort do you make to find the tasty morsels within the group. So to make sure your booth offers the steak and not just the sizzle, ask yourself these questions. |
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| Whether you’re looking to qualify attendees on the show floor, swipe as many badges as possible for later vetting, meet individually with top clients, or just make sure your brand gets recognized at a show, your crowd-gathering technique should reflect your goal. |
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| For example, if your company aims to collect loads of leads at the show, generating a ton of traffic is a logical strategy. Attracting a crowd would also make sense if your primary objective at the show is increasing brand or product awareness. But if your goal is simply to meet with existing clients for some quality face time, then creating traffic not only is unnecessary but could be a disadvantage, making you look to busy to meet with the existing clients who’ve come to see you. |
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| If you’ve come to the conclusion that a traffic-building strategy is in alignment with your company’s objectives at the show, you have to brainstorm ways to generate the kind of traffic you want. And the best way to attract a crowd is, quite simply, to attract attention. Easier said than done. |
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| Common tactics include in-booth activities or presentations, high-value giveaways, contests, integrated marketing programs, etc. The trick is typically to stand out from the crowd. So examine what other exhibitors are doing, and then zig where they zag. Obviously, you want your traffic builder to tie to your company or product, or visitors are more likely to remember your promotion, but not your company’s name. You’ll become “that booth with the contortionist,” and your goals of brand awareness will likely elude you. |
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| So using the example of the contortionist, consider clothing her in your corporate colors, creating an audio track that incorporates key messages regarding your product’s flexibility and/or your company’s ability to bend over backward for its clients. Anything that marries your hook to your brand or key messages will help you make the most of your traffic-building tactics. |
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| Once you have a crowd of attendees in your booth, you need to capitalize on it. |
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| With big crowds, having a plan to deal quickly and efficiently with attendees can be vital, but if your booth staff doesn’t follow through with the plan, you’ll have wasted that crowd as it eventually dissipates into neighboring exhibits. |
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| So develop a plan and train your staffers. Using the contortionist example again, you and your entire staff should know exactly what to do the nanosecond each presentation is over. Whether it’s scanning badges as people exit the booth, swooping in with qualifying questions and lead forms, or funneling them to product-demo stations, your plan should align with the objectives you’ve established for the show. |
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| Attracting a crowd is not the goal; it’s only the means to an end. Make sure your staffers understand this, and are ready and able to help you capitalize on your crowd and accomplish your objectives. Otherwise, those attendees will disappear like a restaurant that promises great steaks, but serves up chopped liver – and you’ll be left with little to show for your sizzling exhibit-marketing efforts. |
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