6 Attention Grabbing Trade Show Display Ideas
updated: November 16, 2023
Whether it is your first or your fortieth trade show, you’ll want to try to attract as much attention as possible to your booth or conference table. Here are 7 attention- grabbing trade show booth ideas that will get you on your way toward a successful event experience.
1. Trade Show Displays
Since you only get one chance to make a first impression, the visual design of your trade show booth will be your best opportunity to make it a good one. Choose a custom trade show display that not only is visually interesting, but also tells passersby a little bit about what your organization is all about. Some types of displays for you to consider:
Tabletop Displays
Tabletop displays come in a range of sizes and are designed to be placed on top of the trade show or conference table themselves. Tabletop displays tend to be lightweight and easy to set up, take down, and transport.
Trade Show Banners
Trade show banners, also known as graphic displays, come with or without stands. They can be placed behind your booth, attached to the front of your table, or placed on a stand to one side. Banners are a great way to showcase your brand’s logo, message, and eye-catching graphic designs.
Consider banner display options such as the following:
8' Eurofit Fabric Display Wall
Your full-color graphics will make a big statement with a pop-up trade show display like the 8' Eurofit Fabric Display Wall. Despite its impressive size, this display is surprisingly lightweight with a frame that can be broken down, making it easy to pack, store, and transport.
31.5" Retractor Display Kit with No-Curl Opaque Fabric
Banner kits are a trade show essential, ensuring that your brand message will be seen by all who pass by. Easy to set up, take down, and transport, this retractable display kit comes with a banner, hardware, and carrying case.
2. Table Covers and Runners
Most conferences and trade shows provide a table with a white table cover and two chairs. Brighten things up with your logo and brand colors by adding a custom table cover and table runner. Want to ensure that your table cover looks fresh and ready to display? Check out these tips for caring for your custom table cover.
Consider a table throw such as the 6ft Standard Table Throw - Full Color Front Panel; perfect for showcasing your marketing materials, tabletop displays, and giveaways on a custom printed table throw. A visual reminder of your company name and logo, branded tablethrows and runners will help you make a positive first impression.
3. Apparel: Create a Branded Look
Send your representatives in branded imprinted apparel for a unified, professional look. Custom polos, and embroidered dress shirts and vests all make great choices for apparel. Learn more about the importance of dressing for success in What to Wear to a Conference: The Ultimate Guide.
4. Trade Show Giveaways
The importance of having fun, eye-catching, and useful tradeshow giveaways to hand out to everyone who stops by your booth should not be minimized. These will be visual reminders of your brand, and when you choose wisely, recipients will keep them and use them, widening your promotional reach even more!
Stay on top of what’s trending in promotional products and give recipients things that are all the rage right now, such as custom water bottles and travel mugs and branded tech accessories.
At the recent digital marketing conference, Crestline’s team handed out a popular tech item to recipients- PopSockets® phone grips - and they were a hit! In addition to PopSockets®, we also gave away padfolios, pens, and hand sanitizer.
As a benefit of being a conference sponsor, Crestline was given several free passes to attend the event, as well as the opportunity to co-brand two items in the conference swag bag, which were handed out to all attendees. With guidance from Crestline’s promotional products experts, conference organizers chose charging cable key chains and custom printed water bottles.
Participants started using the branded water bottles right away, filling them up with cold water throughout the day of the event, a sure sign that this item resonated with recipients and will likely get used again and again in the future.
A great water bottle choice for a trade show is the 28 oz Bike and Sports Bottle; sure to be a trade show giveaway item that participants will hold on to and use. Promotional drinkware items, such as the best-selling Bike and Sports Bottle, are kept for an average of 12 months or longer by recipients and generate 1400 impressions in their lifetimes. Hand out custom water bottles at your next trade show and you will likely see people using them right away- a sure sign of a successful giveaway!
5. Catalogs/Marketing Materials
Make sure to bring enough business cards, brochures, and other marketing materials to your conference to hand out to everyone you connect with, as this is how leads are generated! Don’t forget to reach out to other sponsors and exhibitors too, as they may also be interested in the goods or services that your company offers. You can also give away custom reusable logo bags for attendees to put these items in, which will mean additional exposure for you!
6. Interactive Displays
When at all possible, come up with an interactive display or a product demonstration to engage with conference and trade show participants. Much more interesting than static displays, set up a tv with a video playing that shows what your business has to offer, plan a contest or game to get people to come over and see what the fun is all about, or have products on display that people can look at, touch and use. For example, the Crestline table attracted many curious people who wanted to know what PopSockets® are used for and how to use them.
Some favorite interactive displaces include:
- The Power Pedestal Kit: Bring folks to your booth with a pop-up charging station like the Power Pedestal Kit, which includes lightning, Micro USB and USB Type-C charging tips. Talk about your company’s goods and services while attendees power up their devices. You are providing a valuable service to them and they will appreciate you for it!
- LED Display Light Set: Make a plan to brighten your space with custom trade show lighting. Adding lights to your banners will increase their visual appeal. The LED display light set can be attached to your pop up banners and displays with a universal clamp.
