If you’ve ever manned a tradeshow booth, you’re familiar with that sense of urgency to bring back home a stack of qualified leads. And, with so many other exhibitors vying for the same prize, you may find yourself behaving a bit like a carnival barker in your efforts to lure visitors into your booth.
Luckily, there’s a more dignified option: Let your tradeshow booth do the work for you.
To learn how marketers can attract a constant flow of traffic to their booths, I interviewed industry expert Les LaMotte, founder and CEO of Xtra Lite Displays (www.xtralite.com).
The key to maximizing booth traffic is to make sure the booth commands attention at several distances, starting with about 30 feet away, according to Les. Your booth needs something eye-grabbing that attendees can spot from that distance. “Side wing” displays that catch attention from several aisles are also a good option.
Getting in the Zone—Three Zones, Actually
But let’s say you weren’t able to secure such a desirable spot—or, for that matter, invest in a fancy exhibit booth. That’s OK; attendees are still going to pass your booth at some point, and you can still attract—and sustain—their interest by displaying three types of messaging, each uniquely suited to viewing from one of three distinct zones, says Les:
- The Memory Zone—about 15 feet away.
- The Sensory Zone—close enough to interact with booth materials and demos.
- The Data Zone—as much a state of mind as a particular proximity, the Data Zone is where booth visitors are looking for evidence that your product or service will solve their problems.
The Memory Zone
When an attendee is in the Memory Zone, Les says, “their eyes naturally move to the top of your display. This is where you want to put your take-home slogan, that power statement attendees will remember about your company.”
For new or unknown companies, the Memory Zone is a particularly ideal place to put the major benefit of working with you.
But what if you’re a big brand, a Coca-Cola or an IBM? Everyone already knows who you are. In that case, your Memory Zone statement should reveal something new and relevant to the tradeshow’s audience.
