the do’s and don’ts in the expo booth

When a conference has an awesome attendance rate, you want to draw as much of the crowd to your booth as possible. After all, each connection can lead to a potential customer! To make your booth stand out (or at least make it appear larger than it is), promotional products can help. Turn more heads with these tips for eye-catching conference swag.

Don’t forget your theme

Themes are great to get attendees excited — and they make it easier to choose promotional products. When developing your theme, consider your ultimate formula: audience goals + relevant theme = winning booth. Consider some starting points:

Event theme: If the expo’s theme is Hot In Miami, follow that theme in your own booth.

Location: Are you at a conference in California? Try a “California Dreaming” themed booth (complete with branded sunglasses) to turn heads.

Time or season: Summer, fall, winter, spring — seasonal themes are always a winner because they’re so timely.

Now, make sure your booth connects your theme with what’s important to your audience. Don’t pick a theme just because you like it; pick something that will make sense to your brand and Inspires Brand Love™ for your customers and clients.

Do use contrasting colors

Is your booth primarily blue? It’s tempting to make everything in your booth the same color for the sake of #branding, but attendees won’t be able to see your campaign. It will look like a sea of one color, and attendees can easily miss out on your booth with a monochrome design.

Instead, consult the color wheel and order promotional products in complementary colors. For example, if your brand color is purple, order yellow swag.

Since complementary colors are opposite from each other on the color wheel, they look gorgeous and draw more eyes to your booth.

Don’t forget to engage all 5 senses

You detect the world around you through your senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. If you want attendees to check out your booth, find ways to engage these senses.

Not sure how to do that? Try this:

Smells: Smell is the sense that’s tied most closely to human memory. Consider aromatherapy diffusers at your booth or give away branded candles with a custom scent. The smell of a pour-over coffee kit can do the trick for sleep-deprived attendees, too.

Touch: Integrate tactile experiences into your booth. That might involve playing a hands-on game like tabletop cornhole or asking attendees to share their thoughts on a Post-It wall.

Taste: Did you know that you can curate unique snacks for your brand? From granola bars to cookies to chips with zany flavors, activating people’s sense of taste will put you in their good graces. And who can say no to free snacks?

Sight and sound: Adding screens can make your booth look larger and more advanced. So why not create products that interact with your screens to gamify the experience? For example, you could develop a curated Spotify playlist, pass out Bluetooth headphones, and let attendees select their fave playlist from the screens at your booth.

Do create an experience

To get the most mindshare out of your conversations, try to make your booth as experiential as possible.

Offer fun experiences like:

• Quiz bowls

• Downloadable playlists

• Charging stations

• Insta-worthy photo walls

• Customizable swag live at your booth

If you can pair your promotional products with the experience, even better. For example, if you give every attendee a plush with a unique QR code, they can scan their code at your booth to randomly win other prizes.

Don’t forget about comfort

Conferences are fun, but we guarantee that attendees are tired. If you want more people to visit your booth, create a welcoming space that lets them take a load off.

That might mean passing out free (fully charged) battery banks while attendees chill on a couch at your booth. We guarantee you’ll make a few new friends with the folks who want to sit and recharge their phones for a few minutes.

Do a demo

Who says you have to sell products to do expo demos? Even a SaaS company could do an engaging, headturning demo if they choose the right promotional products.

Hook up a team member with a mic, play music, and get people excited to see your brand demo. Pass out goodies like audio-enabled water bottles, non-traditional stickers, or influencer kits to get attendees excited and engaged.