The Modern Trade Show Display: Simple Ways To Incorporate Technology Into Your Exhibit
Technology is ubiquitous: 45 percent of U.S. adults own tablets and 68 percent own smartphones. Trade show attendees tend to be a tech-savvy bunch, particularly if they are millennials. When exhibitors fail to incorporate technology into their booths, they run the risk of missing the entire millennial demographic. Technology can offer countless opportunities to engage trade show attendees, thanks to its versatility. Here are some tips for incorporating technology into your exhibit:
1. Showcase Your Portfolio
Create a photo gallery for visitors to scroll through on a smart phone, tablet, or touch display monitor. They can move through it quickly and zoom in on the photos that capture their attention. With photos, videos or even simple readable text, you can pack a ton of important information in a user-friendly format.
2. Keep Your Guests Fully Charged
If you are in the market for a modern trade show booth, consider looking into one that features charging stations. It can be difficult to find an open outlet in a bustling convention center. You can have a charging station built into your display, which can result in a larger conversation as you are then able to continue to talk to the customer.
3. Say Goodbye to Business Cards
Business cards can get lost or damaged easily, especially at a bustling trade show. Capture leads quickly, efficiently, and securely by encouraging people to enter their information on a tablet or smartphone. Even if a few leads want to leave a business card, you can use your tablet to take a photo of the card for an instant capture.
4. Make a Big Impact
Use digital displays on TVs or large monitors to attract attention and give your booth a more dynamic feel. We love this trade show display that we created for Perka, featuring a large monitor framed to look like a smartphone.
5. Cut Down on Paper Handouts
Use a laptop, tablet, or smartphone to email marketing materials, pricing lists, or other relevant information to attendees on the spot. That way, they don’t have to carry around paperwork (that can inevitably get lost). The added benefit is that you receive their contact information for follow up.
6. Be Social
At a large trade show event, just because someone is in the building, doesn’t mean they will make it to your booth. Make sure you are using social media to its full extent during your next trade show. A post mentioning your booth’s location along with a photo of one of your display’s technological features can draw in new visitors, To reach a wider audience on social media, make sure you’re using any hashtags specific to that particular trade show.
Things to Consider When Incorporating Technology
Technology offers vast opportunities to engage visitors, but of course, there are some issues to consider when incorporating technology into your trade show exhibit:
Demographics
Consider the age and tech-savviness of your particular trade show’s attendees. Some people will need assistance in using tablets or other technology, so be sure you are ready to assist if needed. That means making sure your staff is well-trained with the devices and programs, able to troubleshoot any issues that arise.
Reliability
Make sure any devices you are using are fully charged and have power cords and charging cords ready, if necessary. If you need to connect to the internet, ensure your Wi-Fi connection is working properly. If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, consider purchasing a data plan for individual devices for internet connections anywhere, anytime.
Data Security
Make sure the devices you use at your trade show booth don’t contain any files or information that is not suitable for consumers. Delete or password-protect any documents you don’t want visitors to access. There are a number of file-protector apps that can do this for you.
Device Security
In a chaotic and crowded trade show environment, it would be pretty simple for someone to walk away with one of your tablets or laptops. There are a number of ways to combat theft. One is to make it a rule that technology stay in staff’s hands at all times. However, that reduces your ability to connect with multiple visitors at once. An iPad stand or kiosk offers full access to your guests while keeping your devices stationary and secure.
S2 Imaging can help you incorporate technology in your exhibit in a way that is thoughtful, exciting, and useful. If you want to make a serious impact at your next event, and are unsure about how to incorporate technology into your trade show booth or trade show marketing strategy, contact us today to consult with our trade show exhibit experts.
