Trade shows. Expos. Conventions.

These have long been a source of business leads, sales pipelines, and industry news. A well-planned trade show can significantly impact a business’s networking and sales opportunities.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trade shows for a couple of years, but with new precautions, vaccines, and common sense safety measures, these events have been making a comeback.

While some businesses are still hesitant, others are embracing the return of trade shows and adapting to some ways the trade show experience is changing.

This is to their great advantage.

As you plan your next couple of years, don’t forget to put trade shows and expos back on your calendar.

Here are some things to consider.

Are Trade Shows Worth the Investment?

Businesses continue to exhibit at trade fairs and expos despite the expense for a reason. Trade show exhibits, when executed correctly, are a terrific method to increase sales and brand recognition. A personalized trade show display may be something you’ve considered if you’re an exhibitor or intend to become one.

Is it worth it?

Here are some reasons why a trade show display booth can be worth it.

They Let You Meet Prospective Customers In Person

Face-to-face sales sessions are effective. Outside of trade shows, they can be challenging to set up. When you have an exhibit at a trade show, you get to meet people and respond to queries right away.

Trade Show Attendees Are Buyers

Making contact with a company’s decision maker can be tricky. However, approximately 75% of trade show attendees can exercise purchasing power. Trade shows let you network with hundreds of leads and make essential connections.

Trade Show Leads Are Easier To Convert

Exhibition space at a trade show may seem pricey at first. The plus side, however, is that trade show leads are less expensive to close. A face-to-face meeting with a prospect at a trade exhibition might cost an average of $100. That costs significantly less than the several hundred you might spend arranging and traveling to an in-person meeting at a prospect’s workplace.

Trade Shows Allow You To Display New Products

Over 90% of trade show attendees say they are there to see what’s new in their industry. If you have new product lines available, having your booth at a trade show gives you an ideal chance to show them off to potential customers.

What Are Trade Shows Booths Made Out Of?

Performance plastics have long offered the exhibit and trade show industries a wide range of advantages when it comes to booths. Because of their adaptability, plastics provide an almost limitless range of design options you can use to express your brand and convey your main marketing messages.

Piedmont Plastics is always coming up with sources of new materials that offer cutting-edge booth construction solutions. Our materials are used for structures, graphics, wayfinding, and more. They are impact and dent-resistant and come in a vast range of finishes and textures to give your brand a unique look and feel. Lighter materials save freight costs and make setup easier. Many of our materials are recyclable and align with many trade groups’ environmental objectives.

Common plastics you’ll find at trade shows include:

• Polycarbonate
• Aluminum Composite Material (ACM)
• Cast Acrylic
• Extruded Acrylic
• Fluted Polypropylene
• PVC Foam Sheet
• Paper Faced Foam Board
• Styrene-Faced Foam Sheet
• Vinyl Material

How Do I Attract People To My Exhibition Booth?

Nearly 70% of trade show attendees represent new business prospects. They may work in senior management, have buying power, and be likely to buy one to two products or services that day. You’ll need the best show booth to maximize these prospects.

Here are some trade show booth basics:

• Offer something immediately useful – Offer free bottles of water, access to charging outlets, or mobile device power adapters.
• Focus on information and a positive experience – Go ahead and display your company logo and products. Ensure you’re offering more knowledge and a better contact experience than visitors might receive from a website.
• Make it cozy – Favor wood and textured textiles over metal.

These are the basics, but you’d be surprised how many of your competitors won’t include these. If you want to go further and make your booth stand out, offer giveaways such as popular game consoles, Amazon gift cards, amusement park passes, or spa visits. Reusable bags containing goodies such as t-shirts, pens, notepads, and can koozies are also popular. Make sure they have your company name and website on them.

Purchase Trade Show Booth Materials With Ease

Piedmont Plastics carries many products and materials throughout its many North American locations to help you build attractive, cost-effective trade show display environments. They offer an almost limitless palette of design, color, and texture combinations to help you communicate your message on the trade room floor.

Contact us today for more information on how we can help.