Customer interaction is the key to driving traffic to your trade show booth

For those of you who have weathered the economic storms over the last several years, Congratulations! I’m sure, for most of us, many difficult business and marketing decisions had to be weighed, evaluated and often times, rejected to ensure the day-to-day operations remained intact.

We all know the importance of attending industry-sponsored trade show events and seminars but often times the decision is made simply based on whether you have the money to attend the exhibit and, if the money is budgeted, how we justify the expense. In other words, will the trade show make us money?

As the former owner of a national trade show and exhibit company for nearly 20 years, it was my responsibility to ensure that, when a client made the financial commitment to attend a trade event, their objective was achieved – drive traffic to their booth and keep attendees interested and exited while presenting your marketing message.

So just how do we drive traffic to your booth and keep attendees engaged?

I always found it beneficial to go to a trade show featuring an industry which I knew nothing about and walk the exhibit hall. That’s when you can really see just what and who is:

• Attracting excitement
• Delivering the message
• Holding the attention of the attendees

So what drives customers to a booth?

The immediate answer, instinctively, is “it all starts with a great product,” but, in truth, I have designed award-winning trade show booths for clients with products so boring it was hard to stay awake at my drafting table.

That is when creativity and the willingness to do something completely different is so important. I always like to say “dare to be different.” Let the creative juices run free and, most importantly, get the crowd involved with explosive graphics or create an event. Have some fun!

A great way to attract attendees to a booth is to create an interactive event. You will be amazed at just how fast a crowd will gather when a booth full of potential customers makes your exhibit stand “the place to be” at the show. Hire a band, put a tiger in your booth, (by the way, I’ve seen it done), give away free stuff, and pack the booth with attractive models handing out company information. All good answers, but have you ever considered a putting green or hole-in-one putting contest?

Nearly everyone likes testing their skill putting. From kids to seniors, athletes to couch potatoes, it is just plain fun, and when you throw in the element of competition,watch out! Tie the event to a charity to raise money or give away a large cash prize by purchasing hole-in-one insurance which is readily available online. Trust me, traffic will not be a problem. Everyone in your booth is aware of your brand or service and will walk away with a hand full of information and a much needed break from walking what can often be a very boring event hall.

Make your booth an exciting rest stop

Handled properly, your exhibit booth will become the rest stop for the show attendees creating a wealth of leads for your sales team. Those who were unaware of your brand will now walk away with an understanding of your product line and your creative approach to business which is always a plus.

The modular putting green systems available by Tour Links® provide the professional look your booth demands, yet are easy to install and disassemble; and most importantly, durable enough to last for years.

All the big brands are doing it

The Tour Links pre-packaged putting greens, Tour Links panel custom greens, and our fan favorite Mini Linksgolf greens have been used for years as the “go to” product for every major golf show around the globe as well as the hospitality tents for such prestigious events as the US Open, Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship to name just a few.

Industry leaders, such as, PING, Callaway, TaylorMade, PGA of America and Mizuno have relied on the Tour Links panel putting greens to deliver a realistic professional appearance as well as perfect ball roll when demonstrating the quality of their equipment. In fact, for last 10 years, the vast majority of exhibitors at the PGA Merchandising show (the largest annual golf show in the world) have trusted Tour Links to enhance their booth space.