Dear John:
I have a 10’ x 10’ booth, and I thought I did fairly well at the trade shows where I exhibited, but after reading some of your responses to questions asked I see I have a lot to learn. What can I use, other than dancing girls (which my company would not allow) to generate more activity in my booth?
Paul, Regional Manager
Pittsburg, PA

Dear Paul:
First, I want you to know I don’t believe in having dancing girls in a booth. Not unless you are at a trade show to generate PR, or just to be noticed and not to generate sales opportunities. Yes, I do know companies that do just that. One of the best devices you can have in your booth is a video display. If you are going to a major trade show, one of the best attention grabbers is a good screen presentation, either a Power Point or a video on your company, your products or services. When one of my clients asks me about using video, “Are you sure this will work?” I tell them to go to a department store and go to the electronic department where they sell TVs. You will see more people just standing around looking at television, not buying, just looking. At a trade show, if you get them to stop and look at your video presentation, you now have the opportunity to speak to them about what they have seen in the video. As you know, you have approximately 3 seconds to make an impression on an attendee passing your booth, be it with a good opening active question or a video that stops them in their tracks! I would let the video do the work for me.
To your continued trade show success
John Hill, Trade Show Coach