Goal-Setting with Fabrication In Mind

Typically, an end user or consumer’s interactions with a brand are transactional, brief, and center around a specific user need (though this can change depending on the services and/or products a business offers.)

But what parts of the usual consumer cycle need to change when an interaction becomes experiential? Will there be transactions occurring within the booth space, or would cash registers and products cheapen the experience of booth visitors? Are you attempting to replicate the look and feel of existing storefronts, or does your booth need to be more of a relaxation point than an invigorating studio?

Being able to clearly articulate the goals and ideal results of a trade show presence is the first step to ensuring your eventual booth is built to serve you well. Once you know what you want to get out of an upcoming trade show, it’s time to design with those goals in mind, build a booth that rises to your customer expectations, and leave booth visitors with clear next steps after they’ve left.

1. Designing to support your primary goals

Trade shows are an incredible opportunity for businesses to capitalize on two major pieces of a healthy consumer lifecycle: converting brand new visitors into consumers, and reengaging with existing client bases. When both are accounted for in the conceptualizing and design phases, the benefits achieved from trade show presence becomes all the more impressive.

2. Meeting (and exceeding) customer expectation

Ensuring that your booth meets (and hopefully exceeds) the expectations of both crowds can be difficult. For new visitors, you’ll need elements that catch attention and boost general crowd curiosity. For existing clientele who already have a preconstructed expectation of the brand, leveraging new product lines and additional changes are a huge asset.

3. Leaving visitors with clear “Next Steps”

This will depend entirely on the overall goals of your trade show presence. Is there a specific campaign that the booth will be a part of? Are there new product lines that require the word-of-mouth marketing generated by booth visitors? Or, perhaps you’re hoping to remind consumers to check out your local storefronts in prep for upcoming holidays - either way, your goals should be directly supported by the design and build of your trade show booth.