YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
by Jan K. Allen
SBJ Contributing Writer
Trade show specialists say many companies are taking advantage of every innovation new technology and display designers have to offer when setting up booth displays.
Businesses can make their displays as elaborate as their budget will allow, according to Shirley Soltis, account executive for Hubbell/Tyner, a trade show and convention specialty company.
Lighting is very important, Soltis said, and there are a variety of uses for back lighted displays, counters accented with lights, lighted towers and spotlight displays.
The trade show circuit is highly competitive, and some companies go all-out to attract clients to their booths, Soltis said.
The use of light-box graphics can rival any glowing neon sign on the street. DataScan electronic messages, often used to relate product information or special events, can be placed in an eye-catching location to draw visitor attention.
How high-tech can trade show displays go? The Godfrey Group Inc., of North Carolina, outlines a number of options in its brochure, such as fiber optics, grouped in patterns to transmit an explosion of color, which the company says can bring trade show traffic to a standstill.
Godfrey also touts video displays with video walls, a group of television monitors used to make one big sectional picture, or the Video Head mannequin, with, as the name implies, a television monitor for a head.
The mannequin can be used as-is or dressed, while the Video Head spreads the company's message.
Such high-tech displays are common in the big trade shows in New York or Chicago, but not seen much in Springfield because of the cost, according to John Woodward, account coordinator at Wannenmacher Advertising Company.
But there are plenty of less expensive ways to tout a company's wares, Woodward said.
Inflatables are popular, eye-catching and easy to store. Banners and towers are also good attention-getters, and most are fairly portable.
"Companies like something that looks good and is easy to assemble before the show and disassemble afterward," Woodward said.
Turntables are often used for car or boat displays, or on a smaller scale for jewelry or specialty items, like telescopes or camera equipment. Most of the time these units are owned by the company making the display.
Most booths have counter space to give the company representative a place to interact with visitors, and there are a number of styles of literature racks available for handouts and publications.
Shelving can be installed to display sample products, and shelves may be cut in different lengths and widths and attached to the backdrop or can be freestanding units with variable spacing.
Graphics are a big part of most trade show displays, according to Soltis. Murals and banners dress up any display and can be used again and again, she said.
Height, as with the strategically placed tower, great graphics and lighting are the things that make a display stand out, Soltis said.
Towers placed at the center of a booth or offset at the corner of a display have become increasingly popular to show off a company logo or trade show theme.
Many businesses use music to attract attention or set the mood.
Pleasant background music can be a soothing respite from the trade show bustle.
It is also fairly common for companies to use celebrities to draw attention to their booths, Soltis said. This is especially true of a show about a specific type of product or service.
"If it is a specialty show, such as a sporting goods show, they may have a pro golfer or a football player on hand to talk to people," she said.
Some things have improved, such as the mobility of the components for the booths. Booths are now easier to set up and lower in cost, Soltis said.
The sleek modern look, which Woodward said is now in demand, is easy to obtain with today's technology. A company can customize its display just about any way it chooses.
"If they can dream it up, it can be made," Soltis said.
But Soltis and Woodward added that the old standby promotional techniques are still crowd pleasers: A live animal at a booth will always attract people, and giveaway items and toys and games for kids are as popular as ever.
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