Connect and Network at Trade Shows with Digital Signage

Sometimes trade shows can feel like the oldest marketing method in the book. You spend a ton of money on a temporary space, turn up for a few hours, pitch randomly to those walking by and then go home hoping you’ve made enough potential leads to cover the outlay.

Of course, there is often more strategy behind it than that, and effective networking is obviously the name of the game here. And trade show organizers do a great job of ensuring the success of exhibitors with their efforts to promote and market the event.

But how can we as exhibitors get the most out of the space and opportunity available?

One short and obvious answer is by using digital signage. When done right (and smart), digital signs are not only cost effective marketing but could also end up generating you significantly more revenue. At a trade show, the key to getting leads lies in grabbing the attention of prospective clients and here's how to do that using digital signage!

How to use digital signage to get more attention at trade shows

Trade shows can be overwhelming with all the hustle-bustle that surrounds them, with different things happening and lots of foot traffic. Of course you want to attract more potential leads to your own stand and the main way to do this is to make your own stand display more attractive and eye-catching.

This is one of the main appealing factors of digital signage - and these are the ways you can use these digital displays to connect with and attract passing attendees.

1. Digital screens and smart TVs

First things first, we'll talk about the displays you can use to stand out from the competition. Top of the line equipment is fine obviously, but maybe you only have a spare monitor or TV that's lying around the office without much use. Trash, right? Wrong.

You can hook it up to digital signage software such as ScreenCloud and display your content just as you would expect a high quality monitor to work. All you need is a simple tool such as an Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast and you can be broadcasting your own engaging promotional content with ease.

From smart TVs (or even older TVs and monitors) to Android tablets and iPads, you can use just about any screen to digitally promote brands at trade shows. All you'll need is engaging content and good positioning of your screens and you have in your hands the perfect marketing tool to showcase your products and services to prospective customers.

The good thing about using digital signage software is that you'll find ready made templates, easy to edit playlists and all you need to level up your trade show communications.

2. Video walls

Digital signage may be the bread and butter of marketing at trade shows but the meat of it lies in video walls. Video walls can be either multiple displays connected together to form a massive canvas for your content, or one larger screen installation. They are highly effective tools which can draw a crowd of interested people and leave a lasting impression on them.

Chances are if you've been to a trade show recently, or anywhere for that matter, you'll have seen video walls in action.

Of course, you do also need highly engaging and well produced content on your video walls. But in the right setting, they can really wow potential clients and draw people to your stand.

Here's how you can set up your very own video wall for your trade show booth.

3. Embrace creativity

Fancy displays are great, but sometimes it's the smaller and more personal things that make the biggest impact.

Adding creative or interactive touches within your stand can really draw in attendees and make you a focal point.

Many brands allow customers to try their product on the stand, but you can level this up with touchscreen interactive kiosks, games or challenges, presentations or free classes. It all depends on your brand, the industry and even type of trade show. But adding creative elements creates a fun focus away from the sales element, and really brings in potential customers.

4. Content is key

Even with the flashiest displays, you'll quickly lose people's interest if your content lacks that spark. No one is going to remember your brand when they get home unless your content is concise, relevant and most importantly, memorable.

Some of the most engaging forms of content for exhibiting at events includes:

• High quality promotional video
• Using AR or VR to create an immersive experience
• Creating social sharing friendly zones (fun backdrops or unusual and interactive content)
• Interactive social media walls
• Quizzes and games

More often than not, the type of content that is most engaging is that which is not obviously promoting your product. And while this might sound like a waste of effort, it can really make your space more connected and perfect for networking.

And with the right setup, you can bring in more leads to your booth, even if most people seem to be there for the fun stuff.

What is trade show signage?

Traditional trade show signage tends to come in the form of banners, posters, banner flags, flyers, floor decals and other printed material. The various forms of banner can be used for everything from branding and wayfinding, to marketing and entertainment.

Increasingly, digital signage is becoming a mainstay of the trade show signage lineup. And there is a good reason for this.

Digital signage offers a level of versatility and interactivity that traditional signage simply can't match. With digital screens, you can update your content remotely and even collect valuable data on people's interactions.

Plus, let's be real - digital signage just looks cooler. It's like bringing a little slice of the future to your trade show booth.

How to network at trade shows?

There is so much more to trade shows than just promoting your business. Think of the trade show as an opportunity to do more than just get more business.

It's an opportunity to see what people think of your product and brand, to meet the movers and shakers in your industry, to see what others are doing (and for others to see what you are doing) and to build your brand's visibility.

With all that in mind, before you attend a trade show, it's a good idea to make a plan and strategize what you plan to get from your attendance.

1. Set goals

Getting into a trade show, the one question you need to answer is "What do I want to achieve from this?" Maybe you're looking to generate leads, make connections with potential partners or simply learn more about the industry your business is in.

Whatever it is, having a set goal in mind going into the expo floor will help keep your focus in check and make the most out of your time.

A smart aim will give you a sense of direction and eventually help expand your business.

2. Identify your audience

Like many other forms of business strategy, identifying your audience and what they're looking for is going to be a big part of your pitch, your message, your content and your networking approach.

People visit trade shows for different reasons, and this can mean you have an entirely different audience to what you're used to. For example, industry trade shows might feature a higher proportion of business owners in the SME space, rather than retail punters.

For other industries, trade shows can be seen as a fun day out for many attendees, so it's all about being memorable and giving them a reason to interact.

Map out your audience and this will make the rest of your networking strategy much easier.

3. Create a strong pitch

Visitors to trade shows see many different stands, interact with countless people and are exposed to more pitches and messages than the average human brain knows what to do with. This is why you need to have a good pitch ready for when you need it most.

While many interactions might be casual and throwaway, you want a good answer to hand for the following questions:

• What do you guys do then?
• Aren't you competing with X, Y or Z?
• I've been thinking about X - is that what you guys do?
• Go on then, do your best sales pitch...

Some pointers:

• Keep it short
• Relate to their problem
• Talk benefits, not features
• Use power words (big subject - here's a useful power words list)
• End with a question

A good sales pitch should be wrapped up in under 30 seconds, explain exactly what your product does in no-nonsense language and invite the target to respond. Some good ending questions can be: 'Is this something you'd be able to use?', 'How would this fit into your current strategy?' or 'Can I show you a demo?'

4. Use social media

Social media platforms are essential to connect with other attendees before the event and promote your attendance and any special events you might have going on. Start engaging with the event hashtag if there is one (there usually is), and engage with key players in your industry on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

You're more likely to be approached by clients or potential partners if they've seen your social media posts about the trade show.

Share your excitement about attending and let people know where they can find you. Establishing these connections beforehand lays the groundwork for meaningful interactions during and after the event.

Benefits of creating a hub space at a trade show

Anyone who has been to a trade show can relate to the fact that having a good space to hangout and chat is valuable. And while the venue cafe might be teeming with people getting their caffeine fix, you've also probably spotted that some stands are meeting places in their own right.

Some of the benefits of making a hub on your stand could include:

1. Attracting people

People are naturally drawn to places where they can relax and have a good time. By having a hub space that's more about building connections and less about the hard sell, you're giving attendees a reason to stop and stick around.

Think comfy seating, cool music and maybe even some snacks and drinks to sweeten the deal.

Before you know it, you'll have a crowd of people flocking to your booth just to hang out and soak up the vibes.

2. Using digital signage to engage and entertain

You can use digital signage to take your booth to the next level. Digital screens can showcase vibrant content which not only gets people interested but helps to display your branding and message.

Whether it's sneak peeks of your latest products, behind-the-screen videos or interactive quizzes and games, digital signage can be your secret weapon to raise interest and keep people engaged.

3. Converting visitors

Of course, one of the main reasons for attending trade shows, for companies, is to get more customers. And for this, you'll want to have a strategy of converting visitors from casual window shoppers to either handing over their contact information, signing up for your service or even buying whatever you're selling.

There is obviously no one-size fits all approach. But digital signage gives you the ability to use several clever techniques:

• QR codes for signup
• Links to websites/landing pages
• Selling products

Adding QR codes to your screens means that people don't necessarily need to hear your sales pitch. They can simply scan and download on the fly.

The future of the connected space at trade shows

Just like offices, schools and healthcare facilities, IoT and smart technologies are becoming more of a feature within the events industry. From making trade show navigation easier, to improving efficiency of the temporary environment and making the journey from booth, to breakout, to seminar more effective, connected spaces are becoming more of a reality.

Here’s the big benefit at trade show events: Each person entering the event already has an IoT-enabled device in their pocket; their smartphone. This can be utilized as a sophisticated system of sensors and reactors to create interactions with the connected trade show space.

The visitor’s smartphone can track their entry to the show, removing those annoying barcode scanners and QR systems. This reduces hundreds of registration and entry staff whose sole purpose is ticket scanning. Visitors can use their smartphone as their digital pass to the show, to a session and even to buy food or order coffee.

For organizers, questions such as ‘how many attendees RSVP’d?’, ‘how many attended?’ and ‘which sessions did they go to?’ for example, can all be answered by IoT smartphone tracking.

From these interactions, event organizers receive a huge amount of data on the journey path of each visitor. Plug this in to analyze and it becomes easy to determine any bottlenecks, where visitors peeled off and lost engagement, plus the areas of high interest and footfall.

The smartphone can also be used as a simple and non-intrusive way of tracking body count. Rather than guesstimating figures of attendance at individual seminars or demonstrations, organizers can monitor real figures in seconds. This allows connected systems such as lighting, temperature and sound to adapt depending on how many people are in that room at that time. So your speaker talking to just six people can have his microphone turned down and simultaneously, the packed theatre session speaker can get her mic turned up.

Using ScreenCloud for your Digital Signage Solutions

From using digital screens at trade show booths to promote your business to using them at a hub space meant for leisure time, ScreenCloud's intuitive and easy-to-operate user interface makes it super easy for you to start and manage your own digital signage network using any sort of smart device you'd like.

Try ScreenCloud for free, or request a demo today!