marketing coaching for small or large businesses & websites

Table top displays can really grab attention. They are perfect to use when space is limited or along with other graphics and displays. You want to carefully think about the design of your display so you can send out a powerful message. Your message should be brief and simple. A table top display has to catch the attention and interest of the trade show visitors. It also has to tell what your company or product is all about.

Getting your message across using a table top display can be a challenge due to the size of the display. Pick one strong point to emphasize your message. A picture is a good way to communicate your message. Depending on what products or services your company provides will determine what visual image you will want to use. Remember, pictures speak louder than words on the floor of a crowded trade show.

If you are undecided or unsure of exactly what the table top display should look like you may want to hire a professional to create your image. You'll want to pick out one important part of your products or services that you want to put on display and convey a strong message about it. Instead of putting your company’s logo on the table top display you can put it on other things in your exhibit, including the table skirt, business cards and marketing materials.

You will also want to make sure that any lettering in your table top display is the right size. If it is too big it will over power your image and if it is too small visitors wouldn’t be able to read your message. Lighting is another important thing to use with your table top display. Effective lighting will make your graphic display really pop, which will draw attention.

Table top displays come in a variety of styles and sizes. This type of display is a good investment and is easy to use. They are the perfect answer when you are on a limited budget or have limited space. Tabletop displays are easy to transport and can be set up within minutes. These types of displays can be used for a variety of settings including sales presentations, special events and trade shows.

Table top displays can be cost effective ways to get your message to your target audience and can be used in combination with pop up displays and other types of displays to enhance your overall display. You only have a few seconds as a person is walking past your display to grab their attention and draw them into your exhibit.

To have a powerful table top display you will have to make sure you think about all of the aspects of the display including wording, color and image. It all has to work together to get a visitors attention and to communicate your message. A table top display can be an effective tool to use and will help draw traffic to your exhibit. 

Trade shows are a key method for attracting new clients and business and never more so than at this time of economic recession – trillions of dollars of sales are made every year, even in depressed trading conditions such as these. The relationships which are created from trade show contacts and the cementing of existing relationships which are even more profitable in the years to come is impossible to quantify.

This does not mean using trade shows is taking the success available as an article of faith where there is no visible resultant output from the investment. It is easy to track your results from trade show activity but the larger picture is that there are numerous intangible benefits which cannot be directly quantified but, nevertheless, do contribute to the reputation and branding value of your company and business.

Even experienced veteran trade show exhibitors use the services of trade show experts in order to maximize the potential returns. While the underlying principals and potential returns can easily be understood, every trade show and every client presents different scenarios and you have to make some sense of this morass of information in order to be able to formulate a strategy to see you through the season successfully … companies who try and quit without rolling through a season, usually do so because they have failed in planning, failed in execution or simply misunderstood what the returns are going to be. Managing expectations is crucial.

When you are looking at a trade show expert to partner with, you should assess them generally as you would any other supplier but in addition, think about the specifics of operating in the trade show environment.

Do they offer a “satisfaction guaranteed” undertaking? No matter whether you are buying or leasing, you must know and be able to rely upon your equipment working and the logistics operating smoothly. You want to concentrate on developing relationships and assessing opportunities at the trade show and not on untangling equipment malfunctions or why your display is in Milwaukee when you are in Denver.

Customer service standards are crucial – your trade show expert will already know this explicitly and will be playing this card strongly because, in the final analysis, everything about operating at a trade show relies on superlative customer service. Customer service does not stop at providing a telephone helpline to “advise” on your order and take your credit card details; you should expect and demand knowledgeable representatives to be able to advise you on the implications of following certain strategies, such as, leasing versus purchase decisions.

There is also the price factor. Typically, experienced hands will be the ones who are considering purchase of displays, especially the higher-end units which are customized to a greater extent. Low-end and low-price display units and accessories tend to be the preserve of newer exhibitors but leasing is also a great way of reducing capital costs and maintaining a high tax-deduction in the accounts. The cost of your purchases is a key determinant in who you partner with but you also should know that quality counts – you never get the very best quality and the lowest price – they are mutually exclusive and it is not simply the cost of equipment you are considering but also the creative input and on-the-job your prospective partner brings to the table.

The clock is ticking down, your team is down by 6 and a tense silence has fallen over the field. Then you hear it…”We want to see our team put some points up! We want to see our team put some points up!” The cheerleaders have taken hold and start to jump around, clap and scream. The crowd is on its feet cheering right along with them. The bleachers start to rumble with excitement. The players turn and look at their personal pep rally and pump their fists with a newfound energy. The ball is snapped…its in the air…the receiver catches the ball…breaks one tackle…then another…he clears the goal line…TOUCHDOWN!!!  The crowd goes crazy; the cheerleaders start their dance and lead the crowd in the victory song.

What would a football game be without the cheerleaders? They aren’t necessary to the game but they add a level of excitement that no one else could bring. So, why are the girls who grace us with their presence at trade shows often looked upon as tacky or a gimmick? They have the same job to do as cheerleaders. They are there to get customers excited about a product, get them interested and eventually to hopefully open their wallets.

The days of “booth babes” seem to be slowing exponentially. Female empowerment is on the rise again with society focusing more on inner beauty. This is not good news for the scantily clad babes of auto and gaming trade shows. There are always going to be women in this world who are going to make their living off their looks but their employment opportunities are being seriously limited. What better way to attract people’s attention to your product than with beautiful smiling women ready and willing to flatter your potential customers at the drop of a dime?

Think of all the chicks at car shows around the world. The world of fast cars wouldn't be the same without beautiful women. Call it a stereotype, sexist or whatever you wish, but these shows are generally geared towards a male audience. What better way to get guys to open their wallets than by having beautiful women fawn over them. Think about this for a minute…how empty would photos of bright, shiny sports cars be without a beautiful woman dressed in a bikini sprawled out on the hood? Completely empty.

Now let's look at gaming trade shows. What video game doesn't have a sexy woman in it these days. Again, these shows and the games are aimed at a mostly male audience. Most of the guys attending these shows are geeky (at least by our typical societal standards) who only dream of having a scantily clad model as their very own. Bring in the booth babes. Many of these girls dress up like the characters in the video game they are promoting. Real life girls as video game vixens is every gamer’s fantasy. These girls make the guys feel good, tell them about a new game and hopefully in the end get the company a loyal new customer.

During such hard economic times, companies need to get creative in order to let their product stand out among the crowd. Some people deem booth babes as a gimmick and claim that their use degrades the reputation of the company. I think gimmick is a harsh word. Booth babes are just another marketing strategy used to appeal to a specific audience. So I say let these girls don their short shorts, fishnets and knee high boots. Let them loose in the trade show arena and sell their little hearts out. In the end, you walk away with higher sales and they can walk away knowing that somewhere, they are the focus of a guy’s dream and all they had to do was collect a paycheck.