Create It Packaging
The Power of Trade show Packaging and Displays
How important are finished products in your booth?
Deciding to exhibit at a trade show requires careful planning, and generating return on your investment is essential in making this decision. We all know it is quite expensive to be a trade show exhibitor. Especially when you factor in the costs of travel, hotels, food, drayage, and logistics. If you are sending salespeople to work the show, your costs go even higher. The largest cost by far is the cost of the booth itself, but make sure to calculate all related expenses before signing on.
So, let’s talk about what your booth will look like, once you’ve decided to go. Even if you are a startup, you should present yourself as if you are a successful company. New products are a welcome site at trade shows, and attendees often seek them out so they can learn about investing early in your products or services. Many buyers attend trade shows just to see what’s new each year. Whether you are a large or small business, your booth should look clean, organized, and well thought out for presenting your wares. Above is a picture of White Label Armory’s booth at SHOT Show, 2020.
You only have a few seconds to make an impression
Your booths tables, counters, shelving, banners, and signage are all going to make a big first impression on attendees. White Label Armory had Floor and Counter Top display prototypes made for the trade shows they exhibit at. Attendees walking a trade show floor have mere seconds to view your booth as they walk by. If you are not catching the eye of everyone coming down your aisle, you are rapidly losing opportunities to make sales. Getting someone to stop, is essential to why you are there. Make sure your booth quickly conveys your message, and your salespeople appear approachable, to lure in potential customers.
How to display your products
Whether your product is new or not, your products should be the focal point of your booth. Potential buyers want to see the packaging for your products as well as the products themselves. Booth demonstrations are essential, however buyers want to see the finished product and packaging, so they can visualize how they look online or on their shelves. Package renderings alone, look unprofessional, and tell the buyer ‘this product is still in development’. It’s important to project the image that the product is in the final stages of production. Otherwise a buyer might not to sign onto something that could potentially have production issues, or delays in manufacturing.
Make sure your products look professional
Having your products look professionally designed, sourced, manufactured, and packaged is a must. Prospective buyers demand high quality, no matter the price point. Professional packaging and displays will help to sell this idea. If you haven’t produced the displays or packaging yet, you can get samples and mock ups digitally printed and filled to look like the finished product. The quality is high, and can include special finishing, like embossing, foil stamping, die cuts, and every detail that your production run will eventually include. This is also a great time to test out your packaging concepts. Potential buyers will often give fair critiques of what they like and don’t like. By listening to their suggestions, you can make the changes that are necessary before ordering higher quantities.
POP displays
Point of purchase displays are of great value at a trade show and should be considered for the following reasons.
- Catches attendee’s eyes
- Presents your products in a more dramatic manner
- POP displays receive better product placement within a store
- Increased area for branding
- Retailers ordering POP’s, move more product
Studies have proven that products on display with signage outperform products with no signage. One-off displays can be printed, and die cut digitally at a relatively low cost.
Attendees are here to buy
Careful planning and preparation can make exhibiting at trade shows a rewarding experience, and not being prepared can be a very costly mistake. Picking the right convention for your products or services, and talking to a large number of potential buyers, can easily out way the time and cost of trying to set up individual sales meetings on your own. Keep in mind that an exhibit hall is a non-threatening environment for buyers to shop on their own terms without being pressured, and they are away from their offices, with time set aside to explore new ideas.