With a new year of trade shows come new trends. So when it’s time to design your own custom exhibit, it can be difficult to know which direction to take. After helping hundreds of businesses build successful trade show exhibits, the ColorCraft team has learned a few things. Here are our top nine creative trade show exhibit ideas to attract visitors this year:

1. Make visitors feel at home.

Days spent at a trade show can be long and tiring for the attendees. You can help by making your exhibit a calming space where visitors want to relax and take a break. This can especially work if it fits the theme of your brand (like a luxury resort), but almost any type of business can incorporate the concept of downtime into their trade show exhibit. Try offering charging stations for attendees’ phones alongside comfortable places for them to rest and eat snacks you provide. You’ll end up with visitors that feel at ease with your brand and are more open to learning more about your products and services.

2. Create a sensory experience.

The visuals of your trade show exhibit are important, but don’t neglect the impact of the other senses. Talk to your exhibit designer about how the creative use of colors, lights, textures, sounds, or vibrations can help you create the right atmosphere. You can evoke luxury with satin, go “green” with bamboo, or create excitement with LED lights. Use elements that match the tone and emotions of your brand. As an added bonus, consider choreographing your display’s sound and lights into an attention-grabbing show that plays at the top of each hour.

3. Build “up” to attract attention.

Consider building a multi-story booth or use hanging signs so your brand can be seen from various sight lines. It’s simple but effective. Using the maximum height will not only increase visibility, but multiple stories can also be a way to accommodate more visitors in your space. As an added feature, consult with your design engineering team on how you can use ramps and inclines in your trade show exhibit to increase accessibility to attendees that can’t navigate stairs.

4. Draw visitors in from every angle.

Depending on the size and setup of the trade shows you attend, there’s a high chance your display might be approached from multiple directions. It can be a good idea to create a design that draws visitors in from all angles as we’ve done for many of our clients in the past. That way your exhibit properties can adapt to the layout of each space that you acquire. This will help you pique the interest of anyone that sees your brand’s exhibit.

5. Show off with live “green walls.”

Bring in the outdoors with the vertical use of greenery. If it fits your brand or exhibit idea, adding planters or a wall of plants can help you get noticed. You’ll create an airy, healthy environment in which to talk about your brand’s green products, or company’s environmental practices. It will also provide a nice contrast to the neighboring exhibitors,  creating an inviting atmosphere for your visitors.

6. Increase engagement with a social media display.

The easiest way to get attendees to tweet and interact with your brand is to make it fun! Consider adding a digital wall that displays social mentions of your brand or offer game-like incentives for user’s social shares. Visitors will enjoy trying to get their name on the board, and your brand will get free social marketing. It’s a win for everyone.

7. Provide a good photo-opp.

You can also encourage your visitors to post about you online by having a photo opportunity. ready. By incorporating an inexpensive cutout or props into your trade show exhibit, you’ll gain free marketing. You’ll also end up with an exhibit that’s fun and interactive for your visitors. If you go this route, make sure to display your brand’s hashtag where it will be captured in their photos. While at the show, have someone on your team respond online to attendees that post about you.

8. Make your trade show exhibit interactive.

Don’t stop at social walls or photo opps. Ask your exhibit design team how you can incorporate interactive elements throughout your display. One unique approach is to use interactive flooring that reacts as visitors walk across it. You can use it to build an environment that ties into your branding (like using ocean water if you’re a surf company) but also makes a huge impact on attendees. They’ll want to stick around and play with it, giving your sales team the perfect chance to engage them.

9. Construct a designated meeting space.

Recently, we’ve seen more exhibits with semi-enclosed spaces. It’s a trend that we’re confident will keep growing. Having your own meeting space can help visitors feel comfortable asking questions during the buying process. It can also help your sales team hold their attention long enough to secure a decision at the show.

When it comes down to it, these nine creative trade show exhibit ideas are just the start to successfully attracting visitors. For more display ideas, take a look at some of the custom trade show exhibits and custom rental exhibits we build for our clients. Or if you’d like to discuss how we could help design your next project, contact our team.

Everyone, especially marketers, look to get the most bang for their buck when making purchasing decisions. And let’s face it – trade show marketing can be expensive.

The costs add up when you consider the booth space, pre-show advertising, your sales staff, the booth itself – and the list goes on…

But there are ways to save your marketing budget, while not sacrificing how you look to prospects on show day. After all, saving money doesn’t have to mean looking like you designed your booth “on the cheap”!

1. Consider Renting Your Trade Show Booth or Exhibit

Rental trade show displays and custom rental exhibits can look every bit as spectacular as an exhibit your company purchases. In fact, there often isn’t a difference at all!

And if you only exhibit at a few shows per year, or if only one of the shows you exhibit at requires a larger exhibit – then renting can almost certainly save you money over purchasing.

2. Refurbish Your Existing Trade Show Exhibit Rather Than Buy a New One

A few years on the road, multiple setup and dismantles, and your shiny trade show exhibit can start to lose it’s polish.

Rather than toss in the towel though, consider refurbishing your existing exhibit, updating branding and graphics and adding new features or components to your booth.

You’ll not only save dollars by not building a completely new display, but you’ll breathe new life into your brand and get the “green” benefits of not discarding your booth.

3. Purchase a Light-Weight, Compact Modular Display and Reap the Benefits

By purchasing or renting a light-weight, portable and modular display you’ll not only save on the initial purchase of your display – you’ll also reduce shipping and storage costs.

And these types of exhibits don’t have to mean looking small or giving up on branding. Compact modular exhibit systems come in sizes from 10x10s all the way up to 20×30 exhibits and larger!

In addition, because this breed of modular exhibit is just that, “modular”, a number of configurations may be possible with the same booth – so exhibiting at different sizes is possible with a single “scalable” unit.

4. A Bit More About How Modular Exhibits Can Save You Money

Modular exhibits are created using components that can be easily interchanged and configured to change the structure of an exhibit with ease. This allows for different sizes and footprints to be created while saving dollars.

And because modular exhibits are easier to assemble and dismantle, your budget won’t suffer by needing huge labor teams to setup, dismantle and ship your trade show exhibit.

5. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

It goes almost without saying…that waiting until the last minute to design and purchase or rent your trade show exhibit will ultimately impact your budget. Designers and fabricators, as well as shipping, will all cost dramatically more when the word “RUSH” enters the conversation.

Plan ahead and create something extraordinary while the pressure is off!

Like to learn a bit more about how you can get the most from your trade show marketing budget? Our seasoned professionals would love to show you the way! Give us a call and let us help you achieve more success from your trade show program.

When you hear the word “custom,” what comes to mind? For most, whatever they envision – boat, car, home, exhibit – they think “expensive.” And why shouldn’t they? Custom equals unique. Whatever it is, it’s made according to personal order. And typically that comes with a hefty price tag.

Throw the word “rental” in the mix and folks think they will have no options. That couldn’t be further from the truth with ColorCraft. When we say custom we mean unique but without the high price tag. We have an extensive inventory of rental trade show exhibit pieces that can be easily customized with color, graphics, or other details, to make them look like they are branded just for the client’s company.

While many companies say they offer custom trade show rental displays, ask lots of questions and see what they have to offer before you settle. ColorCraft has an incredibly skillful trade show design and fabrication team so when we say custom rental exhibit, we mean it.

Our basic structural pieces can be manipulated into endless configurations to accommodate any functional or aesthetic need out there. Think of them as building blocks that you can use to create whatever design you want.

Why Choose a Custom Rental Trade Show Exhibit?

Custom rental trade show exhibits are perfect for companies participating in multiple shows each year with multiple configurations because they can still get cohesive brand exposure without investing in the purchase of all the properties. They are also great for companies who exhibit at multiple shows within the same footprint/needs because we can then offer discount pricing for them – renting the same properties for more than one show. Be sure to ask us about our ShowPak savings.

Custom rental trade show displays also save the client money because there are no storage fees – since the properties belong to ColorCraft and are in use for more than just that particular client’s shows, they aren’t requiring warehouse space. Plus you save on shipping costs!

Renting your custom trade show display gives you the look you want without being tied to the booth. You can get a fresh new look with every show.