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How to use technology in your next trade show stand

It’s easy to see technology as a necessary element to exhibition stands these days, but you don’t need to overthink it to get it right. You can certainly make a statement using technology, or perhaps employ more subtle ways in which you can make it work for you.

After all, anyone can use a gimmick to attract people to a stand, but it needs to make sense with the design and brand. Hosting a competition to ‘win an iPad’ will come to nothing if they don’t have an interest in your product or service. But what if you could find something that would draw in the right people, with the right message, at the right time?

It’s about getting them engaged in your brand. So let’s talk technology.

We’re obsessed with them. Think ‘technology’ and you’ll likely picture a smart phone in your mind’s eye. Like it or not, screens are a huge part of everyday life. So when it comes to your trade show stand, it works well to incorporate something that everyone can identify with.

Transparent screens are being used more and more, allowing a large display of information in a way that doesn’t divide your space quite so much. LCD and OLED are the more popular options, offering high quality imagery and clarity. It may not be the only reason someone will come to your stand, but get your visuals right (and we’d be able to help you with that too) and you’ll certainly be on your way to capturing your visitors’ imaginations.

Take it a step further and make your screens interactive, and you have an opportunity to capture data (responsibly, we might add) that can be used in the sales process and invaluable when planning for your next show.

Ever walked into a shop and felt at home? Retailers will sometimes opt to use a scent throughout the shop that helps them create an emotive response from their customers, and increase the likelihood that they will buy something.

According to research, 50% of us will remember something we saw three months earlier, whilst 65% will remember something from a scent for up to 12 months. Use a scent-delivery system to recreate this response on a trade show stand and you’ll capture the imaginations of your more attentive visitors. And if you can make it relevant – for example the subtle smell of freshly cut grass for landscaping services – event better.

Whether or not it’s tangible, visitors to your stand will need to understand what’s on offer for them to come back wanting more. And what better way to do that than offering the next best thing: virtual reality.

Recreating a ‘real’ experience by way of digital simulation is the fastest growing trend. The use of special electronic equipment such as a headset or gloves with in-built sensors is one way that this technology can be experienced in a trade show environment and beyond. You’ll need to make sure that your visitors are safe, it’s important to carry out due diligence to gain their prior consent whether you’re opting for Google Cardboard or Oculus Rift. But once you have their interest, you’ll be able to demonstrate your offering in ‘real’ life.

There’s always the appealing rollercoaster simulation or latest AAA game out, but then if you can offer a virtual experience of your showroom, past-projects, interactive demo, you’ll be able to harness the emotional investment of your customers in a way that is memorable.

Psychologist and Nobel Prizewinner Daniel Kahneman states that there is a difference between the ‘experiencing self’ (your trade show visitor) and the ‘remembering self’ (the memory of that visitor’s experience) and the two can be very different as the latter relies on emotional influences. The aim of course being to make that memory as positive as possible, in order to positively influence their future decision to buy.

Making sure your exhibition team are on-message, and having a stellar follow up plan will remain the foundation for your exhibition, but it’s also important to keep up with the trends and hit that all important customer expectation, so that you can attract, engage and delight your visitors. How you make it all work for you and your brand will be what sets you apart from the crowd.

It might take a little imagination, but it will be worth it to see those sales rolling in. If you’d like to discuss using technology at your next exhibition, don’t hesitate to speak to our team on 024 7636 8474.

We’ll get you seen.

Sources
www.exhibitoronline.com
www.exhibitionworld.co.uk
medical-case-reports.imedpub.com
www.psychologytoday.com

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