Creating a trade show buzz about your trade show display is something we all want to achieve at every trade show we attend.

We try creating an eye-catching display, make sure the coffee and refreshments are available, have warm welcoming booth staff and have some great promotional gifts for lucky attendees to take to the office or home and remember us by.

Fantastic but every other exhibitor is doing the same so what are we doing that differentiates us from the pack?

First of all, doing all of the above and doing them well will differentiate you from the pack; too many exhibitors become lazy and set in their ways and without perhaps realizing it themselves they do become jaded and tired which is something attendees do pick up on.

Second, don’t worry about thinking outside of the box here – using some imagination and daring to be different can pay real dividends and need not require a huge budget.  Hiring an entertainer for instance, has long been one of my favorite ways of attracting attention.  Magicians in particular, have a great impact on attendees with sleight of hand tricks, a good sales spiel and attendees remember me because they had some fun in between discussing business.

Third, when you are selecting your promotional gifts try and think about something different that is also practical and useful – something attendees will use repeatedly or keep in plain sight either at home or at the office.  I use yardsticks a lot; people use them and want them for the tool collection while they are inexpensive and have my company name emblazoned across them.  I get attendees seeking me out at my booth simply because they have seen other attendees with them (they are too large to be hidden in a plastic carrier bag) and they want one too.  It pays to “go large” in these instances so other attendees can see they are available somewhere in the arena.

Fourth, work with the tradeshow organizers if you have something different in mind; they are going to be more than happy if you are looking to create a tradeshow impact with something special.  A friend of mine was lucky enough to have a movie celebrity come to a tradeshow as the guest of his company for a major product launch; the tradeshow organizers made sure it was red carpet treatment all the way and the entire tradeshow arena knew where they had to go to get a glimpse and an autograph opportunity.

Fifth, if at first you don’t succeed try something different.  Remember to do the basics and do them well, but if you are looking to stand out from the crowd, you have no choice but to dare to be different.