Best tradeshow marketing tips and case studies. Call 800-654-6946.
Best tradeshow marketing tips and case studies. Call 800-654-6946.

Guest Post

The Ultimate Guide to Dazzling Trade Show Booths

This is a guest post by Abhishek Pareek of Blazer Exhibits.

Building any trade show booth will never help you capture the attention of your potential customers. Why? You will certainly attend events where many other companies will also build theirs. That’s why, to display your products, you must build a booth that’s not usual.

Impressing the trade show attendees is not that easy. But it’s not impossible if you know how to stand out. So, what’s the secret? Certainly, your trade show exhibits have to be eye-catching and well-designed. But you should also include something that will make you stand out.

Let’s now explore the art of showcasing a dazzling booth for your company. Below are a few tips that you must read for better understanding.

Tips to Build Trade Show Booths that Dazzle

Create Buzz Before the Event Starts

If you are building something special, you must go one extra mile. Just start talking about it even before the event starts. This way, you will engage your audience and inspire them to visit something unusual. But how should you proceed? With the help of the social media accounts of your brand, you can start sharing updates on the event. Besides, take the help of emails to engage your audience about an upcoming event they must know. But revealing the secret won’t be helpful for your company. Instead, just drop hints that will attract more attendees to your booth.

Choose a Strategic Design

You must not choose designs randomly for your trade show booth. So, you will have to proceed with a strategic design. Now, choosing a design of this type won’t be easy if you do not analyze your goals and brand identity. Also, do not forget to identify your target audience before you choose any particular design. Moreover, the design must reflect your brand’s uniqueness. So, use elements like color, graphics, and layout to create an appealing and unique booth.

Clear Brand Messaging

The booth has to be attractive, but that’s not enough to bring you more leads. Every brand in the trade show will build a booth as best as possible. In this situation, proving your uniqueness is the only solution. So, design your booth in a way that will convey your brand messages. That’s why you can use bold, easy-to-read signage and graphics. These will help you convey your value proposition and key offerings. Also, remember that avoiding clutter at all costs will help you present your brand in the best possible way.

High-quality Graphics and Images

Every brand must never forget that they must only invest in high-quality graphics and visuals. You will probably not be able to make a good impression with poorly printed images. As a brand, proving your commitment to quality is very important. That’s why only vibrant and professionally designed graphics are only required.

Interactive Elements are also Helpful

Engaging attendees can be difficult if your team fails to introduce something interesting. That’s why you must include interactive elements that engage visitors. For instance, installing touchscreen displays, product demos, and interactive games can captivate attendees. Moreover, this can keep them at your booth longer. These elements create memorable experiences that connect people to your brand.

Effective Lighting

Attracting visitors to a booth that looks gloomy is certainly difficult. That’s why you should prepare a booth that looks bright. For this reason, embrace effective lighting that can dramatically enhance the appeal of your booth. Moreover, well-placed lights can draw attention to specific areas and also create ambiance. It will also highlight your products or services. Consider using LED lighting for energy efficiency and versatility.

Make it Useful For Attendees

You will certainly be busy talking about your products and engaging the attendees. But there is another way that can help you attract your visitors i.e., making your booth useful for visitors. But how will you do that? Simply include a charging station that will allow visitors to charge their phones. You can also keep small chairs so visitors can relax if they feel tired. Also, by providing refreshments to your visitors and getting more scopes to interact with them.

To Sum it Up

Standing out is not just a competition in the market but also in the trade show can be difficult. That’s why you build a booth that will easily attract your visitors. So, decide how you can present your booth to help you beat your competitors. As you start planning the design of your booth, keep in mind the points we have shared here.

A well-executed trade show booth can significantly impact your brand’s visibility and overall success at trade shows. But be very careful with the design as it must convey the right message. Thus, to ensure success, begin your journey with a booth that dazzles.

Blazer Exhibits and Events, based in Silicon Valley for over 35 years, specializes in custom trade show booths and displays. They handle all aspects, from conceptualization to exhibit designs, ensuring a dimensional branding experience within budget.

2022 Print Media Trends in the Digital Age

This is a guest post by Farlyn Lucas.

In the digital age, the future of print media can seem uncertain. We spend so much time online that it may seem like print advertising is a dying trend. Data from the Pew Research Center highlights how in 2022, 93% of American adults used the internet, a 3% increase from 2021. Undoubtedly, the internet’s reach is growing, especially in advertising. However, despite emerging digital trends, print media is still a thriving business with a variety of innovative trends in the digital age.

Overview

Is print advertising still effective? Though many companies overlook the importance of print media in advertising their business, it’s an incredibly useful marketing strategy. Print advertising is a form of advertising that utilizes tangible media to reach potential consumers. Some popular examples of print marketing are magazines, newspaper ads, and direct mail. With so many different opinions and platforms, companies can pick and choose what method works best for them while also getting creative. When comparing digital marketing to print, there are many benefits to advertising your business via print. Entrepreneur highlights how print advertising is a sensory experience; it builds credibility, there is a high exposure rate, and it has longevity. In addition, print marketing is a great way to connect with potential customers and set yourself apart from the competition. In addition, when compared to digital media, Forbes states that paper materials are “easier to process mentally and tested better for brand recall.” Despite what you may think, print advertising is still a growing and evolving market alongside digital media. It’s an effective marketing strategy.

Print Media Trends

There are a variety of trends in digital printing that can help promote your business and drive sales. Here are a few print marketing tips to get you started or take your print advertising to the next level!

QR Codes

One way to capitalize on print advertising is to bridge the gap between the print and digital world through QR codes. Business Insider describes QR codes as “a type of barcode, or scannable pattern, that contain various forms of data, like website links, account information, phone numbers, or even coupons.” QR code popularity spiked during the pandemic when contactless communication was key to avoiding the spread of Covid-19. Now they retain popularity and are used for menus, quick links, and contact information. They’re also a great marketing strategy. When creating your print advertisement, add a QR code on your page that links to your website. Then, when people see your ad and want more information about your company or product, they can easily scan the code with their phone camera and learn more. It’s a seamless way to engage with potential customers and drive sales.

Sensory Experience

Another print media trend is to use the senses to promote your company. While both print and digital media are mobile and informative, print is tactile, meaning that consumers can connect with it in a way that goes beyond visual. Think perfume ads; when you can smell the perfume, you can connect with the product and the company in a way that isn’t possible digitally. Another idea is to make your advertisements textured to engage your consumers or use various finishing options to catch the eye, such as laminating, finishing, embossing, and debossing. Again, take advantage of the physical nature of print advertising to promote your brand.

Go Green!

Companies have been pushing to make sustainable business changes in the past several years. Whether that through recycling or minimizing plastic, green initiatives pay off. Forbes highlights how 88% of consumers “will be more loyal to a company that supports social or environmental issues,” and 87% of consumers “would buy a product with social and environmental benefit if given the opportunity.” There are many changes companies have been making to make their print marketing campaigns more sustainable. Some ideas include utilizing recycled materials, eco-friendly packaging, and partnering with environmentally conscious printing companies. These small changes not only have a positive environmental impact but attract environmentally conscious people to your company. A win-win!

About the author: Farlyn Lucas works as a freelance writer and communications manager for a media agency based in New York. She has a knack for writing on various topics, especially marketing, business, and industry news.

Traditional Advertising Methods That Are Still Effective Today

This is a guest post by Emma Grace Brown.

Despite what many people think, offline advertising is not dead. Traditional marketing methods still have their place in the digital age! At the Tradeshow Guy Blog, we know that long-forgotten advertising strategies can be just as effective as their online counterparts, particularly for local businesses with a community presence. Used in combination with digital marketing strategies like email and social media, you can create a powerful marketing plan with the help of old-school advertising methods.

Phone Calls

Phone calls are great both for promoting your business and learning about your target audience. It’s important to understand what your customer wants before you spend good money on advertising and calling up members of your target audience is a great way to extract this information. Call up your customers—or cold call potential leads—and ask them what they think of your product or service. Their answers will help you determine the best approach for your marketing, including what content will resonate best and on which marketing channels you should focus your efforts.

Tradeshows and Events

Events are fantastic opportunities to promote your local business. For example, Retail Insider explains that you can use trade shows to raise brand awareness, educate your customers, and expand your sales channels. Trade shows are also great for keeping an eye on your competitors! There’s a good chance that your top competitors will attend the same trade shows as you, so take advantage of the opportunity to see what they’re doing and learn from them.

If you want to get the most out of each trade show, you must plan ahead. Reach out to industry experts and vendors who will be attending and schedule quick meetings with them during the show. Make it easy for potential customers to provide their contact information so you can get in touch after the show. You could even print a poster with a QR code linking interested guests to your website!

Flyers and Brochures

Printed flyers and brochures are another cost-effective traditional advertising strategy. Because brochures hold a lot of information, they’re great for educating people about your product or service and spreading awareness about your business. Brochures can also give your business a sense of credibility and authority. You don’t need to limit yourself to mailing lists—remember to hand out your brochures at events and trade shows as well!

Take advantage of digital tools to make your brochure design appear sharp and professional. For example, Canva is a popular tool for designing graphics for websites, social media, and print materials. And if you really want to give your brochure a professional edge, don’t hesitate to hire a graphic designer!

Billboards and Banners

According to HubSpot, billboard advertising can be a powerful way to build brand awareness. When you rent space on a billboard, you get to broadcast your business to as many people as possible. The best billboards tell a story, which can be tough with a single image and one or two lines of text. Consider hiring a professional copywriter to ensure your content is captivating and engaging!

Similar to billboards, banners are great for advertising your business at local events. Consider sponsoring an event, like a sports game, festival, or fair, and printing banners to promote your company. This is a great chance to showcase your logo and build awareness around your brand. Don’t overlook traditional advertising methods! When done right, offline advertising methods can be great for getting the word out about your business and directing interested consumers to your website. Look for ways to bridge your online and offline marketing strategies, boost your conversions, and grow your business!

Emma Grace Brown lives her life by her rules, and it works! When she’s not snuggling puppies, Emma promotes female empowerment through her website. Her mission is to help those who live with self-doubt to realize they don’t have to mold themselves to conventionality.

Managing in a Time of Crisis

This is a guest post by Dominic Rubino.

Here we are.  The “what if” scenario is in front of us.

As leaders we need to be prepared so that we show confidence and leadership to our teams.

Now more than ever facts must drive our decisions.

I’ll keep this article point form and factual so it is easy to follow and put in place.

Crisis management is about communication. (See the green circle below) (1)

Controlling that communication is the key to keeping everyone calm and focused.

Ref: Springer, 1, 3

Listen ( see orange circle above)

All of your team will have questions. Get in front of them as quickly as you can.

Depending on the size of your company you might need to have an “all company meeting.”

This can be quickly set up on Skype if you have people working remotely. Contact me if I can help you set up a conference call using Zoom.

I will also be publishing a How-To document for Managing Remote Teams. Stay tuned for more.

Not only do the people in your company have questions, they want to know that they are being heard.  Create an easy way for people to get their questions to you so that you can answer them.

Ideas for Listening to your team

  • Set up question boxes in your shop and check them daily.
  • Hold a meeting.  Put up a whiteboard and ask each person one by one to call out their questions.
  • Walk the shop floor.  Now is not the time to stay in your office. Talk to people individually.
  • When people are asking you questions remain calm and let them get the whole question out.  Once they are done it’s helpful if you repeat the question back.
  •  Here’s an example of what I mean.  Tony stops you in the hallway to ask a question.

Tony- ..What are going to do if sales drop off and people don’t want us in their houses ?

You- “…Thanks Tony- so your question is how are we gong to keep on selling new jobs if people don’t want us in their houses?”

Measure ( see orange circle above)

Measurement means a few different things right now.

Facts are facts.

First- now is the time to rely on the strategic plan you built for the company.  (Those of you who work directly with me will refer to this as the OPSP, or the EOS Level 10 meeting.)

In that strategic plan we laid out your critical numbers,  flowcharts ( also called SOP’s),  and types of meetings that we need to have with our people.  Use those tools as much as you can.  Contact me directly if you have questions.

Second- as business owners we need to take the lead and make sure that we are getting our information from credible sources. Facebook, Instagram,  and “my friend told me” are not credible sources!  Establish which media outlets you trust the most, and refer back to them. For an example, this is Forbes list of trusted media outlets. 

I would suggest that you publicize these trusted outlets with your team as well- this way, your team will know where you are looking.

Talk ( see orange circle above)

Yes, I know that some of you reading this already think you have too many meetings.  (read my article in Forbes on this subject) In a time of crisis like this, those meetings are not for you – they’re for your team.

Your team is going to be getting information from somewhere.  If it doesn’t come from you they will find it from other sources.  Or, left without direction,  the loudest , most convincing voices will win out over fact-based points of view.

Tips for talking to your team (and still getting work done)

Get ahead of “talking”,  so that you aren’t caught by surprise.  Tell your team to expect an update from you at a pre-set time.

I spoke with a business owner just this morning and we put the following communications schedule in place with his company.

Daily

9 AM daily-  He will update the team on the latest information. His primary source  of information will be at this web address.

2 PM daily- He will update the team on the latest information. His primary source  of information will be the CDC at this web address.

If you are feeling ill. Send a text message to ‘NAME’ by 7 AM. Otherwise we’re looking forward to seeing you here!

Weekly

The Toolbox talk/Safety meeting will be held at our regular time (8 AM ) for the duration of this quarantine.

The Huddle and Dashboard will be held at our regular time (10 AM Tues/Thur) in the boardroom for the duration of this quarantine.

Floor walks- I will be walking the floor daily. If you have questions, let’s discuss when I come by your station. Sunday nights at 6- He will update the team on the latest information. His primary source  of information will be the CDC at this web address.

Engage ( see orange circle above)

What this means is to slow down, really talk , really listen and don’t try to “Baffle with BS”.

Your team needs you now. Think about how they and their families will talk about your company after all of this blows over.  Because it will blow over.

Do you want them to say “Our boss is a good guy.  We were kept informed and I felt confident that he knew what he was doing every step of the way.”

OR

Do you want them to say “…it was really stressful I didn’t know from day to day what was going to happen.  I was worried I might lose my house.  My wife was asking me questions I just couldn’t answer.  I wish he had just been straight with me.”

Conclusion

Now is not the time to do this alone. If you have my contact info, get in touch with me now. We’ll put together a plan that works for you and your team.

Thanks,

Dom

Who is Dominic Rubino and is this information reliable?

Good question, I’m glad you’re asking. I’m a businessman, and for the last 20 years, I’ve coached, consulted and trained business owners on how to work smarter, not just harder.

I value reality over theory. I hate theory. You might want to know more about me and how I approach business turnarounds.

You can find out more in the following places

References

  • FEMA.gov
  • CDC.org
  • Christine G. Springer, Director of the Executive Masters Degree in Emergency and Crisis Management at UNLV

Check out the podcast interview I did with Dominic Rubino last year here.

Finally, here’s the time I appeared on Dominic’s Profit ToolBelt Podcast.

The Pros and Cons of Giving Out Free Gifts

This is a guest post by Rodney Laws, Editor at Ecommerce Platforms.

We’re all familiar with tradeshow swag. If you’ve been through a hectic stretch of tradeshow attendance, you’ve surely lurched back to your vehicle of choice with a heavy bag of assorted items — and if you’ve ever presented at such a show, you’ve most likely opted, or been told, to hand out some products (free of charge).

It’s a long-standing staple of the industry, so you might think it’s inevitable, but you have a choice in the matter. Don’t want to offer free gifts? You don’t have to. If you’re on the fence, though, you might be looking for a nudge in one direction or the other. So what should you do? Cover your stall in tempting swag, or leave it bare and focus on the reason why you’re there?

To borrow from ecommerce parlance (it is my industry, after all), it’s like the delicate matter of landing page development: you can have a generic landing page that doesn’t impress or offend, or you can build a custom landing page that differs from the competition in ways that may delight or frustrate. Neither option is perfect. Either can go wrong.

To help you decide what’s best for you, here are the pros and cons of giving out free gifts. Consider them my gifts for you (have I tipped my hand there?).

Why you should give out free gifts

All those tradeshow presenters can’t be totally misguided in breaking out the swag bags. Here are the main reasons why you should dish out the goods:

  • They can easily be branded. You don’t need to hand out generic items that will get thrown in bags and immediately lose any association with you. If you do it well, you can give out branded gifts that get across your brand identity and possibly your brand message too (it depends on how much space you have for text and visuals).
  • Tradeshows can be dry. As much as professionals will get hyped-up ahead of a tradeshow, the energy can run out quickly if exhibits are dull and they drank too much the previous evening. But free gifts will always get attention — and even if that attention is brief, it’s better than no attention at all.
  • You can get quite creative. Pens are always useful, but you don’t need to offer pens. If you can think of something portable and not overly expensive, you can make it a free gift, and that gives you a lot of creative scope. Look at what others are doing, and come up with something different.
  • People often expect them. Unfortunately, the precedent of free gifts at tradeshows can make life hard for those exhibitors who don’t have any. It might be viewed as indicative of a lack of effort, or even a cheapness that bodes poorly.

Why you shouldn’t give out free gifts

That something is popular doesn’t mean it’s sensible. Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t give out free gifts at tradeshows:

  • The ROI might not be there. While it’s great to get plaudits for the quality of your swag, you need meaningful ROI for the process to be worthwhile. If you keep handing out products and getting less value in return than you spend on them, then you’d be better served not giving out any gifts at all. Sometimes there isn’t much point.
  • You can make it a selling point. If you just have an empty stall, no one will care, but if you make a point of your lack of free gifts — you could make it a stand against plastic use, for instance, or simply explain that your brand is so good that you don’t need gimmicks (this is itself a gimmick, of course, but don’t mention that) — then you can get the same kind of attention at no cost.

Overall, then, should you bother giving out free gifts? Well, it depends on whether you think there’s ROI to be yielded. If you can choose the gifts well and make them actionable somehow, they can prove quite fruitful. Here’s my suggestion: try to come up with a smart free gift strategy. If you devise one, use it. If you don’t, forget the gifts. Simple!

Rodney Laws is an ecommerce expert with over a decade of experience in building online businesses. Check out his reviews on EcommercePlatforms.io and you’ll find practical tips that you can use to build the best online store for your business. Connect with him on Twitter @EcomPlatformsio.

9 Things All First Time Event Promoters Wish They Did Before Their First Exhibition

This is a guest post by Ben Llewellyn of Ultimate Banners.

There’s no shortage of benefits that come with attending an exhibition, which is why it is something that a lot of event promoters and businesses do. However, that’s not to say that a successful exhibition is guaranteed without a level of planning and hard work. There are certain things that everyone should do before attending an exhibition, many of which first time event promoters don’t realise.

Things Everyone Should Do Before Their First Exhibition

There’s a lot to think about before attending your first exhibition, which can make the entire lead up stressful. It’s never a case of turning up and hoping for the best because organizing and planning is key. Here are ten things everyone should do before going to their first industry exhibition.

1. Invest in Branded Freebies – A lot of businesses make the mistake of trying to keep the cost of attending an exhibition as low as possible and though this does make sense, it is often beneficial to spend a little. After all, spending a little can often lead to you making more in the long run. Investing in branded freebies is a great way to impress potential customers and it reflects well on the business as a whole, as branded freebies are usually associated with successful brands. Giving someone a branded freebie, such as a pen or portable charger, is also an effective way to boost brand awareness. Once the event has finished, people are still going to remember who you are and the business name will be seen by more people.

2. Set Clear Goals – Before attending any exhibition, you should be sure on what your business goals are for the day. Think about whether you are aiming to sell a product, whether you are hoping to network with other businesses or whether you are simply trying to get the brand name out there. This is especially important before attending your first exhibition, as the entire day is likely to be busy and having a plan can keep you organized and on task. Make sure that your goals are realistic and that everyone is working towards the same thing.

3. Research Competitors – It’s hugely important to stand out at an exhibition, but this can be difficult when you have an abundance of competitors to contend with. Looking at competitors and seeing what they are doing is a good way to find out what works, what doesn’t and what you could do differently. Though you will want to stand out and should avoid copying them, you should always work to industry standards and showcase yourself in a similar way. If you are new to a specific industry, researching competitors is a great way to know what’s expected of you.

4. Prepare and Plan Their Exhibition Space – Attending an exhibition can be stressful, especially when you are doing so for the first time. However, planning ahead can help massively. Consider what you will need for your exhibition space and allow adequate time to source everything before the big day. You will also want to make sure you have reserved the space, allowed enough time to set everything up and have advertising materials printed ahead of time.

5. Design Fantastic Artwork – With so many competitors at an exhibition, it’s important that you make a statement and stand out. There are a few different ways to do this, but starting with designing fantastic artwork is key. It’s important for banners and advertising materials to stand out from the rest, which is why standard or generic banner artwork isn’t good enough. There’s a lot of help out there and pull up banners ten signs they are working | ultimatebanners.co has a lot of advice on creating designs that work. Artwork should grab attention, create intrigue and provide information.

6. Allow Enough Time for Banner Printing – The turnaround for banner printed is extremely quick, which means that last minute orders aren’t usually a problem. However, it’s always best to avoid leaving it to the last minute if possible. When you leave banner printing to the last minute, you’re not leaving any room for error or delays. This could mean that you are left without the banner needed for an exhibition and no way to solve the problem. Reduce the stress of your banner printing by organising everything the moment you have the artwork. It’s better to be ready too early, than too late.

7. Spread the Word About Attendance – Once you know that you are attending an exhibition and have confirmed everything, spread the word and let everyone know. You could have existing customers attending the same event, in which case they can look out for you. There could be people there who have heard about the business and want to know more, in which case an exhibition is a great opportunity for them to do so. It’s also helpful for other businesses to know that you will be there, as they may be interested in networking.

8. Think About First Impressions – There is no doubt going to be a lot of people attending any exhibition, so it’s important to think about first impressions before going as making a good first impression is key. This includes ensuring that your display looks great, that staff know what to say to passersby and that you are ready to answer any complicated questions. You should aim to appear friendly, professional and knowledgeable about the industry. Though an individual may not take you up on a service or product then and there, you will want them to have a position opinion of you for future reference.

9. Get Staff On Board – A lot of hard work and energy goes into attending an exhibition, which is why getting other staff members on board is key. Not only does this allow for work to be delegated, but it reduces stress throughout the day. Rather than one or two people attempting to do everything, a large team provides more free time for networking and building a relationship with potential customers.

Ben Llewellyn is co-founder of Ultimate Banners in Birmingham (United Kingdom). Ben loves cycling and everything tech. He works as a designer and developer working with clients in the exhibition advertising and digital services sector. Find Ben on LinkedIn.

All You Need to Know About Tradeshow Planning and Traveling

This is a guest article by Lee Becknell of Pinnacle Promotions.

Trade shows provide companies and marketing professionals with excellent opportunities to grow their brand awareness and generate valuable leads, but there’s a lot of preparation that goes into participating in a trade show. Between budgeting, arranging travel plans, preparing staff members and ordering promotional products, it can be difficult to prioritize all the necessary tasks—especially if you’ve never attended a trade show before.

We’ve compiled some helpful tips to guide you through the trade show process. From determining which conventions to attend to booking your travel plans, you’ll be able to master your first trade show experience and grow your business in the process.

Selecting the right tradeshows

The first of many steps in the trade show preparation process is selecting which events are the best for you to capture the attention of your target demographic. Begin by researching upcoming events in your industry and decide if you’d like to showcase your business on a local, regional, national or even international level. If you’ve never attended a trade show as a professional, you may want to start small with a local or regional event before moving on to national and international events.

Depending on factors like location, other attending vendors and time of year, some trade shows may be more beneficial to your business than others. Ask other experienced business owners in the industry for tips and try to seek out feedback on specific shows for more insight on which events would be the most advantageous to your company. Keep in mind that you should try to plan all events for the year at once to keep yourself organized and provide plenty of time to make arrangements, including enough time to order promotional products.

Book flights and hotels in advance

Determining which tradeshows you want to attend well in advance ensures enough time to plan, prep your employees and purchase travel accommodations before prices begin to rise. Tradeshows typically attract people from across the country, and sometimes even the world, which means everyone will be scrambling for plane tickets and hotel rooms. The earlier you can plan, the better off you’ll be in terms of securing accommodations.

If you’re the one in charge of planning for tradeshows, you should develop a travel protocol to ensure that all employees know how they’ll be arriving at the event and where they’ll be staying. Once the most willing and qualified employees have been selected to participate in the event, you can create a spreadsheet to organize important information such as flight and accommodation details. If the event is close enough to drive to, coordinate groups to carpool.

Many tradeshows are hosted in convention centers, which are usually located inside a hotel. If you can plan the trip in advance, you may be able to secure rooms right at the convention center, saving your employees travel time and the additional costs associated with transportation.

Budgeting for the event

Setting a budget for any given event is an essential part of the trade show planning process. A good rule of thumb for estimating the total cost is to multiply the price of a space at any given event by three. This should give you an accurate guideline on how much you’re likely to spend on all major expenses, including booth rental, display materials, travel and promotional products.

Set objectives for the tradeshow

Tradeshows can provide businesses with many different kinds of opportunities—networking with other influential members of the industry, generating leads, expanding your brand influence and building a reputation for your company. But, before you hit the trade show track, you should set some clear, obtainable goals for your business.

First, determine specifically what you’re hoping to get out of each event and avoid goals that are too vague. Are you looking to expand your brand’s exposure? Generate sales leads? Recruit employees? Announce a new product line? All of these objectives are common reasons to get your company involved with trade shows. By narrowing down your intentions, you allow the business to more accurately create materials and select promotional products that will reflect your goal and lead to your target results.

Order promotional products well in advance to use as trade show giveaways

Promotional products are vital to the success of a company’s display booth. Handing out a unique product that people will actually use will help your business stand out and make an impression at the trade show. Though attendees certainly go to these events to learn more about the vendors and network with other professionals in the industry, people still tend to gravitate towards booths offering some type of trade show giveaway.

Attract more people to your booth by offering useful and interesting trade show giveaway products like customized travel bags or retail-inspired tumblers. Once you’ve attracted people to your booth, you’ll have the opportunity to talk to them about your company and spark their interest in your products or services. Another huge benefit of promotional products is that these items work as usable advertisements. Every time someone reaches for that promotional product with your company’s distinct logo, they’ll be reminded of your business, which can lead to conversions and positive word-of-mouth reviews.

Lee Becknell serves as the Senior Digital Marketing Manager for Pinnacle Promotions. Lee oversees digital marketing from the Atlanta, GA headquarters. Lee has been with Pinnacle for over six years. Lee enjoys spending time with her husband, son and golden retriever, running and taking naps.

Top Digital Marketing Conferences to Help You Step-up Your Marketing Game in 2019

This is a guest post by Vaibhab Kakkar of Digital Web Solutions.

Getting to rub shoulders with the leaders in digital marketing. Hearing their experiences and learning from them. Building useful contacts and partnership opportunities like never before.

Digital marketing conferences bring it all down under one roof.

And that’s why it’s always great for aspiring marketers to be a part of these conferences. But, can you or your fraternity attend all the big conferences? (Like all of them?)

Certainly not! You’ll need to make a choice.

To help you do that, here’s a list of the top 9 digital marketing conferences. To make sure these are worth your while and buck, we have shortlisted these on the basis of content.

So, let’s get going!

1. Digital Summit: Austin

Key Topics: Customer’s journey throughout the funnel, SEO, email marketing, content, UX.

Location: Austin

Date: June 04-05, 2019

With a total of 40 digital marketing experts assembling under one roof to make the Digital Summit: Austin happen, the event will certainly be rich with priceless insights.

To start off, the pre-event talks on 3rd June will include words and wisdom about influencer marketing and popular CRO techniques.

Moving beyond that, the conference will majorly focus on every important factor affecting digital marketing strategies.

So, be it SEO. Content. Email marketing. UX. Or growing your network along with your net worth, within the two days, speakers will open up and elaborate about all of these.

Also, failures and success stories don’t even need a mention.

The tickets are running out shortly and are priced between $200 to $995. A basic $200 ticket will simply allow you access to the masterclass, while a $995 platinum pass will include everything from lunch to exclusive keynote meetup & platinum swag.

Grab your passes now from their official site.

2. Call to Action Conference (CTA ‘19)

Key topic: Call to action optimization

Location: Vancouver, BC

Date: June 25-26, 2019

As the call to actions on websites and in ad sets are crucial for converting prospects into leads, the CTA conference will shower useful knowledge about how you can optimize your CTAs to the max.

Talking about techniques for writing brilliant CTA copies, choosing the right CTA colors, links and much more, this conference will guide you with everything you need for CTA optimization.

Super early bird passes are priced at CA$426.93 for existing Unbounce customers and CA$747.93 for everyone else.

Grab your passes here before the super-early bird period goes off and the prices go high.

Also, to get a rough idea of how the CTA conference events usually are and how the last one was, you can have a look at the speaker videos from last year’s event.

3. Nottingham Digital Summit

Key topics: SEO, PPC, experience sharing

Location: Nottingham, UK

Date: July 03, 2019

Take your digital marketing skills to another level with over 700 delegates and 26 expert marketing speakers and trainers. The grand event in Nottingham is going to have some of the digital industry’s leading thinkers, visionaries, and practitioners.

And another great thing about it?

Starting off at $50, the event is going to be the cheapest on this list. In fact, the costliest pass itself is priced at only a hundred dollars.

Which is why the event is supposed to be attracting a large number of aspiring and amateur marketers looking forward to honing their skills.

Grab your passes here, before the day is all sold.

4. MozCon

Key topic: Digital marketing

Location: Seattle, WA

Date: July 15-17, 2019

An electrifying and highly energized digital marketing conference, MozCon may just be bursting many digital marketing bubbles this year.

And with all the speakers and attendees from all walks of the marketing business, it may just be a perfect place to network with like-minded marketers and marketing enthusiasts.

By being a part of this event, you’ll get to learn about SEO, mobile, growth, analytics, content and a lot more.

The exact location of the event is The Washington State Convention Center situated on Pike Street.

To get an idea about what follows in MozCon 2019, you can have a look at the speakers who were there at the 2018 MozCon.

The price that one has to pay for attending the event varies for members and non-members of Moz. While members of Moz can avail a pass for $799, non-members will be required to pay $1,299 for the same pass.

To get your tickets before the early-bird deals expire, click here.

5. eTail Eadigitalst 2019

Key topics: Retail and e-commerce

Location: MA, Boston

Date: August 19-22, 2019

If you are a retailer looking forward to expanding your brand by exploring and bagging on new digital retailing opportunities like e-commerce, this conference can change your stars.

eTail has been inviting and gathering top retail executives from around the globe for 20 years now. The key USP of their conferences is that they bring their “how-to’s” from leading retailers. This motivates newbies and other experienced-yet-aspiring retailers to scale their businesses on their will.

The tickets for the conference are reasonably priced between $1,299 to $3,899. For further details and booking your place, you can check out their official website.

Discount coupon for eTail passes: Retailers can use MKTERMS19 to avail 20% off on current prices.

6. Inbound

Key topic: Inbound marketing tactics

Location: MA, Boston

Date: September 3-6, 2019

What makes INBOUND stand out of all the other digital marketing conferences on this list? A stand-up comedy show.

But calm down, that’s not the highlight. Apart from lighting up the mood with a spot-on stand-up show, the event is going to discuss in detail some of the most effective inbound marketing strategies and techniques.

Also, the event will include innovative discussions and presentations relating to inbound. This is to make sure that the attendees get the most of the killer inbound growth tactics.

Speaking of the strength, INBOUND is going to be totally houseful with over 25,000 guests arriving at the venue from more than 100 nations. The past INBOUND events became famous for getting influential speakers like Michelle Obama, Deepak Chopra, and Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah on-board.

Apart from that, the event is charmed up with an instagrammable ambiance, the INBOUND studio, and platforms for interviews, videos, and curated content (which can also be reinvented for IGTV).

Prices range between $299 and $1,399. For booking your seats, go check out their register page.

7. Social Media Strategies Summit: NYC

Key topic: Social media marketing

Location: New York

Date: October 15-17, 2019

With over 63% of customers expecting companies to offer services via their social media channels, the need for investing rightly in social media marketing is real.

Helping you with the same, Social Media Strategies Summit: NYC is going to talk in details about crafting, managing, and optimizing all your social media marketing strategies.

That’s the first aim of the conference; instructing the attendees about the nuts and bolts of a successful social media strategy to position their brands for success.

The tickets start at a price of $1,399 and go up to $2,289. To see various pricing features and to book yourself before the prices go up, see their pricing page.

8. Internet Summit

Key topics: Digital marketing using Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and several other platforms

Location: Raleigh, NC

Date: November 13-14, 2019

For all the digital marketing enthusiasts who are always hunting for new marketing tactics and using new media platforms for expanding their reach, Internet Summit can be a boon.

Speakers include Dave Isbitski from Amazon, Diamond Ho from Facebook, Caroline Hubbard from LinkedIn, Seth Weisfield from Pinterest, Ben Morss from Google and many more from other platforms.

Also, the event will cover topics like email marketing, storytelling content, mobile marketing, UX design and optimization, analytics, etc.

And the best thing about the summit provides is a continued learning experience with access to speaker slides and recordings after the conference, so, you don’t have to worry about forgetting.

Standard ticket prices start at $445 and go up to $1,195. However, if you book before July 24, 2019, you can save $200 on each pass that you buy.

9. Digital Marketing Leaders Summit: Hong Kong, 2019

Key topic: Digital marketing

Location: Hong Kong

Date: December 13-14, 2019

One of the greatest digital marketing conferences taking place in the last month of 2019, Digital Marketing Leaders Summit: Hong Kong will uncover the secrets of SEO, influencer, email, and social media marketing.

The conference is going to have some of the leading thought and internet marketing leaders from across the globe.

To get an idea about their previous events, have a look at the list of their previous speakers.

Early bird passes are priced at $799, $899, and $ 1,099. To know more about what the three passes offer and to book yourself before the early bird offers go void, visit their registration page.

Final words

For marketers and entrepreneurs trying to step-up their marketing game, the concept of digital marketing conferences can turn out to be a game changer.

But with hundreds of such conferences taking place every year, choosing the best one can get you in sweat. To ease things out for you, here we talked about 9 of the top digital marketing conferences, hand-picked by us, so you know what you just can’t afford to miss.

Hopefully, this helped you.

Don’t forget to share this piece with your marketer friends to pick the right conference for you and to book tickets before the seats dry out.

Vaibhav Kakkar is the CEO of Digital Web Solutions, a globally trusted agency with a full suite of digital marketing & development solutions. Vaibhav believes in building system over services, and has invested in multiple tech startups including RankWatch, NotifyFox and a CRM software to help scale up client agencies from scratch to niche-leaders with million dollar turnovers.

Tradeshow Tricks: How to Make Eye-Catching Signs and Brochures

This is a guest post by Tania Longeau of InkJet Superstores.

Setting up a booth at a trade show is a great way to build awareness of your brand and gain new leads. On the busy floor of a trade show, however, you only have 6 to 10 seconds to catch the attention of a passerby and draw them into your booth. You are lined up alongside several other businesses and, depending on the size of the show, you could have several thousand people walking past over the course of just a few days. If you want them to stop by your booth, you need eye-catching signage to draw them in.

Once you’ve gotten their attention, you need well-designed marketing materials like brochures, flyers, catalogs, and cards that they will take and look at again after the event. It sounds difficult, but learning how to make eye-catching signs, brochures, and other branding and marketing materials isn’t as hard as you might think. Keep reading to discover a few of our favorite trade show tricks.

Plan Ahead

Businessman Alan Lakein once said that “failing to plan is planning to fail,” and he was absolutely right. If you fail to do extensive planning prior to attending a trade show, you are very unlikely to have a particularly successful event. Goals and desired outcomes need to be established months before the date of the event to ensure that you have time to create everything you need.

Set SMART goals and come up with a solid plan of attack for meeting them. Think about what advertising and marketing materials you will need. Figure out whether you will make those materials in-house or have them printed elsewhere. If you plan on making them yourself, make sure you are stocked up on printer ink, paper, and other essential supplies. Trust us. Few things are worse than running out of ink at 11 p.m. the night before a trade show because you failed to plan and waited until the last minute!

Say it with an Image

When you only have a few brief seconds to grab someone’s attention, a sign or banner with lots of words just won’t do. A picture says a thousand words and, when you use images that are eye-catching, your signs will say a lot about your business, products, or services without needing to say a word. Keep the wording on your booth graphics short and to the point. Your signage should mostly consist of attention-grabbing images. Text should be kept to a minimum. On a busy trade show floor, very few people are going to stop and read an entire paragraph or a long list on a sign. Keep your message short and sweet.

Don’t Go Crazy with Fonts

You may love the look of the fancy font you use on your website or logo, but it may not be the best choice for creating trade show signage and displays. When you are designing signs, banners, and anything else that will be viewed from afar, choose fonts that are simple and easy to read. Remember that, on the trade show floor, your booth is competing for event attendees’ attention. If your advertisements aren’t easy to read, those attendees are just going to look elsewhere.

Be careful when choosing fonts for printed brochures, too. If most of your marketing materials currently exist online, adjustments may need to be made to ensure that they print well. Fonts and colors that look great on a computer screen or a smartphone might not look so good on paper, so be sure to do some experimentation to make sure everything is flawless.

Know When to Hire a Professional

There is a lot that you can do with the inkjet printer or laser printer in your office. Many of today’s higher-end models are capable of creating prints that rival professional quality, and you may be able to get away with printing many of your own signs, flyers, brochures, and pamphlets. It’s also important, though, to know when to hire a professional. Unless you have a high-quality inkjet printer that’s capable of printing large-format banners and other big displays, you should definitely work with a professional printing company. You only get one shot at making a good first impression, so the signage and displays you put up at your booth are extremely important.

Unless you have professional graphic design skill, working with an expert designer is a smart idea, too. A design may look awesome to you, but it may not actually be all that great. There is a lot more that goes into a successful design than just making it look pretty. A good designer can help you create brochures and signs that are eye-catching, tell your brand’s story, and evoke emotion. It takes a lot more than a copy of Photoshop to do all that!

In Conclusion

When you are attending a trade show, setting your booth apart from all of the other ones around you is extremely important. There will be hundreds or thousands of people passing by your booth over the course of a few short days, and you will only have a few seconds to grab each person’s attention. With eye-catching signs, banners, and displays, you can let event attendees know what your business is all about and encourage them to stop by. With eye-catching brochures and pamphlets, you can encourage them to pick up your marketing materials and check them out after the event. Keep the above listed tips in mind, and you will be well on your way to meeting your goals for the event!

Tania Longeau serves as the Head of Services for InkJet Superstore. Tania oversees a team of Operations and Customer Service Reps from the Los Angeles headquarters. Before joining InkJet Superstore, Tania was a team leader and supervisor working for one of the biggest mortgage and real estate companies in the country. Images are provided by the author via Shutterstock.

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