According to recent surveys, 88% of businesses take part in home shows purely to raise brand awareness. 

Unfortunately, many brands are soon forgotten as home show attendees exit the building. With so many other businesses to compete with, your advertising technique needs to be spot on to make a splash at a home show. 

So what can you do to make your next home show exhibit a smashing success? Follow along to learn five valuable vendor tips for home shows to not only boost awareness but gain customers and close sales. 

1. Plan Ahead

First things first, you’ll need to invest some time and money in planning for your home show booth. If this is your first home show, or if advertising at shows in the past hasn’t been working for you, you’ll need to go back to the drawing table for your approach. 

Before you book your booth, ensure you have a solid understanding of the event and what you can expect. Some home shows may not be drawing your ideal audience and therefore may not be worth the time and energy to attend. 

Next, you’ll need to know what your next steps are. If you aren’t making another appearance anytime soon, your customers may not be able to find you again with ease. Know your schedule and have it readily available for potential buyers.

Do you know who you’re competing with? This doesn’t just mean vendors selling similar products, but those who do a great job of being memorable. Chances are, attendees are only going to remember 2-3 booths at the end of the show. If you want to be remembered, you’ll need to know who you’re competing with and how to keep up. 

Last but not least you’ll need to get to know your audience. Who is your ideal customer and what are they looking for when they find you? Maximize your booth and brand to appeal to your audience instead of ‘hoping’ they will discover you. 

2. Stand Out

As we mentioned above, you’ll need to stand out to be remembered. So how can you do this?

The most effective way to be memorable is to draw a crowd. This may include hosting a contest, offering an impressive demo, or simply using your trade booth design to really stand out. Be sure to get a custom exhibit design to fit your every need so when it comes time to the show, your company will attract potential customers effortlessly. If done correctly, their first impression will be that your brand is of the highest quality and trustworthy.

While you don’t need to spend a fortune on home show booths, the more impressive your booth is with a custom tradeshow display, the more professional you will appear to attendees. This could mean getting creative with design, incorporating innovative tech, or lighting the place up with your unmissable display. 

Not sure what to do to make your booth more inviting? Check out https://rockwayexhibits.com/ for the best inspiration and custom-built booths to make your brand pop. 

3. Prioritize Engagement

Are you still sitting behind a table waiting for customers to come to you? We hate to be the bearer of bad news but this technique simply doesn’t work. 

If you want to catch the attention of customers and draw them in, you’ll need to be actively engaging with your audience. This means getting out in front and pulling in customers.

We know this can be a nerve-racking task, but without this skill, your home booth will be skipped over and forgotten without fail. 

Put down your phone or tablet, uncross your arms, and make deliberate eye contact with your guests. The more connected they feel to you and your brand, the more likely they are to make a purchase or leave their contact information for more details. 

4. Staff Well

A home show is no small investment. For this reason, it can be tempting to cut costs by understaffing or leaving your best sellers at your brick-and-mortar location to recover sales. Unfortunately, having underperforming staff or a lack of staff at your booth will only shed your brand in a poor light.

For many customers, the home show will be their very first impression of your brand. If you want to capture this audience and gain their loyalty, you’ll need to make the most of this impression.

Staff your booth with the most knowledgeable members of your team. Ensure they are outgoing, helpful, and not afraid to get out and strike up a conversation. 

The more impressive your home show staff are, the better your brand will come across. This makes it more than worth it to invest in adequate and professional helpers for your vendor booth. 

5. Follow Up

Want to know how to make money at trade shows? The answer is all in this final home show vendor tip. 

Without follow-up, all your efforts at the show are as good as gone. This is because customers who have been left with the ball in their court will almost never follow through. 

Instead of handing out cards and hoping for a hit, turn the tables by gathering contact information and actioning it straight away. The faster you touch base, the higher chance you have of closing a sale and securing a loyal client. 

After too much time has passed, you risk potential customers forgetting about you or simply losing interest in your product due to ‘impulse’ wearing off. 

Let your customers know at the event that you’ll be in touch and keep your word. It can and will pay off.

Home Show Tips for Your Next Exhibit 

Now that you know these five home show vendor tips for success, it’s time to get to work. From doing your research to following up with interested attendees, it’s up to you to master your next home show event. 

Want more tips and tricks for getting your start-up business off the ground? Check out our other posts to discover everything you need to know to ace advertising, exhibits, and more. 

Jane