The 2023 conference year is almost finished, bringing in a brand new year to revisit meetings you’ve previously attended and/or explore meetings you’ve never tried before.
It also provides the chance to employ a new booth strategy. If you don’t feel like you’ve gotten the most out of your meetings this year (or previous years), then get to work on trying something different! I know it’s easy to blame the meeting/organization… but that’s out of your control.
There are a lot of ways to revamp your booth strategy, but have you tried this? Clear up the clutter and focus on a single product or service.
For some of you, that might not be of concern if you already only have a single product or service; but after years of roaming the exhibit halls, I’ve seen more booths than not have the entire kitchen sink plus some out on display.
Bottom line – it’s overwhelming and it’s not inviting.
I’m not making this stuff up..
According to Psychology Today,
CLICK HERE FOR SOURCE OF QUOTED BULLETS BELOW:
  • Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important.
  • Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on.
  • Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.
Knowing that, why would we continue to create a space that evokes these negative feelings and decreases the chances of coaxing in qualified leads?
I’ve had this discussion with a handful of exhibitors, and a common talking point or concern with removing several popular items from the booth is that, “current customers won’t think we have it anymore.”
Well… are you standing at the booth and physically able to simply answer that question? Yes.
Also – would it be possible to have those popular items on site, just not strewn all over the table, but underneath where all of your other materials rest until the meeting is over?Yes.
Finally; is the risk so extremely high that you can’t try something new for one or two meetings?
Again, if you’re not getting the results you want, then you’ve got to implement some new plans. Isn’t it more risky to continue to employ strategies that have proven to not work?
Keep it simple. Keep it clean. Keep it focused.
Give your booth some space and give your potential new clients a breath of fresh air.
-Sarah Breymeier