Making your booth the talk of the tradeshow doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive! Last week Ann and I were at the FPMA SAM Conference and the theme was MARDI GRAS! As soon as we heard that, we knew we were going to have some fun!
We haven’t updated our booth table top display or table cloth since our first conference in October of 2019, but we have made some simple additions here and there and we always “understand the assignment.”
What does that mean? Well, again, we knew the theme was Mardi Gras, so we made sure to deck ourselves out in beads and masks the entire time we were at the show. It gets noticed.
When we were in Nashville for the APMA National Conference last summer, we knew we had to bring the thunder with cowboy hats and our favorite boots! Having Dolly Parton at the booth was also a HIT – just like
“9 to 5” and “Jolene.”
We also love to provide insanely cheap badge ribbons. We couldn’t believe how much traffic our booth received the first time we busted out these little magic badges at the 2022 Kent State Meeting.
Note; I’m standing with a replica of myself! For 4 years, we have traveled with our cardboard cut-out body doubles and it creates a conversation every single time we’re at a conference. Less than $100 for these simple, but hilarious booth additions.
We have to remember that DPMs like to have fun! So try not to take yourselves TOOOOOO seriously. If creating cardboard cutouts is not up your company’s alley, that’s OK! There are tons of ways to get creative, but you have to step outside your comfort zone here and there.
Hidden Gems
Many times, the theme or the location of the meeting will inspire ideas (like it did for us in Nashville and for the Mardi Gras theme at SAM). But other times ideas come out of nowhere; so always have your “possibility cap” on in order to see potential where you never knew it was lying.
For example, I had to purchase some photo equipment for my office and client work. I went on Amazon and purchased this rotating display stand for $10!! I don’t know what it is about things that spin – but we love it! Click on the image to get it for your own booth.
I was also researching supplies for a party I was throwing for a friend and stumbled upon these amazing rope lights! As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to use them in our booth. Now we wrap them around an iPad stand to entice more DPMs to take our online physician survey on site.
Click on the image to get it for your own booth.
TODAY I was looking for cool prizes that we could offer to our DPM readers and I found this Essential Oils Diffuser that has flames in PodiatryMeetings.com colors. If you think I’m not going to buy this and add it to FIRE UP OUR BOOTH, you’re dead wrong.
All of these types of options are inexpensive and they are much more interesting than a flyer or a brochure.