Trade shows are an excellent opportunity for your organization to speak to your peers, generate leads for potential members, donors, and sponsors, and nurture them to grow your organization. However, a key part of your trade show success is a booth that’s creative, engaging, and memorable. Trade shows are a competitive environment with lots of people vying for attention. With the right strategic trade show booth idea, you can achieve your objectives while also creating meaningful experiences that help you meet organization goals. In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including how to attract people to your trade show booth and the best trade show booth ideas you need to have on your radar. What should I have at my trade show booth? How do you make a good exhibition booth? How do I attract people to my trade show booth? How do I make my trade show booth interactive? Top 10 trade show booth ideas Common mistakes to avoid with trade show booths How do you make a good exhibition booth? A good trade show booth comes down to making the space eye-catching and engaging. You can do this by using: Bright brand colors Having an interesting theme Using multi-sensory marketing Offering engaging booth activities or products If any of these ideas pique your interest, stay tuned. We’ll cover these ideas in more detail later! How do I attract people to my trade show booth? To engage with the people who matter, you’ll need to be strategic. Start with understanding: Their needs and wants Their objectives for attending the trade show How your organization solves those needs, wants, and objectives The elements of your trade booth should engage with your ideal member profile and provide value. Keep in mind your organization’s objective for attending this trade show and how your booth can facilitate achieving it. This way, you can guarantee that your trade booth is acting as a vehicle for content that engages, delights, and nurtures your visitors into become members or supporters of your organizationThe best way to attract people to your trade booth is with a great trade show booth idea. But most importantly, you want your trade show booth to be interactive. How do I make my trade show booth interactive? An interactive trade booth attracts and engages visitors in a multi-sensory way that cements your organization in their memory and boasts benefits such as: Increased visitor engagement Improved trust and emotional connection with your organization Deeper understanding of your organization, its impact, value, and why someone should become a member Improved memorability of your organization and its work There are many ways to make your booth multi-sensory and interactive by incorporating: Immersive technology with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences Music and auditory experiences Living walls with plants and other elements like lights Experiences incorporating touch like LED panels and video walls Top 10 trade show booth ideas Here are the top 10 creative trade show booth ideas to attract visitors and generate leads. 1. Host a contest or a giveaway A contest or giveaway is an effective way to collect data of prospects and leads that might become members, supporters, or donors of your organization. In fact, people are more likely to provide their email if it’s for a contest or giveaway. Contests and giveaways also help promote your organization and member base, breaks the ice, and leaves a good impression.Contest and giveaway ideas include: Prize draw Trivia Social media photo contest. Finally, make sure to effectively collect and use your lead information by: Recording their information digitally Train staff on how to engage and nurture leads Follow up with leads in a timely manner TIP: If you have a hot lead, try engaging with them in a creative way that peaks their interest. 2. Including industry trends or top of mind topics One of the best ways to make sure your trade booth stands out is to offer unique and insightful value on industry trends of top of mind topics through a presentation or with games or contests. Offering a perspective on a problem or innovative solutions and strategies cements your organization as a thought leader in the industry (especially helpful if you’re a professional or trade association). You can identify industry trends through: Social media listening tools Completing competitor research Reading industry trend articles and newsletters 3. Give out irresistible SWAG Elevate your trade show booth by pairing exciting SWAG with a giveaway or other strategic ideas that help you achieve your trade show booth objectives.Focus on quality over quantity, and be memorable, useful, and sustainable. This way, you will leave a lasting impression on the people you engage with. Some trade show booth giveaway ideas for SWAG include: Reusable items like thermoses or tote bags Edible items like chocolate or snacks Apparel like T-shirts, socks, and hats Display items like stickers, enamel pins, and keychains 4. Create space to relax Trade shows can be tiring and sometimes hard to find space to sit and relax that isn’t overwhelming or crowded. Depending on your theme, it can be helpful to include space and seating for visitors to sit, relax, and peruse useful material or content.Use simple booth design ideas so that your seating area isn’t where your staff will stand. Circular seating areas are also a great option, as it encourages conversation and networking. 5. Incorporate gamification Gamification builds exciting and memorable experiences and positive brand association because visitors receive rewards for interacting with your organization. Not only this, but it can help you collect valuable information so you can nurture leads.Some effective gamification ideas for your trade show booth include: Interactive booth games like puzzles Scavenger hunts Quizzes and trivia Prize wheels 6. Invite thought leaders or industry heavyweights appear in your booth Invite members, individuals on your board, sponsors, or collaborators that are considered thought leaders in your organization’s industry or niche to speak to visitors at your booth. Since they’re supporters, they will speak well of their experiences with your organization while also providing value.Studies show that people are more likely to engage with a company or brand through social proof as it builds trust and comes across more authentic. In fact, 70% of people will trust a recommendation from a stranger, while 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer [Nielsen]. 7. Create a multi-sensory experience Multi-sensory experiences help increase engagement and information retention about your organization, while also building a positive impression.Here are some ideas for multi-sensory trade booths: Use interesting and dynamic light design Incorporate music or soundscapes Include interactive displays or touch pads Utilize fragrances Offer food and drink You may want to use QR codes in building your multi-sensory booth. It’s an easy and popular way to give your visitors access to different experiences through augmented reality, music, or video. Benefits include: Stimulating attendee interaction without your involvement Creating natural engagement and focus with your organization Reducing costs without sacrificing offering a unique experience 8. Make your booth visually memorable and Instagram-worthy Visuals are a key part of generating engagement. Not only do visual learners make up 65% of the population, visual content is 40x more likely to be shared over other content. Make your booth visually striking with: Backlit displays Living walls Eye-catching graphics Spotlights Engaging video Unique physical structures and shapes Include a hashtag and incorporate it with a social media photo contest so when visitors are drawn to take a photo of your booth, you can encourage them to post their photo with your hashtag to be drawn for a prize. This is also an effective way to promote your organization and booth during the duration of the trade show. 9. Use 3D projection mapping 3D projection mapping is an effective way to create an interactive journey that is both memorable and immersive, while enhancing your marketing message and brand.While it may be an investment, 3D projection mapping is easy to reuse for other events since it’s not location restricted and can be projected for different venue dimensions.Here are some tips for using 3D projection mapping in your trade show booth: Test your projection ahead of time and make sure it works with your environment Do not project on anything reflective Have the right tech on hand for the day of 10. Include music or live entertainment Incorporating music in your trade show booth increases memorability of your organization while reinforcing your message. This is because music releases dopamine, which makes people feel happy, comfortable, and provides a sense of well-being, which sets the tone for your trade show booth.Here are some tips for using music or live entertainment in your booth: Make sure the music is aligned with your booth and organization’s message Avoid music that is too gentle or generic and can bore your visitors or make them feel less engaged Make sure volume is at a level that’s audible but not overwhelming Common Mistakes to Avoid with Trade Show Booths A great idea is worth a lot in the realm of trade shows, but it’s also important to avoid these common mistakes: Not having tech you need Ask your venue what you have access to and whether they are able to provide tech you need for your booth. Make sure you have extra chargers and extra devices and cords as needed or know of places nearby in case you need to go out and purchase or replace items. Too crowded/not enough open spaceIf your booth is too crowded, people can’t navigate it, it will feel overwhelming, and people will leave without experiencing your content or engaging meaningfully with your booth and organization.Open up space in your trade show booth with these tactics: Include a dedicated space and meeting area for talking to interested prospective members or sponsors/donors Be selective about the staff you include Make use of all three walls of your booth Not having a clear brand message or storyUnderstand your booth’s objective, as well as your organization’s goals for attending the trade show. Incorporating this knowledge with your organization’s purpose and mission statement all factors into the message and story of your booth.Don’t have too many ideas at once. If your booth is too interactive, it can result in a confusing and overwhelming experience for visitors. Keep your booth concept cohesive with compelling storytelling. Maximize Your ROI With Great Trade Show Booth Ideas Trade shows are a great way to engage with your community and attract new, potential members, sponsors, and donors. With a great trade show booth idea, you can maximize the return on your trade show investment and continue to build and grow your organization. After the trade show is complete, make sure to sit with your team after the trade show is over to review the ideas you used and what worked and didn’t so you can learn from your wins and mistakes and use this information for your next trade show. Ready to diversify your organization’s events? Here are all the essentials on how to plan your own trade show. Prepare your organization for any event with strategic software that simplifies and automates your event management, so you have more time for your members. Learn more here. Recommended reading: 20+ Stand-Out Association Management Software Options Event Feedback Survey: 13 Questions for Attendees Member Journey Mapping: Walk a Mile in Your Members’ Shoes Association Networking Tips to Forge New Connections