Good news: the average trade show attendee spends 8.3 hours viewing trade show booths at a single show. Seems like more than enough time to find your booth, get a chance to know you and your products and for you to get their contact information, right?
Wrong. You only have 7 seconds!
Visual urgency is the name of the game when the first thing you have to do is attract potential customers or buyers to your booth in a crowded mess of games, gimmicks and gizmos. Beyond a beautiful and intriguing setup, you must communicate 3 VITAL POINTS within the first 7 seconds an attendee sees your booth:
- WHO ARE YOU? Be sure your company or brand name stands out on your graphics and is clearly visible and readable.
- WHAT ARE YOU SELLING? Don’t let it be a mystery to someone walking by as to what it is you sell. Describe your offering in your logo subhead as well as incorporating good and relevant imagery or product display in your booth.
- WHY SHOULD PEOPLE STOP? What sets you apart from the competition? Be sure there is verbiage on the booth that speaks to this near the logo. Attendees want to look at a booth, assess its relevance to them and either get more information or move on. Don’t make them have to investigate... because they won't.
Would YOU Stop?
Think back to the last time you were at a major trade show as an attendee or even an exhibitor walking the floor to check out the competition. You weren't interested in stopping at every booth to hear their pitch… in fact the opposite was most likely true. You only wanted to stop at the booths that were relevant to your needs.
Use your own experience to make the decision easy for those passing your booth. Move "tire kickers" along and attract those you want to do business with by nailing the the Who, What, Why basics of the 7 second rule at your next trade show.