Creative Trade Show Display Ideas to Elevate Your Brand Presence

Trade show displays are a great way for businesses to maximize brand exposure and attract visitors. 

But given the competition and the sheer number of participants- standing out is not just an advantage—it's a necessity.

As businesses vie for attention in crowded exhibition halls, innovative display ideas have become the hallmark of successful trade show marketing. 

Every year, brands come up with innovative ideas such as immersive technologies to interactive experiences to showcase their products and services in novel, engaging ways. 

If you’re looking for new strategies for your next tradeshow display, we’ve got you covered, with this article. 

7 Creative Trade Show Display Strategies

1. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences

One surefire way to attract attention at a trade show is by incorporating virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences into your booth. These immersive technologies allow visitors to engage with your products or services in a unique and memorable way.

Example: Outdoor brand Merrell created a VR experience allowing visitors to take a virtual hike while wearing VR headsets. Participants walked over a small course and were able to merge the experience with their hiking boots rather than just seeing the product.

Similarly, HBO partnered with Astound Group to create an AR personality quiz inspired by the show "Westworld" to generate excitement for its second season. 

The experience featured a holographic host guiding users through a questionnaire, presenting which character they most closely resembled. This creative use of AR engaged fans and provided an opportunity for HBO to collect data and promote subscriptions.

2. Interactive Demos

Interactive demos are powerful tools for engaging attendees and effectively communicating your product's value in a hands-on manner. 

This “try before you buy strategy” allows potential customers to experience your offerings firsthand, making complex features more personalized and accessible.

Example: SentinelOne leveraged interactive demos at major industry events like RSA and Black Hat to great effect. 

By allowing attendees to engage directly with their cybersecurity solutions, SentinelOne stood out in a crowded and competitive environment. The result? They attracted more visitors to their booth and enhanced their event pipeline compared to previous years.

"We struggled in digital experience as we do not offer a free trial, so we looked around for a solution that could help fill that gap in the buyer's journey. Storylane product tours helped us with demand generation, events, and sales enablement."

• Jeremy G, Product Marketing Manager, Sentinel One

How can you use interactive demos at your next tradeshow?

In fact, here’s our AE, Jackson showing how Devo used interactive demos at RSA 2024, and had those customer impressions and interactions ticking up!

Another advantage is to use offline demos at trade shows. 

Given that tradeshows are crowded areas, there are chances of interrupted network. In such cases, offfline demos can help you provide uninterrupted product showcases without internet dependency. 

This helps with smooth presentations in busy environments, capturing leads, driving post-event interest and conversions, without any barriers. 

3. New Product Launches

Trade shows provide an ideal platform for unveiling new products or services. With 92% of trade show attendees citing new product discovery as their primary reason for attendance, a well-executed product launch can be a major draw for your booth.

Example: Thorlabs excelled in this strategy at the CLEO23 trade show. They announced new products, allowed visitors to explore them hands-on, and offered branded merchandise to take home. 

This approach not only generated buzz around their latest offerings but also ensured that attendees left with a memorable reminder of their brand.

4. Puzzles and Brainteasers

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Challenging puzzles or brain teasers can be an effective way to make your booth stand out, draw people in, and keep them engaged. 

They can also be cleverly used to gather contact information and generate leads. This strategy is particularly effective for companies in industries that value problem-solving skills.

Example: GriddlyKids, allowed visitors to trial their games and even challenge their friends at Astra Marketplace Tradeshow. Similarly, Cognizant utilized brain teasers related to healthcare technology at the HIMSS 2020 conference, effectively attracting attendees and facilitating discussions about their innovative solutions.

5. Vertical and Floating Displays

Sometimes, thinking outside the traditional booth layout can lead to creative ideas. 

Floating displays or vertical ones create an illusion of increased space, making your booth appear larger than it is. More importantly, these eye-catching vertical elements can grab attention from afar, helping your booth stand out in crowded exhibition halls. 

Example: Accellus successfully utilized vertical displays to maximize their visual impact. Vertical displays are eye catching, and increase visibility across the trade show floor without increasing the booth's footprint.

6. Invest in branding and giveaways

Ensure your booth design clearly communicates your brand identity and unique selling propositions. 

Use eye-catching graphics, clear messaging, and strategic lighting to create an inviting ambiance. Also, designing an open layout that encourages exploration and interaction can help as it avoids clutter and allows comfortable movement.

To create an impactful exhibit, it’s best to focus on three key aspects: 

• Ensure clear communication of unique selling propositions through branding and messaging. 
• Invest in research to design visually appealing displays with strong calls to action. 
• Opt for quality exhibit design that balances visual impact with practical considerations like transportability and ease of assembly. 

In terms of giveaways or “swag”, offer branded merchandise that is both useful and memorable. 

Print-on-demand items are a great option, as they allow for customized designs and can be tailored to fit the event's theme or audience.

This keeps your brand in attendees' minds long after the event and as a bonus, generate social proof and user-generated content when visitors share their swag on social media.

Example: At the Global Pet Expo, Benebone offered branded merchandise that was useful and relevant to its industry. This approach provided value to attendees and ensured brand relevance among attendees long after the event. 

“If you’re giving away items at your booth, make sure that it is not branded by others” says Don McLean. “If you offer any product with your own branding on it, it is likely to feel more premium. This is a smaller detail, but one that is likely to pay off. Remember that the psychology behind that is that the product can now be associated with your brand, no matter what it is”. 

7. Engaging Experiences

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Incorporate touchscreen displays or tablets, interactive screens for demos, surveys, or educational content. 

Use a mix of physical and digital elements to create an experience for visitors that engages them and reinforces your brand identity and value proposition.

Example: ASTOUND created an innovative AI Art Wall using real-time generative image technology. Interestingly, this  interactive experience transformed guests' movements into digital art, captivating audiences. 

The installation also featured an AI Avatar photo booth, allowing guests to place their photos in custom scenes and share them. This exhibit generated 5,573 interactions with the AI Art Wall and 2,102 AI-generated photos, providing an engaging experience for visitors.

Tips To Attract More Customers at Your Next Trade Show Display

Standing out among hundreds of exhibitors at trade shows can be challenging, but the key lies in creating an experience that draws visitors to your booth and leaves a lasting impression. 

Along with strategic display ideas, here are some smaller yet important elements that can help increase foot traffic and potential leads. 

1. Having a good emcee

Having a good emcee draws attention and keeps energy levels high. They help create a welcoming atmosphere, deliver key messages about your products or services, and conduct interactive demos or contests. 

As a tip, train your staff on key talking points and encourage them to approach curious attendees with open-ended questions.

2. Offer refreshments

Providing refreshments can make your booth a popular stop. This could include branded water bottles, coffee, or small snacks. 

As a bonus, this also gives your visitors a reason to stay longer, increasing the chances of meaningful interactions. 

For instance, VerMints, a candy manufacturer, did it well at the Sweets and Snacks Expo at Indianapolis this year. Especially for those in the food industry, offering samples allows attendees to experience your products firsthand. 

Even for non-food businesses, providing light refreshments can make your booth more memorable and keep attendees engaged longer. 

It's a thoughtful touch that can set you apart from competitors. In fact, a well-timed snack can lead to longer, more productive conversations with potential clients or partners.

3. Create social media hype

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Leverage social media to generate buzz before, during, and after the event. Create event-specific hashtags, share live updates, and encourage attendees to post about their experiences at your booth.

4. Offer seating and hospitality

Create a welcoming environment with comfortable seating for visitors. This encourages longer conversations and can set you apart from competitors. However, ensure your team remains standing to maintain an active, engaging presence.

4. Have handouts such as cards and posters

Remember that trade shows provide a great deal of networking and lead-generation opportunities. 

Have handouts such as business cards that let visitors save your contact details or posters with QR Codes that let users access your website or the content that you want to lead them to. 

How Storylane can help with your next tradeshow display

Storylane's interactive demo platform can help bring your product demonstrations to life at tradeshows, allowing you to create engaging, self-guided tours of your offerings that attendees can explore at their own pace.

Using Storylane, you can enhance your trade show strategy with:

1. Interactive Product Tours: Create detailed, interactive demonstrations that allow attendees to explore your product's features in-depth.

2. Customizable Experiences: Tailor your demos to different audience segments, ensuring each visitor receives relevant information.

3. Data Collection: Gather valuable insights into how attendees interact with your demos, which help inform future product development and marketing strategies.

4. Seamless Integration: Easily incorporate these interactive elements into your overall booth design, complementing other display strategies.

Successful trade show marketing requires a blend of creativity, technology, and strategic execution, which is what you can bring to the table with Storylane. 

For your next tradeshow display, you can create a presence that not only attracts attention but also drives meaningful engagement, and results.

Ready to check it out? Book a free demo today!