If you are involved with any aspects of trade shows or similar events, you may feel as if things are changing at such a fast pace that it’s hard to even catch your breath, much less capitalize on some of the trends.

But rather then fear the blinding speed with which the Internet and trade show technology is evolving, you can use these trends to your advantage by learning how to incorporate technology in ways that support your needs and goals, improve client communication, and boost your ROI.

Trend: The Internet means Buyers Know More

Technology and the Internet has made it possible for all trade show attendees to simply know more – about the event itself, the other people attending, the companies and brands they are interested in, and what constitutes a good deal.

       Success Tip: Be Transparent

  • What this means to you, whether you’re running an event or have a display booth at a trade show, is that you need to be completely up front about your products, services, and pricing. Plus it is vital that you present an honest representation of what a buyer or attendee will receive, or can reasonably expect in the way of results, after using your product or service.
  • If you misrepresent or exaggerate expected results it will come back to bite you. Social media activity and conversations mean that everything is “talked” about so there are no more secrets.
  • Any misrepresentation will surely be talked about and can easily lead to your brand or event getting a bad reputation.

Trend: Technology has Changed Every Point of Interaction at Events

Every aspect of tradeshows and events has been impacted by technology: from the trade show experience itself to how prospects engage with brands, as well as how attendees communicate and interact with each other and the vendors.

       Success Tip: Embrace the Possibilities that Technology Gives Us

  • People who attend an event expect to be wowed and to experience cutting-edge technology. So whether you’re the one running the trade show, or you’re exhibiting at an event, it behooves you to figure out how to best use technology for a competitive advantage.
  • Aim to be the trade show everyone is talking about. Or the booth all the attendees want to visit. The versatility and capabilities technology now gives us means that you can utilize it to support almost any trade show goal or to create the type of impact you desire.
  • If you don’t know how to use technology to create the impact you desire, or which technology best suits your needs, contact SmartSource Rentals. We will help you take advantage of today’s technology trends in creative and unique ways to improve your trade show, or create that stand-out booth.

Trend: Successful Companies are part of the Social Media Conversation

With the ongoing interactions on social media and forums online, it means that not only are there are no secrets as mentioned in Trend 1 above, but it also means that to be successful in today’s business arena, you have to become part of the conversation.

Social Media engagement is becoming an ROI metric. How many followers you have or how many posts there are with a certain hashtag  (#) has become important. The more people you have who are talking about your brand, the more other people will tend to jump onboard.

        Success Tip: Engage with Customers Before, During and After an Event

  • It’s vital to look for creative ways to foster engagement with attendees and buyers long before the first day of a trade show. Identifying and communicating with those people online who are influencers can be exceptionally helpful.
  • Incorporating social media into your marketing before, during and after, an event, will not only boost customer engagement, it’ll also give you a direct line to what your customers are thinking and feeling about your brand or event.
  • People love to know they are being heard. You can use the ongoing social media conversations and technology to your advantage. For example , you can live stream the event Twitter feed on a Video Wall Display or on preprogrammed iPads that you have for visitors to use at your booth. Seeing their Twitter post up for everyone to see is a great way to increase interaction.

 

The bottom line is that if you can take the approach of embracing all these changes and trends as new ways to reach and tap into your potential customers, then your chances of trade show success will skyrocket.

Use SmartSource Rentals to get the cutting-edge technology and expertise you need to turn these trends to your advantage.  Call us at 800.888.8686 or request a quote today.