8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Exhibition Stand Traffic

Have you ever wondered why some exhibition stands attract bigger crowds than others? What is it that makes for an appealing stand? And how do people engage visitors so they spend time at their stand?

When taking part in an exhibition, you’ll want to drive as much traffic as possible to your stand. You’ll only have a few seconds to grab the attention of visitors, and it can really pay to try out some new ideas.

Of course, you’ll likely want to brainstorm with your team to find the best exhibition strategy for your business – but below are eight great ideas to get you started.

Build Anticipation

Many exhibition attendees will plan their visit around the exhibition floor in advance. This will include the route they intend to take, and which exhibition stands they’ll want to ensure they see.

You can make the most of this by building anticipation for your exciting exhibition stand. You should work with your team to implement a show promotion strategy designed to pique the curiosity of attendees, so your stand makes their ‘must-see’ list.

Use social media to let people know you’ll be attending the exhibition and also tease what will be available at the stand. You can also target the attendees themselves by purchasing the pre-registered attendee list from the exhibition, so you can send an email directly to those that will be visiting and let them know about your stand.

Seeing is Believing

A great way of demanding attention for your exhibition display is with a large screen presentation. A bright and vibrant screen can really help your stand to stand out from the rest and cause passers-by to stop and find out more about your business.

You can create a video with information about your business or create an animation with graphics to play on a continuous loop throughout the exhibition.

Lighten Up

Humans are unconsciously attracted to light. So, capture the attention of attendees with vivid backlit graphics to make your display stand out. With the right lighting, your stand will look much more appealing than drab and dull stands that aren’t using the right lighting.

Find out more about our tips for lighting up your display.

Sound Travels

Visitors will be naturally curious about sounds coming from exhibition stands. If people hear something they like the sound of, they’ll want to investigate the source and find out more.

Use music, a presenter’s voice, or audio accompanying your video to attract people to your stand. Our top tip: laughter is contagious, so use humour to your advantage!

The Power of Scent

Our sense of smell is the strongest for triggering association and memory. “Good” aromas such as freshly baked cookies or just-brewed coffee can lure visitors to you – and also provide an incentive for them to stop and find out more about your business over a snack or warming drink. Scents can also travel across the exhibition floor more than light or sound, so you can really create a buzz amongst people trying to find the source of that alluring smell.

Our top tip for using scent is to use an aroma that relates to your marketing message!

Taste It

Attendees who are walking a show floor all day will eventually get hungry and thirsty. You can take advantage of this, and help out your attendees, by providing food or drinks at your stand. This can be especially pertinent if your company is associated with food products – make sure to provide plenty of samples to build traffic to your stand as well as demonstrating the quality of your products.

Even providing bottled water or a cup of tea will be welcomed by your visitors and give them a reason to stop and spend some time at your stand.

Touchy Subject

Provide attendees with a reason to lengthen their stay at your stand with a hands-on experience. Let them test out your products or give them another form of participation with an interactive touch-screen or even a comfortable sofa to relax on.

Giving visitors a tactile experience can make your stand much more interesting a memorable, as well as giving you an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of your products.

Live It Up

Research indicates that exhibits with live presentations are more memorable. You can draw visitors in with theatre-style seating to view a magic show or game show, a scripted product introduction, or a dramatic or vocal production.

People will usually be curious enough to stop to watch what’s going on – and a small gathering will usually generate more curiosity from passers-by, leading to an even bigger crowd at your stand.

Speak to our experienced exhibition designers for more inspiration or view our gallery for ideas for your stand.