What Makes an Eye-Catching Booth
“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.”– Seth Godin
I’ve spent 20+ years managing trade show floors and reviewing countless booth designs. And shhhh… I used to think booths were BORING. 🥱 I’ve changed my mind. I still see a lot of old school snoozer booths, but I’ve also seen quite a few that draw me in.
Here are elements that catch my eye:
Bringing Nature In:
The use of natural elements like plants, wood, or water features can transform a booth into a calming oasis, fostering connections between attendees and the environment. Natural elements are softer and more approachable.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to take a photo of the finished product because this booth captured my attention from the minute I saw all of the plants lined up outside of it when it was still in crates. It incorporated the brick look and a ton of real plants and shrubs and greenery. I kept on being drawn to this booth and wanted to see how it progressed.
I loved all of the greenery of this booth, although I must admit that the material of the actual booth was so sleek that it threw me off a bit… I much prefer the brick look of the booth above, more natural looking, but maybe that’s just me. What do you think?
Lounge Areas Done Right
Incorporating inviting lounge spaces not only adds warmth but also invites attendees to relax and engage in meaningful conversations. Think interior design…. colors, textures, patterns, and lighting that work inside your home likely will also work on the tradeshow floor.
This booth at Black Hat USA 2023 was one of my favorite projects. We wanted to create a lounge that was cozy and inviting, and where the sessions could be intimate and interactive. This was the stage half of the booth, with a variety of seating options.
One of the nooks in the lounge space, to invite casual conversation and interaction.
This booth at TwitchCon LV 2023 was simple but effective. I like how the lounge area is cozy and has a pop of color, and the wood coffee table brings in the natural elements. The side table is high, which I much prefer over a lower table. They incorporate a couple of plants as well.
Food & Drinks as an Experience
Move beyond grab-and-go snacks in the aisles and make food and beverages part of a bigger, memorable experience for attendees. The idea of having food in your booth is to attract visitors, but more than that, it’s to create a welcoming space. People come together over food and drink. Use that to your advantage to draw attendees into the booth and talk with them. If possible, have one of your staff serve the drinks or food.
Ice breakers
…or something else that draws people in (no to the awkward smiles at the booth to people in the aisles).
Just say no to awkward ways to get folks into your booth.
Demos or hands-on interactive experiences or ways to explore the product or service.
The Freeman survey that just came out states that 75% of the people polled stated that demos/hands-on activities are their preferred format for education/technical information.
interactive and hands-on experiences
At Gainsight’s Pulse 2023, this whiteboard with the header “What does Pulse mean to you?” was filled in by an artist based on notes from what customers said in sessions.
“Meeting Planners are awesome. We are a select group of people that might be based in Chicago, traveling to the Bahamas, and connecting with someone in Hong Kong – All on the same day. It is a wonder that we even know where we are, never mind what time it is half way across the globe.”
Keith Johnston, Plannerwire
Attractive colors, lights, textures. This may seem obvious, but when I continue to see booths that lack any thought to how their booth look makes others feel, it makes me wonder.
Color, lighting and textures are about more than just looking good. Each of these elements allow us to influence how our attendees feel.
If you want to explore this further, this is an interesting article about how color and texture affect mood and how people interact with and within spaces:
The Psychology Of EIFS: How Color And Texture Affect Mood And Perception
Action Item: Next time you see a space that draws you in, either at at a tradeshow or somewhere else, stop and notice WHY. Can you incorporate that knowledge into an event element?
Open booth layouts to encourage interaction.
Psychology of Space: How Interior Design Impacts our Mood and Behavior: “We prefer expansive spaces; those that give a sense of openness. While traditional architectural practice has been dominated by sight, there are new approaches or studies that suggest spaces affect humans’ multisensory mind. Similar to how a sense of spaciousness can elevate mood and creativity.”
This use of color in this booth was a lot of fun.
A theme or a purpose to the booth other than just a person at the front of the booth, scanning leads. What is going to draw someone in. Does the booth have an “invitation” that is welcoming and not threatening? Does the booth tell the brand’s story or is unclear what the “ask” will be?
Bye bye straight lines.
Curved shapes are more inviting and less intimidating than sharp angles and rectangles. Curves can create a sense of flow and continuity, making attendees feel more at ease.
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This booth was really attractive – the roundness of the entrance was very inviting.
You have the unique power to bring people together.
The recent robust Freeman Trends Report was clear: “When it comes to networking, attendees are less interested in discovering new career opportunities and obtaining/providing mentoring. Instead, they view networking as the most valuable when they can exchange ideas with peers, meet new people, and speak with industry experts who may otherwise be out of reach.”
As an event organizer, you have the power to bring these people together for conversation and to offer your attendees the opportunity to be involved in the networking that they have been saying they want.
By now, we all know that we need to provide attendees with real experiences, including networking. But, what networking means is changing. True networking doesn’t happen in a loud room where people don’t know each other.
As event professionals, providing creative ways to engage attendees is crucial.
Attendees need to walk away from the event with something. Connections. Real new ideas. A solved challenge.
I have a solution for you – a Spontaneous Think Tank.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Liz Lathan, CMP and Nicole Osibodu, XOXO, and the Spontaneous Think Tanks that they facilitate.
These ladies are smart, energetic, creative, and just plain ol’ fun.
Through crowdsourcing, they’ll capture a wall full of content of ideas, challenges, or whatever else is on their mind.
Next, they uncover who has solved these challenges and wants to share their best practices with others. Once these subject matter experts have been uncovered, they’ll create the peer-led breakout session conversations. Alternatively, the subject matter experts can run the sessions.
And there you go, true networking.
Happy to talk to anyone if they’d like more info!
Full disclosure: If you end up booking this, I may get a referral fee. I only recommend very few products or services that I feel strongly about.
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