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This post is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the trade show world: pedestal booths. Pedestal stands are like an unassuming breakfast cereal. They aren’t fancy like the retractable banners or table top pullup banner stands.

But they are a trusted accessory that occupies center-stage at your trade show booth. While pedestals aren’t the focus of your booth, they do much of the heavy lifting to advertise on par with newer, flashier options like digital trade show displays. Read on to learn all about their uses for exhibitions.

What Are Pedestal Stands?

Also known as kiosks, counters, or podiums, a trade show design is incomplete without pedestal stands. It is the physical counter that hosts the exhibitors and their inventory. The booth top has a counter where you place the items you want to showcase to your audience. The emphasis here is on the product. But that doesn’t mean the booth on which the product is displayed should be empty. You can add inline displays, hang a fabric banner, or showcase printed graphics on the stall. These additions hook in your target audience even before they reach your booth.

Most exhibitors display their company’s logo on the pedestal. This graphic is fine if your attendees recognize your brand just by its logo. However, you can get creative to attract them by utilizing this prime real estate. How about adding a funny one-liner or a witty question that stops an attendee in their tracks? Get creative and use pedestal stands to start a conversation with your audience.

That said, there’s the temptation to cover every inch of the podium with graphics and banners. However, doing so can make your entire booth feel cluttered. Balance the graphics with intentional usage of white space to make your message stand out.

Types of Trade Show Pedestal Stands

The range of designs, sizes, and functions of trade show pedestal booths is immense. You can get them fully assembled or partially assembled as per your requirements. Some come with discrete counters with locking storage, while others include LED lighting for backlit graphics. Here are some of the popular trade show pedestal-stand types:

• Custom pedestals: These come fully assembled and are usually made from wood. You can customize the counter to suit your specific requirements, including size, design, finish, materials, accessories, and shape.
• Parsons: If you’ve ever walked into an Apple store, you may have noticed the hollow table-like pedestals. These are parsons, and they are more tables than counters. Despite their shallow frame, you can include accent lighting and charging stations to make them more appealing.
• Backlit: These are the most popular models right now. You can light up your logo or brand name using LED strip lighting to create an excellent effect. Many come with fabric banner stands that light up as well.
• Hybrid/Modular: These come partially assembled, and you set them up at the trade show. Since they come as separate pieces, they are lighter and easier to transport. Even if you lose or break one part, you can get the damaged part replaced without having to redo the entire stand.
• Portable: Like the modular stand, portable pedestals can be easily transported. The difference is that you don’t require special tools to assemble these stands.

Use Pedestal Stands Creatively to Hook Your Audience

That’s it! You’ve learned all about the humble trade show pedestal stand. Browse different models and types and choose the best counters that meet all your requirements. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, connect with custom display banner makers. We can get one designed to match your specific needs.

Whether you love or hate them, you cannot avoid trade shows as a business owner. It’s where the most action takes place. You get to spread the word about your brand, showcase your products and services to your target audience, generate new leads, and convert them into customers and sales.

Exhibiting at a trade show requires effort, time, and money. So, you must ensure that you get the maximum value out of it. Here are the top critical trade show mistakes to avoid at your next event.

Mistake #1: Having a Poor Display

If you aren’t pulling out all the stops on designing your trade show booth, you aren’t doing it right! Your trade show booth should be colorful, attractive, vibrant, and engaging. It should quickly draw the attention of your audience. A stall that doesn’t evoke emotions like curiosity, excitement, or joy won’t create a strong impression.

Don’t make the rookie mistake of just putting a small table, exhibiting your products, and calling it a day. Doing so will make your audience walk right on by you. Instead, focus on adding suitable table top pullup banners, retractable banner stands, and more to create a stunning trade show display stand. If you have the budget, you can consider adding a backlit popup banner to make your booth stand apart from the rest.

Mistake #2: Not Generating Buzz on Social Media

It’s 2022, and everything happens on social media. If you aren’t promoting your upcoming trade show on social media, you’re missing a crucial part of reaching your target audience. Before the event, create anticipation about the trade show on your Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Organize small giveaways and get your target audience excited about the event.

Mistake #3: Hiring the Wrong Person to Run the Booth

Here’s another area where you cannot afford to make any mistakes. Many businesses hire temporary workers or interns to work their booths. That can backfire. The role of the booth attendant is not to stand there passively and hand out brochures to event attendees.

The audience sees the employees at your booth as the face of your company. They should have the expertise to answer questions competently and convince customers to try your products.

Mistake #4: Annoying Attendees

No one likes to be ambushed at trade shows. While you cannot passively stand and hand out brochures, you also don’t want to bully people into listening to your pitches. Instead, you can focus on interactive demonstrations that engage your audience without feeling overly aggressive. Hosting games and puzzles is a great way to make the audience stop at your booth.

Mistake #5: Failing to Determine Your Trade Show Goals

Why are you attending trade shows? Is it to enhance brand recognition or collect leads? Whatever the reason, you must determine your goal before setting up the booth. Measure your results after the trade show to see if you have achieved the initial purposes. This step helps you identify what went wrong and what could be done better at your next event.

Trade shows are an excellent business opportunity to land long-term clients and increase revenue. Avoid these five common mistakes to make your business stand out and achieve your trade show goals.

Heading to a trade show this summer? We're glad to report that the trade show scene is back with a bang and now attracting pre-2020 level crowds. With masks and social distancing measures out of the way, trade shows are drawing larger crowds than the last two years combined.

So, if you want your booth to shine amongst the crowd, you need to ramp up your marketing game. This is where videos come into play. An attractive video displayed on your digital trade show displays can capture visitors' attention and get your message across. These displays are an excellent way to grab attention and get people interested in your brand, products, and services.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the top five video types that you can use at your next event to attract visitors to your trade show booth.

1. Video Testimonials

Never underestimate the power of an authentic customer review. According to a 2020 survey by BrightLocal, 79% of customers say that they trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation from a trusted friend.

Testimonial videos are an excellent way to showcase the benefits customers receive by using your product or service. When potential customers watch others explain how they use your product, and what a difference it has made for them, your target audience will be more inclined to try out the product for themselves.

Also, when walking through a trade show, if they see people like them using and speaking about your product, it’s likely they’ll be interested and check out what’s going on at your booth.

2. Product Demonstration Videos

A product demonstration video showcases how to use your product. This video highlights your product's key features and benefits and explains how the product works. Product demo videos also show examples of models (or real-life customers) using your product in their daily lives. The best product videos are crisp and highly engaging. They create more awareness about your products and services and they get trade show visitors to stop at your booth.

3. Explainer Videos

Unlike product videos, explainer videos are more detailed and give in-depth explanations regarding how to use your product. These videos can include frequently asked questions and customer interviews. Unlike product videos that have to be updated frequently, explainer videos are evergreen; they’re a long-term investment. You can make them a staple, along with your other trade show marketing materials like tabletop banner stands and fabric displays.

4. Company Culture Videos

These videos are super popular at trade shows as they give visitors a behind-the-scenes view of what goes on at your company. Company culture videos can be formal videos that explain your organization's mission statement and ethics, or you can make the video quirky, showing snippets of employees having fun at work. People love to do business with organizations that have a positive company culture. So, including a company culture video is an excellent way to make a good impression on trade show attendees.

Trade show videos are great tools that can generate excitement, build curiosity, and educate prospects about your products and services. Use these four types of videos at your next industry event to attract your target audience and stand out from the crowd.

A hybrid trade show has a mix of both physical and virtual booths. These have gotten more popular because of the pandemic-induced restrictions on travel. Companies that are free from travel restrictions purchase physical booth space while global firms and those unwilling to travel exhibit using virtual booths and digital trade show displays.

Any kind of business can use a virtual trade show display. If you prefer, you can skip the physical booth and exhibit virtually or vice versa; the choice is yours!

So, which is better? Should you go the traditional route and rent a physical booth or should you exhibit virtually? Well, there are pros and cons to both approaches. In today's post, we highlight the pros and cons of physical and virtual exhibits so you can weigh all the factors and make an informed decision.

The Pros And Cons Of Physical Exhibits At Hybrid Trade Shows

Pros:

• You can enjoy face-to-face interactions with event attendees. In-person networking is an integral part of trade shows; it is also an excellent way to generate leads and widen your reach. While virtual events also offer networking opportunities, they don’t generate the number of leads you generate at a physical booth.
• You can enjoy a high level of engagement. Despite the advances in streaming and video technology, there is something charming about interacting with a real person who answers your questions and addresses your pain points.
• You can impress your audience with a grand spectacle. A well-designed physical booth has the potential to be buzz-worthy. You can impress your target audience with a grand show by using high-quality trade show displays like retractable banner stands, tabletop pull-up banners, and floor displays.

Cons:

Attending a physical trade show is a lot of work. You've got to book the booth far in advance, and you have to pay a hefty fee to secure your space. You must plan the display materials as well, and you have to arrange booth staff's transportation and accommodations. Getting all this work done might become challenging, especially if you're traveling a long distance to attend the event.

The Pros And Cons Of Using Virtual Booths At Hybrid Trade Shows

Virtual booths are relatively new to the scene. Since digital technologies are popular today, it's possible for companies to attend trade shows virtually. Live streams, interactive digital webinars, and video marketing can give your company a presence at a trade show, even if you don't attend it in person.

Pros:

• Attending a trade show virtually is more budget-friendly as you don’t have to spend on travel and accommodations. However, a digital booth has to be decorated and marketed just like a regular booth. So, there’s the cost of the display and marketing materials to consider.
• Virtual booths make it easy to attend trade shows in any corner of the planet. A company in Tokyo can exhibit in L.A. and vice versa. They’re great for expanding the global reach of your brand.

Cons:

One of the biggest drawbacks of a virtual booth is that you're reliant on technology. If your internet connection is spotty or your video files are in the wrong format, you're likely to have nothing but an empty booth with blank screens. So, stay on top of your technology and have a plan B in place to avoid any last-minute technical glitches.

Which Is Better: Physical Or Virtual Booths?

Why choose when you can have both. If budget isn't a constraint, you can rent physical and virtual booth spaces. Design your promotional and marketing materials so that your digital presence complements your physical booth and vice versa. If only one is possible, consider your goals and the potential benefits of both these options and choose the right strategy that best fits your business’ objectives.

Outdoor banners are one of the most versatile and effective ways to reach a large audience. Think about all the foot traffic that trade show displays get and the attention that outdoor signs attract.

The biggest challenge for business owners is choosing the right type of outdoor banners that get their message across to the maximum number of people. In this post, we highlight some of our favorite outdoor banner materials and walk you through the durability, mobility, and versatility of these signs.

1. Vinyl Banners

When it comes to outdoor signs, vinyl banners are the most common. They are popular, thanks to their durability and affordability. You can get your banner printed on 13- or 18-ounce vinyl, depending on the usage. For temporary signs, you can opt for lower-weight vinyl. For heavy-duty usage, 18-ounce vinyl is an excellent choice as it provides increased tensile strength and greater durability. Trade show retractable banner stands use low-weight vinyl banners.

Besides durability, vinyl banners also offer other benefits like exceptional image quality and display flexibility. Since vinyl banners can be rolled or folded easily, they are perfect for tabletop pullup banners and other retractable displays.

To display vinyl banners outside, you can install metal grommets to the banner’s edges or hang it from a pole or rope using pole pockets. They are also compatible with banner stands and are perfect for situations where you require portability.

2. Mesh Banners

You have likely seen these banners at music festivals, concerts, and sporting events. They have a mesh-like appearance and allow light and air to pass through. When compared to vinyl banners, mesh banners are expensive. However, they can withstand the harsh outdoor elements and last for years.

3. Fabric Banners

Fabric banners score both on aesthetics and functionality. They offer gorgeous printed quality and are incredibly lightweight. They are made from polyester and do not crease or wrinkle easily. They are easy to transport and display. They also make an excellent choice for both indoors and outdoors. However, fabric banners are not suitable for outdoor usage when there is heavy rain, snow, or wind. Bad weather conditions can cause the fabric to rip, tearing the banner.

While choosing fabric banner stands, look for materials that offer slight transparency. The light transparency allows light to pass through, making the colors more visible and brighter. They are usually hung from the ceiling or a canopy.

4. Self-Adhesive Vinyl Banners

As the name suggests, these banners are easy to stick on surfaces. They are generally used for storefronts. They are made using a thin vinyl material that is highly versatile and flexible. They are water-resistant and fire-resistant and are 100% removable. Just like regular vinyl banners, they are cost-effective and budget-friendly.

5. Dibond Banners

These banners have a plastic core wedged between two aluminum pieces, giving them a 3D look. They are incredibly versatile and can be designed in any shape. They are durable and lightweight, making them an excellent choice for outdoor usage.

Wrapping Up

Irrespective of the banner material you choose, keep the colors bold, letters big, and call to action clear to get your message across. Get in touch with banner printing experts to find the perfect banner that suits your business needs.

As an entrepreneur, one of the most crucial challenges you face in your business is to build brand awareness. Brand awareness is vital for companies of all sizes. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small mom-and-pop establishment or a multinational conglomerate; brand awareness is critical. Brand recognition helps big companies thrive while it helps small companies grow.

Brand awareness is the ability of a brand to be recognizable and ultimately remembered when a customer requires a specific product or service. Today, most business owners focus solely on digital advertising. However, studies reveal that a mix of digital and print advertising is essential for building brand awareness. Even today, print marketing is one of the most important marketing channels to enhance brand recognition.

Print Marketing in the Digital Era

Even though most business owners focus on digital, print advertising still plays a key role in marketing. Recent research numbers reveal that it is even more important than we assume. The latest research from Marketing Sherpa^[1]estimates that:

• 82% of survey respondents state that they like print ads seen in magazines, newspapers, etc.
• 76% said they prefer brochures, catalogs, and flyers
• 69% choose outdoor billboards, posters, and banner stands

As you can see, one of the best and budget-friendly ways to boost brand awareness in your community is by using custom trade show banners and displays in areas that see plenty of foot traffic, like trade shows and other community events.

Tips to Boost Brand Awareness Using Banners and Posters

1. Keep It Consistent

Ensure that your fabric banner stands, retractable banners, and other advertising material you use are consistent with the overall brand image. The colors, fonts, logo, and messaging on your banners should reflect the overall brand image you wish to project.

2. Keep It Simple

When it comes to the messages you use on your banners, simple should be your mantra. Using simple, easy-to-read statements is the best way to get your point across. Remember that your audience will walk or drive while reading your banner. So, keep it short, simple, and to the point to get your message across.

3. Choose the Right Banner Type

Outdoor signs and banners are available in a variety of materials and styles. Choosing a suitable banner plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of your message. For example, you can use tabletop banner stands at your trade show stall. However, if you’re displaying your brand message at a large outdoor event like a music concert or a baseball game, you can select large vinyl banners.

Besides the type of banner, you also have to focus on the banner material. There are several materials like vinyl, mesh, and fabric that you can choose from, depending on the location and banner type.

Final Thoughts

The proper outdoor signage can help you create a cohesive brand image and improve brand awareness. Use these tips to find the perfect outdoor advertising banners for your business, and enhance brand recognition.