Question: We are starting to plan for an upcoming trade show after the first of the year and wondering if you could help us decide what type of booth/trade display would best suit our requirements.

Answer: We can absolutely help you with that. We would need you to answer some basic questions to help us know where you are and what you intend to achieve; that is, what are your objectives in this fair?

Before launching into the type of trade show you need, I always warn our clients first that they have done the proper marketing and advertising before spending $25,000 to $50,000 (give or take) on a trade show. The average cost of a 10′ x 20′ trade show booth, not including travel, hotel, food, etc., is around $10,000. Larger areas, of course, cost more both in terms of floor space and display graphics.

What do I mean by having done proper marketing and advertising? Good question. I’m glad I asked! That means, do you know what resonates with your customers? Do you know what you’re doing that “scratches his itch” so to speak? Do you have a unique selling proposition (USP) that resonates with your target audience? Have you tried using A/B split testing methods in various advertising media, from magazines and newspapers to television and the Internet?

If not, then spend a ton of money at a trade show until you do this. How do you do this, you ask? Thanks, I’m glad you asked that question too. Let’s say you have a super widget who wants to promote the trendiest young singles in markets where singles give a scratch, whether they’re hip or not.

However, you don’t really know what makes them buy your product, and you know that you could sell more super widgets if you could speak their language. So, you hire a hipster to help your marketing department get into the noodle of your potential client. But really, how will you know if he’s reaching his audience with the phrases he pays for? But this young man is smarter than average and has read some of the “old masters” of advertising writing. Marketers like John Caples who understood how to know what worked and what made people open their wallets to buy.

Therefore, she decides to advertise in some fashion newspapers. You present a special offer of 25% off your super widgets if you mention this specific code when you call, which of course varies depending on the message of your ads and where they are placed. Within 4-6 weeks, tally up the results and find that the ad code XYZ123 is the hands-down winner, with a whopping 2% response rate from magazine subscribers (this would be a huge win!) . Now, take your winner(s) and compare them to new ads in the same magazines and newspapers and maybe even similar ads on TV, and again, after a few weeks, calculate the results. The original winner remains the winner. This ad is known as the “control” as it wins every time you run it.

Now, as we are in the 21st century, the savvy fashion marketing person you hired is also online savvy. He/she knows how to use Internet sidebar advertising like Bing or Google so he/she also runs some cryptic sidebar ads here. The amazing thing about this is that you can now reduce those four to six weeks down to four to six days. You can test which headlines and subtexts make people respond to your ads, as well as which ads convert surprise-seeking shoppers.

Using analytical tools, you can, in this century, tell within a mosquito mustache (do mosquitoes really have whiskers?) which ads get clicks and which ads get clicks and purchases. It’s a beautiful world!

So what does all this have to do with your original question about the trade show booth display? Well, if you’ve done all of the above and know what resonates with the hipsters who buy your super widget, you can simply translate your message into a commercial display and it will work. Let me rephrase that. It will work. You know it will because you tried it to the fullest. You know that all the trendy youngsters at the trade show early next year will be stopping by your booth. And you know that 37.4% of them will buy a super widget. Because you’ve tried it.

At this point, frankly, if you have a professional design company creating some modern graphics that showcase your USP, those graphics can be placed on back walls, retractable roll up banner stands, table runners, banner stands, or table signs and side walls. in your booth As long as you continue to trumpet the message that’s been working (and for God’s sake, don’t subdue the message to the graphics!)

Now go ahead and succeed in whatever action you need to take (advertising and marketing tests or, having done that, preparing for a trade show)! And for God’s sake, or at least mine, have fun!!!