There is much promise to promoting your company at exhibitions – especially considering the high number of people they can attract and the many networking discussions they begin that then end in business deals.

Nonetheless, it can be disappointing if you set up what looks like a great booth only to notice your competitors’ booths attracting much more attention. What is their secret? They might simply be aware of the following tips for generating excitement in exhibition attendees.

Make a good first impression with a well-designed booth

The first impression you make on someone can be a reliable indicator of how your relationship with them will unfold over the long term. That’s been shown by studies cited by HuffPost.

Furthermore, first impressions can form quickly. For instance, it can take just one-fifth of a second for an opinion of a website to emerge – and design will influence 94% of this opinion. For this reason, you should make sure that your booth looks creative in an appealing way.

However, don’t limit yourself to a booth

You shouldn’t make your exhibition promotion strategy too dependent on a booth, behind which you could spend excessive time waiting for people to stop and chat to you.

Rather than stay in “hope mode”, consider apparel business Cutter & Buck’s example cited here by Entrepreneur. At a Las Vegas exhibition, Cutter & Buck set up a sophisticated suite to which strictly its key targets were invited. This tactic helped the company to cost-effectively make connections.

Remember that bigger is not always better

Think twice about lavishing millions of pounds on big booths and sponsorships every year out of fear that you won’t stand a chance of getting enough notice otherwise. Your brand’s power is likely to be forged more through great relationships than visually striking signage.

Particularly direct your attention towards improving the way in which you follow up on client interest. This can assist you in keeping up momentum that starts at the exhibition itself.

Provide an interactive experience

Don’t settle for just a static panel which is there simply for looking at and reading. Instead, enable people to enjoy an interactive experience with your brand. Should that experience be a genuinely fun one, crowds could soon form – and people could grow to better understand what you offer.

If you are stumped about how to provide that interactivity, consider that a touch screen can work well for businesses of many different kinds.

Act proactively to draw attention

Getting people interested at an exhibition can call for much more than simply falling back into that “hope mode” we warned you about earlier.

Perhaps you could have a book written that attracts plaudits and even lands you time on an exhibition stage where you can garner lots of valuable exposure. Exhibitions also provide an opportunity to distribute great products that get many attendees excitedly talking and increase your brand awareness.

Our sales training courses include an exhibition selling option which your staff could pursue as a means of building upon what they learn from this article.