Attending a trade show is exciting, and a great time for businesses to promote themselves through custom trade show displays. However, investing time and money in developing a display without knowing if it will be effective is a risk.
To prepare for a major industry event, why not try out a stand in-store? That way, businesses have the chance to observe customer reactions and make adjustments before they take it to a major industry gathering.
As an example, produce website The Packer recently looked at an initiative from Setton Pistachios, which promotes its product through in-store displays for its bags of nuts. These can be used in a retail setting or a large event, trading off of an easily recognizable green-and-white design.
Displays can also promote a side project. In Ikea's famously huge warehouse stores, visitors can now see displays shaped like dogs in some of the different rooms. These are stands designed to raise awareness of Home for Hope, a dog adoption program. The displays are specifically based off of photos of real dogs.
In a Business Insider piece, Becky Blaine, marketing director for Ikea Tempe, told the source that these stand-ups were meant to reach the consumer's imagination and get the dogs adopted. Because the campaign was successful, new stands with dogs still in need of help were added after the original models were rescued.
"We thought it was a perfect way to show people what their home would look like with a pet in it," she said. By scanning the display with their phone, customers can reportedly access more information about dogs in need of adoption.
These examples might not be bound for trade shows themselves, but their simplicity underscores many of the techniques that make displays for trade shows thrive.