The Three Stands Everyone Remembers
Walk any trade show floor and you’ll notice three types of stands that consistently draw crowds:
- The ones giving away something premium (not pens – everyone’s giving away pens)
- The ones with something interactive or experiential happening
- The ones where people are clearly having a good time
Notice what’s not on that list? The stand with the best product specification sheet.
Why “Just Talk to People” Doesn’t Work
The advice you always hear is “be proactive, engage people as they walk past.” And yes, that works… if you enjoy being that person desperately trying to make eye contact with people actively avoiding eye contact with you.
There’s a better way: create a reason for people to naturally congregate at your stand. A demonstration. An experience. Something shareable. Something that creates a moment worth stopping for.
I’ve seen stands with objectively boring products (industrial components, business software, financial services) absolutely dominate trade show footfall because they understood this principle. They created an experience that drew people in, then had the conversation about their actual offering.
The Follow-Up Problem Nobody Talks About
Here’s the other issue: even if you do get footfall, what happens next? You collect business cards or scan badges, the leads go into your CRM, and… most of them go cold within a week.
Why? Because there’s nothing memorable anchoring your brand in their mind. They visited 47 stands that day. Unless you gave them a reason to remember you specifically, you’re just another logo in a sea of logos.
The stands that win aren’t just attracting people – they’re creating memorable moments that stick. When someone from your target market is ready to buy three months later, you want them remembering “oh yeah, the company from that trade show where we…” not “I think I picked up their brochure somewhere.”
What Actually Works
The most successful exhibitors I’ve seen do three things consistently:
- Create a genuine experience – something interactive, entertaining, or valuable that people actually want to engage with
- Capture data properly – not just collecting cards, but creating a reason for people to actively want to share their contact details
- Follow up with context – referencing the specific moment/experience they had at your stand, not just “nice to meet you at the trade show”
This isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about understanding human psychology. People remember how you made them feel, not what your brochure said.
The Question Worth Asking
When was the last time you visited a trade show as an attendee? Which stands did you actually remember the next day, and why?
Now look at your own stand strategy. Honestly – are you creating something memorable, or just hoping your product sells itself?
Victor Barker is Managing Director of Barkers Photo Fun and Branded.Photo, creating engaging experiences for corporate events and exhibitions across East Anglia. If your exhibition stand needs more than just banners and brochures, let’s talk: www.branded.photo