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Elements of a Good Trade Show Booth

CustomMade Staff, contributor

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Part of the CustomMade booth at the Maker Faire. We had a raffle, t-shirts, and free "I <3 Maker" buttons that ended up being the weekend's must have item!

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Between hotels, plane tickets, shipping, and exhibitor fees, trade shows are one of the most expensive ways woodworkers can market themselves. While there's differing opinions on the effectiveness of this avenue, the fact is many woodworkers are exhibiting in order to meet future clients. So if you're going to put in the time, effort, and money to exhibit at a trade show, there are a few details that are important not to overlook.

Keep things neat. With so many people coming in and out of your exhibition space, it's easy to get frazzled and let water bottles, boxes, and business cards pile up where they don't belong. Keeping your area tidy creates a more inviting space, makes you look more professional, and prevents distractions from your goal of showcasing your work.

Collect contact information. Shows are a great place to build a customer email list that you can later use to send out newsletters, updates, and promotions. You can have a sheet for people to fill out requesting more information, or you can even hold a raffle in which people fill out their information for a chance to win something you are giving away.

Give something away. Most people love free things. Think about what you like when attending these events. If people are giving away lots of SWAG, consider a branded reusable bag for them to carry things in. If it's a family oriented event, stickers or yo-yos would be a hit with the kids and open the door for a conversation with parents. These days you can brand pretty much anything, so look for something fun or useful that fits your budget.

Get your name out. Speaking of branded items, there should be no shortage of branding in your exhibition space. Make it easy for people to remember your name with several signs, and accompany those with pamphlets and cards.

Have something interactive. Woodworker Geoffrey Warner lent us his Owl Stool to take to the Maker Faire a few weeks ago. We placed the stool at the entrance of our booth, and literally hundreds of people plopped down on it and laughed, moved around, and talked about how unbelievably comfortable it was. It was a great conversation piece, it got people involved in the booth, and made their experience more memorable.

We'd love to hear some of your experiences as an exhibitor or an attendee at shows. Share your success (or not so successful) stories below!

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Comments (7)

jimdh writes: Another way to build a connection with your booth visitors is to give out some swag. But rather than just hand out a pen or button with your logo that will likely go straight in the trash, you could apply your craftsmen skills to create something with a bit of a personal touch to hand out at the show. Lot of options there.
Posted: 9:45 pm on January 10th

DustyBench writes: Great advice. I spent eight years applying those principles living out of a suitcase three weekends per month racking up bills for hotels, plane fares, food, display materials, and exhibitor fees. How does one earn a return on those expenses when 99.9% of people who stop at your booth praise your work and take information but don't buy your $10,000 whiz-bangs? The most effective way I found to get the quality of my workmanship into the hands and hearts of future big dollar customers was by selling inexpensive 'bread and butter' items in addition to my finest works. People who admire your work and cannot afford it are often willing to spend $10 to $20 (for your easy to make items created 'en masse') to own some of your work. We all have a specialty and mine was fine furniture, but to pay show bills I sold inexpensive wooden kitchen accessories and simple toys that made doing shows worth while and earned many happy customers who sometimes bought more expensive items when returning to their areas. Items everyone could afford generated enough excitement to coax many casual observers into becoming loyal customers who eagerly spread word of mouth advertising and purchased more in the future. If someone buys your work, regardless of how humble a piece may be, you earned success by making someone a happy customer! Rest assured they will tell their friends about your $10,000 whiz-bang when they boast about owning a piece of your work, and you'll have better odds of returning home with money in your pocket after those expenses are paid. Maybe this tip can help you prevent show anguish too?
Posted: 6:49 am on October 7th

GEide writes: Good point Dan. Maybe "Trade Show" is the wrong terminology for the bulk of woodworkers. But, I'd guess that a lot of these pointers would still apply to places like the Fine Furnishing Shows (http://www.finefurnishingsshow.com/) or more local art fairs and shows.

Good suggestions powderjoines about how to ferrett out buyers from people who just want to talk technique and compare notes.

Where have you folks exhibited and where have you had success?
Posted: 2:24 pm on October 6th

powderjones writes: Agreed - here are a couple more -

1. Qualify, qualify and qualify some more! I can't tell you how many hours I have wasted while shooting the breeze with a visitor, only to find he was another woodworker. Determine right away if you are speaking with a potential buyer or not. Ask questions, listen and ask more questions!

2. Don't just show off your pretty work. Real buyers want know how you might be a part of a solution they are looking for. Be prepared with stories about how you have helped others get what they wanted. Convince prospects you are the solution or at least part of one.

3. Be sure you are in the right show - Home shows have never been that fruitful for me regarding custom furniture - they can be great for kitchen and bath products. When I think "trade", I think designers, architects, etc... - people who can bring business my way.
Posted: 11:17 am on October 5th

jakecornette writes: Not everyone shares your aspirations, Dan. If you want to be a bigger player in the industry than just making a few custom pieces a year for a limited wealthy client base then trade shows are nearly a necessity.
Posted: 9:41 am on October 5th

dboetb writes: I agree Dan, a trade show is the wrong venue for custom furniture makers.



Posted: 9:36 am on October 5th

PurdueDan writes: I fail to see why a furniture maker would have a booth at a trade show. All trade shows I have attended involved companies that sell large quantities of items or sell to a large demographic. Custom made furniture makers sell small quantities to a small demographic. I believe, it would be a huge waste of time setting up a booth at a home show giving away pins and business cards with my name on them.
Posted: 9:34 pm on October 4th

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