Trade show events are great places to network with companies, consumers, media outlets, suppliers, and other industry players that can help your startup get ahead at a faster pace. When it comes to generating good publicity and establishing brand awareness, few methods work better than giving a strong first impression at a trade show. Unfortunately, these events can also be a waste of time if you’re poorly prepared, as there’s almost always a lot of competition to contend with. To keep yourself from becoming the envious booth that doesn’t get any traffic, consider the following four tips to increase booth appeal:

1. Have an Attention-Grabbing Aspect

First, you’ll need something that stands out and catches the eyes of passersby. Pop up trade show displays like those provided by H3 Graphics are perfect examples of components that can transform a trade show booth into a visually attractive sight. Another common tactic is to use a large booth setup with vibrant colors and several display types spread around. Anything you can do to increase the visibility of your booth will typically help to generate more traffic for it.

2. Let People Try Your Product or Service

People love to try things out at trade show events – it’s one of the most fun parts of attending. If you think your startup has something that will be entertaining to booth visitors, give the people something to stand in line for by providing demonstrations and trials on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s a social engineering aspect behind this method, as people generally tend to gravitate towards a small line if they see that others are already taking interest.

3. Hire Professional Speakers and/or Salesmen

Your booth will only be convincing as the people running it. While pop up trade show displays and media content can do a lot to impress visitors, when there are questions to be asked it is better to have a competent speaker present who can deliver powerful presentations and respond to curiosities in real-time. A professional speaker can also use their ability to speak loudly and clearly to attract the attention of people passing by in a professional manner.

4. Hold a Contest or Drawing

People love contests and giveaways, so why not take advantage of that fact to make your booth more popular? Of course, while giving away your product or service would be ideal, technically you can use just about any kind of prize to lure in contestants and booth visitors. You can have an assistant walk around the event and hand out tickets to a drawing and/or advertise the giveaway on your site and on social media before the event to build some anticipation.

Planning Your Approach

As with any pre-launch phase, preparation and approach are paramount. The more hype and publicity you create surrounding the event and your booth, the more likely it is that you will have a significant turnout when the big day arrives.