Trade shows remain a powerful forum for building brand visibility, forging new relationships and showcasing innovation. But in a crowded expo hall, standing out requires more than just showing up—it demands strategic planning, compelling visuals and meaningful engagement.
G&S Business Communications (GSBC) recently surveyed 327 business executives to understand their trade show marketing priorities. 84% of respondents reported participating in at least one trade show per year and 46% plan to increase their participation in 2026. However, not all business executives are satisfied with their show presence. 48% report that their top two areas of improvement include trade show booth design/experience and on-site engagement.
Start with Strategy: Align with Business Goals
Before diving into trade show display design or engagement tactics, it’s essential to define what success looks like. Are you aiming to generate leads, launch a product or build brand equity? In our survey, 67% of business executives reported that brand awareness is their top goal. Aligning your trade show presence with your business goals provides a clear foundation and ensures a common goal across your team and stakeholders. From messaging and visuals to engagement tactics, this alignment ensures your booth isn’t just beautiful, but purposeful.
“Understanding our clients trade show goals provides a solid foundation to work from,” says Travis Nottingham, associate creative director at GSBC. “This transparency allows us to align objectives and prioritize high-impact opportunities. It is such a crucial step that leads to a greater chance of success when we brainstorm creative concepts that are strategic and meet our client’s goals.”
Plan Early, Design Smart
Trade show planning should begin ideally 6-8 weeks before small shows and 6-12 months ahead of large shows. Early planning allows time to:
- Develop a cohesive creative concept and visual identity.
- Coordinate with vendors and partners.
- Integrate technology and engagement elements.
A strong concept and visual identity—anchored in your brand’s personality—makes your booth unique and memorable. When designing your booth, stay true to your brand guidelines while boldly pushing creative boundaries. Trade shows are a chance to introduce your brand to a wider audience, so taking confident risks in design and theming can play to your advantage. Use imagery that resonates with your audience and deliver concise, impactful messaging that sparks curiosity and draws attendees in. You only have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention before they move to something else.
Embrace Creative Storytelling and Unique Experiences
Creative storytelling is often the best way to share product or service information to help achieve business goals while delivering a memorable, engaging experience for event attendees. A study published in November 2024 in the Quarterly Journal of Economics proved that people remember stories much better than statistics – the impact of statistics fades by 73% after one day but in contrast the impact of stories fades by only 32%1.
In B2B technical industries, telling a concise and creative story can be challenging, but advances in creative technology are helping make experiences more memorable. Surprisingly, creative technologies like virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) are no longer fringe as half of executives from our survey report already using them. These tools can:
- Demonstrate complex products in a hands-on way.
- Create memorable, shareable experiences.
- Encourage longer booth visits and deeper engagement.
But remember: technology should enhance your message, not distract from it. Always tie immersive elements back to your core brand story.
The booth is just one of many touchpoints within your marketing strategy. Extend these experiences beyond the show by repurposing key assets on social media. This brings attendees and non-attendees back into the immersive world you created.
Boost On-Site Engagement: Ask the Right Questions
Engagement is more than giveaways and games. It’s about creating meaningful interactions that support your goals. Booth activities are often the top generator for leads but to earn a coveted customer opt-in for marketing emails or texts, you have to provide valuable information in a memorable experience. When choosing a booth activity think about how you can make it educational and worth the time you’re asking people to commit.
“When concepting the central activity, we put ourselves in the shoes of our attendees,” explains Alison DeBenedictis, vice president of creative at GSBC. “What will make me stop, interact, and then walk away with tangible knowledge? We may hook someone with cutting-edge technology or the game itself, but it’s the user experience once they engage that should be memorable. The education element is woven into the interaction, merging fun with actionable takeaways.”
Additionally, an essential element to ensuring the success of any booth activity is to promote it before and during the show to encourage people to seek out your booth to participate. You can pique their interest by teasing your activity and promoting any prize giveaways. Download our Trade Show Strategy Pack for more tips about how to choose the best booth engagement activity.
Case In Point
Our client Syngenta, wanted to make a big splash at the GCSAA Conference & Trade Show and they debuted two new cutting-edge chemistries. See how we used augmented reality and a modern, museum-like booth design to welcome booth attendees into the future of turf management.
👉 Check out our groundbreaking work at the Golf Course Superintendent Association Conference
Trade shows are a significant investment—but with the right strategy, design, and engagement, they can deliver powerful returns. By aligning with your business goals, planning early, and creating immersive, on-brand experiences, your booth can become a magnet for attention and a driver of results.
Need help crafting a standout trade show presence? Our team of strategists, designers, and engagement experts is here to help you turn your next event into a brand-building success.
1 Thomas Graeber, Christopher Roth, Florian Zimmermann, Stories, Statistics, and Memory, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 139, Issue 4, November 2024, Pages 2181–2225, https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjae020
Lyndsey Newnam has planned award-winning trade show campaigns at GSBC since 2006. Her expertise includes shows across the agribusiness and home and outdoor industries including the GCSAA Conference & Trade Show, the National Farm Machinery Show, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show Cultivate, PestWorld and more.