Trade Show Tips

Many counties are coming into (or in the midst of) lawn and garden show season. So, in that spirit, here are a few tips for great trade show and booth displays:

• Keep it Visual. People walking past your booth don´t have time to read paragraphs, so make sure your display is text-light and graphic-heavy. High quality, dominant photos make a strong first impression.
• Grab Attention. Trade show attendees will only pause a few seconds to glance at your booth. Try to provide something that pulls them in instantly and motivates them to pause longer.
• Stand Out from the Competition. What can you do with your space that will be unique? What do you offer that the booths adjacent to you do not? Find out and capitalize on that difference.
• Give them an experience. Instead of just distributing information, provide attendees the opportunity to do something new or unique. For a lawn and garden show, let them get their hands dirty. Think of how much traffic you can generate when attendees refer to your booth as "the one where I got this free seedling."
• Don´t just sit there. It´s tempting if you see yourself as introverted, to sit in your booth space and expect people to come to you. Instead, get up and get moving. Don´t expect attendees to automatically come to you; go to them and distribute materials in the aisles. Make it worth your time to be there.

Don't just take our word for it. Here are a few more ideas for great booths, whether it's a lawn and garden show or a county fair:
Effective Trade Show Displays
Trade Show Displays: What Makes Them Work
Trade Show Exhibit Graphics: Dos and Don'ts
Create an Effective Trade Show Display

We'd love to hear from you. What suggestions do you have to make your booth space the talk-of-the-show? What ideas would you like to pass onto your peers? Click "Comments" to let us know!

Trade Show Tips

Getting Motivated

In the first few days or weeks after a holiday, getting motivated can be challenging. Not only can the let-down from the holidays pull you down, but the wintery weather can also contribute. So what can you do to motivate yourself or others on your team? Here a few suggestions from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln publication, “77 Ways to Motivate Your Workers.” The best actions depend on which source of motivation most apply to you or your team:

• Fun-motivated workers could need a good joke, a more entertaining job or task, or a social activity.
• Reward-motivated workers could benefit from a raise, special perk or prize, or clearly stated expectations.
• Reputation-motivated workers could perk up with some feedback, praise or public recognition.
• Challenge-motivated workers might need a new assignment, professional development activity, or more difficult tasks.
• Purpose-motivated workers may benefit from a “why we exist” discussion and a reminder of how they fit in the picture.

For more motivational ideas, check out the full publication.

Getting Motivated