We’ll answer your questions on what to take to business events.

5 Promotional items to take when exhibiting at business expos and conferences

Conferences, business expos and large-scale events are the perfect way to expand your professional network. But you would be remiss to overlook taking promotional items such as displays and giveaway merchandise with you. Offering a lucrative ROI, they can spark a conversation and draw people to your stand, as reusable and giftable branded assets.

To stand out for all the right reasons, many of your competitors will already be investing in professionally designed promotional items. But knowing where to start can be a challenge.

In this article, we will share answers to the following topics:

•         What to bring to a trade show?
•         What to bring to a conference?
•         What belongs on a trade show packing list?

Guiding business owners through the noise, we will outline the benefits of exhibiting before highlighting five promotional item ideas that should feature on your trade show packing list.

The benefits of exhibiting at trade shows and conferences

Don’t let the prospect of exhibiting at well-respected trade shows or conferences pass you by. These business events are ideal for start-ups, SMEs and established businesses to attend, along with hundreds of potential customers/clients walking through their hallowed doors.

Not only valuable for the larger industry players, the number of sector-based, regional and local business events being organised is often much larger than you might expect. It’s your opportunity to network, create leads and drive traffic to your website via your printed contact info. Starting small (if it’s your first rodeo) and scaling to events with higher footfall is a great way to test the waters and perfect your pitch.

However, you need to plan your stand’s design and content ahead of time. Keep calm and carry on reading to discover what you will need and how we can help you exhibit.

 

1. On-brand business cards

Not only the preserve of networking gurus, business cards are tried and tested promotional items. Keeping your information in the hands of prospective buyers, sometimes for years after the event ends, they say a great deal about your company and should echo your branding.

While small in size, they can bring in large contracts and increase enquiries to your business or organisation. Yet, whilst they are a relatively inexpensive promotional item, they need to present your company’s image in the best possible light. Read our thoughts on using Canva for design work.

Make the right first impression with sleek business cards and your contact details will be there in tangible form, as a visual reminder. In our opinion, no scan of an electric business card can compete with a handshake and handing over a business card on cardstock.

2. Bold banners

Banners come in different shapes, sizes and fitting components, yet one thing remains constant. When well-designed, these promotional items can catch your prospects’ eyes across a crowded expo hall and encourage them to find out more about what you do.

Think of the following banner styles as a welcoming invitation from afar to discuss your products and services:

• Table banners
• Roller banners
• Freestanding banners
• Pull-up display banners
• Pop-up backdrop banners
• Hanging exhibition banners.

Once visitors are at your stand, it’s your chance to engage and convert their curiosity into leads. Great design can move interested parties through the sales funnel. And the same applies to fellow exhibitors who notice your messaging.

But the dimensions, colours and print quality need to be top-notch. A pixelated banner is not going to portray your business or charity in its best light. This is why leaving enough time to approach a design agency like thefingerprint is always a wise move.

Promotional items design tip …

We would always recommend checking the size of your pitch and any sizing/display/fixing requirements for banners when booking your next business event.

3. Flyers and postcards

These printed materials are not a replacement but rather an extension of your business cards. Think of them as the siblings of promotional items. Flyers and postcards offer your business more space to convert, impress and convey what you can do for customers or clients.

This is where one of our copywriter or videographer partners can step in, helping you communicate your USPs and provide professional images as part of your brand’s storytelling strategy. Unlike banners, those attending conferences and trade shows can take flyers or postcards away. You never know whose desk they could land on.

Promotional items: size considerations

Flyers can, in theory, be designed to almost any dimensions. However, these standard print sizes work best to aid easy carrying:

• DL (dimension lengthwise): 9.9 x 21 cm
• A6: 10.5 x 14.8 cm
• A5: 15 x 21 cm
• A4: 21 x 29.7 cm.

While it can be tempting to simply order the cheapest size, often with the smallest dimensions, this will limit how much text or how many images can appear on your promotional items. Another benefit of ordering professionally designed flyers and postcards is their variety of uses.

Promotional items: other applications

You can order large print orders for trade shows and conferences, knowing they won’t be wasted. These print assets can also be sent through the post, included in customer orders, captured digitally for email, or included in client gift packs.

4. Brochures and leaflets

Often sharing the print dimensions of flyers and postcards, brochures and leaflets bring many coveted results for your business.

Imagine meeting two different founders at a business expo. The first gives you a high-quality brochure to present their company, its offers and testimonials/reviews. The second owner describes what their company does in words but explains they have yet to order brochures. You may assume that the first business owner is more established, organised and takes their business more seriously, although both could be dedicated professionals.

The lesson this anecdote reveals is that brochures and leaflets bring credibility. At thefingerprint, we can design an e-brochure or leaflet to appear on your website and email campaigns while offering the files to have your brand-new design printed for a conference or event.

Economies of scale

Like most of the assets suggested here, you can bring down the cost per brochure or leaflet by ordering more. Their wording allows you to expand what you have said to potential customers or clients after you have met them at events. Showcase your product list, ethos, heritage and client reviews. Include a map of your office or store to encourage a visit. The goal is to go beyond the initial conversation and keep them wanting more.

5. Giveaway merchandise

The last category on our essential trade show packing list has to be promotional giveaways such as pens, stationery, notebooks, branded food and cloth tote bags. To make them work in your favour, we can design the print file, featuring or redesigning your logo so it makes a positive impact on your printed materials.

These promotional items are usually given away at no cost to spread awareness of your business. Choose something useful and appealing, and it may be circulated within your target audience’s office or home until they need what you sell. Then, that giveaway pen or notebook they have been relying on for months could pay off for you.

The benefits of promotional items

Total Merchandise reveals three key statistics that the British Promotional Merchandise Association discovered regarding the topic of promotional giveaways:

• 96% of people believe promotional products increase their awareness of a brand.
• 83% believed it increased their consciousness of the brand for up to a year.  
• 79% of customers feel ‘appreciated’ when they receive a piece of promotional merchandise.

 

 

Know what to bring to a conference with confidence

We hope that these five promotional items have proved inspiring for your next (or first) business event. However, knowing what to bring with you when exhibiting is only half the story. You need premium branded materials and giveaways.

We will design a standout logo for your company or organisation that suits the required dimensions, work with an existing logo or rebrand your business for head-turning conference and trade show displays. 

Call us on +44 (0)7740 348 521 or visit thefingerprint Contact page to make your mark on business events.

 

If you found this helpful then you should also read these articles: The importance of typography within design, Why marketing should be a priority – even during a recession and thefingerprint wins Design Agency of the Year for a third year!