 Company portfolios are never going to hit the best-seller list. But pair your portfolio with a nostalgic childhood toy, and you’ll greatly improve its chances of being read. That’s why interactive-merchandising firm Merchandising Technologies Inc. used Viewmasters to display its portfolio at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show. MTI filled more than 100 Viewmasters with its customized disks, each of which featured photos of 14 of its projects. As expected, attendees lined up for the chance to revisit their childhood — and to see what MTI could do in the process.
As the first printing company to receive certification from the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, Pictura Graphics wanted to shout it from the rafters at the 2008 TS² show. But since that wasn’t an option, the company settled for a two-step approach to inform attendees of its recent coup. First, Pictura invited pre-registered attendees
to its booth with a pre-show mailer featuring an image of a bright green footprint and the text “Step Toward Sustainability with Pictura Graphics.” At the show, staffers placed cutouts of green footprints on the aisle carpet leading the way to its 10-by-20-foot exhibit. The two-step strategy drove home Pictura’s Green certification and drove attendees directly to its booth.
Unless they’re gluttons for punishment, the last thing exhibit visitors want is another ream of product literature to lug around the show floor. So Inventive Media miniaturized its Tuffline TV product brochure, eliminating all but the most critical data and printing it on an accordion-fold business card/product pamphlet hybrid that fits easily into a wallet or pocket. Each rep’s contact info appears on the front, and text and photos are scattered throughout. Tuffline distributed the miniature brochures at EuroShop 2008, lightening attendees’ loads, as well as their own — since the pamphlets were comparably cheaper to ship than the company’s previous promotional literature. It just goes to show: Good things do come in small packages.
At the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference in Las Vegas, custom cabinet maker The Cube Kitchens wanted to make a big name for itself, literally. So instead of merely slapping the company logo on a wall or graphic panel, Cube transformed its logo into a purposeful focal point. It positioned 3-foot-tall letters spelling out “Cube” front and center in its exhibit. Measuring 10 feet long, the row of giant white letters not only unequivocally branded the space, it also served as a reception desk and table.
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How do you demonstrate the unique properties of molded silicone — it’s flexible, but holds its shape even when subjected to high heat? You use your product to create molded-silicone muffin cups, of course. Then you distribute them to your booth visitors as ice-breaking giveaways that actually have a purpose beyond the show. Or at least that’s the tasteful tactic M.R. Mold & Engineering Corp. employed for its booth at the 2008 Medical Design & Manufacturing Minneapolis show. Rather than handing out samples of its medical-grade silicone gaskets and diaphragms, the Brea, CA-based precision-tooling manufacturer created and distributed soft, yet stable, muffin cups capable of holding their shape — and muffin batter — even in a hot oven. The inventive giveaway not only gave booth visitors a handy reminder of the company’s product benefits, it offered exhibit staffers a sweet conversation starter to boot.
In an exhibit hall overflowing with high-tech tools, it’s not easy to stand out. But at Semicon West 2008, Keteca USA Inc. made its mark with the simplest communication tool of all, its business cards. The company, which makes dicing saw blades used in cutting semiconductors, gave out 2-inch-diameter unsharpened aluminum saw blades, which featured the company’s name, logo, phone number, and Web site engraved on one side. In a stack of boring business cards, Keteca’s clever concoction was clearly a cut above the competition.
Plenty of exhibitors host in-booth drawings and competitions for prizes ranging from gift cards to iPods. But selecting the wrong prize can leave attendees uninterested in participating. That’s one reason Impact Unlimited let EXHIBITOR2008 attendees pick their own prize. When booth visitors entered the exhibit, staffers invited them to swipe their badges to be entered into an in-booth drawing. But in a move that personalized the prize and helped to identify the client’s interests, staffers asked each visitor which prize he or she would most like to win: a 10-by-10 Bauhaus exhibit kit, a custom brand animation, a City Dine-Around Program, booth graphics, or a post-show measurement/ROI report. If attendees selected the report, for example, that prompted discussion about Impact Unlimited’s measurement offerings. Regardless of which prize they chose, the customized competition gave staffers quick and easy insight into each attendee’s interests, and ensured that the lucky winner received a truly desirable prize.
What's The Big Idea?
Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder?
Contact Janet Van Vleet jvanvleet@exhibitormagazine.com.
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