Booth Location Is King

What value criteria of your Trade Show Booth and Real Estate have in common?  Location, Location, Location!

We’ve all heard that location is king in real estate value. That truism applies to your trade show booth as well.

If your home is located within walking distance to top rated schools, shopping for groceries, parks, playgrounds, restaurants and entertainment then it will certainly be valued significantly higher than properties lacking proximity to these quality of life attractions.

Booth location is no different when it comes to placement. Attendees are driven to your booth in part by its location relative to all other attractions at the show.  Is there a theater where presentations are being given? Are there food and beverage vendors or restaurants where people will go to eat? Are their quiet and comfortable meeting areas with free wi-fi?  All of these attractions drive foot traffic and  you want to positioned along the way!

To maximize traffic to your trade show booth you need to strategically stake your claim on the show floor.  Here’s a couple of key considerations:

  1. Book early. Get the maximum value from your investment by having the greatest amount of choices available.
  2. Place your booth on a key entrance or exit aisle to get attendees walking past more than once a day.
  3. Place your booth on an aisle that leads to common areas like a cafeteria or general interest area such a stage to get a good cross section of attendee foot traffic.
  4. Place your booth on an aisle adjacent to a main aisle that is dedicated to your type of product (most shows have these). You’ll get spillover attendees from the main traffic and benefit from being at the beginning of your specialty area.

If you weren’t able to book early or reserve a strategic location, you may want to think twice about settling for a booth on the back wall or in a corner for a couple of reasons.

The first consideration towards your decision to attend with a sub-optimal booth placement is the fact that foot traffic reduces almost exponentially the further your booth is from the center of the show. As foot traffic reduces so will the quantity and quality of your leads which will impact the ROI in the show.

The second consideration is the implication or perception that attendees will have of your company due to your poor location.  Questions such as: Are they trying to save money, are they in trouble? Was this show really not important? Do they consider attendees at this show less important than other shows? Is the company disorganized as indicated by their location and is that who I really want to do business with?

The location of your booth really does matter not only for the success of the show, but for your brand perception.  So choose your location carefully and reap the benefits!