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CREATIVE IDEAS FOR MARKETING, Exhibits Can Convey an Agency's Core Mission Advice for a well-designed agency exhibit and related materials
Don't slouch, don't chew gum, and dress nice. Your mothers words of wisdom also ring true when it comes to staffing an exhibit or display booth, according to Katrina Dean, marketing director for Exhibit Design Consultants. "You also have to make sure that the people in your booth are knowledgeable as well as friendly," says Dean. "That's why we recommend staffing a booth with full-time employees rather than part-time or volunteers." But the real key to a good booth or display comes in proper planning. Look at your audience. Setting up for a children's expo is very different than going to a senior fair. The homebuilders show audience differs from attendees at a community college job fair. "We feature a variety of things in our exhibit," says Robin Hall, director of the Urbana Park District. "Sometimes it is very general about our parks, sometimes program registration. We really direct it to the audience. Every fall our audience is University of Illinois students when we are out recruiting for volunteers." According to industry experts, you have three to five seconds to grab someone's attention and get them to stop at your exhibit. That's not very long to make a good impression. Large colorful graphics work better than photos for this. Using a small amount of bulleted copy on your exhibit is more effective than longer sections of text. And prominently displaying your logo or your agency's slogan is important to let people know who you are.
Exhibit booths come in a variety of sizes and generally are set up as floor displays or "table-tops." Some exhibits have a Velcro surface on which the graphics adhere. Others look like a giant erector set with magnetized graphics stuck to it. But you don't have to spend a lot to get a good quality exhibit. "Many companies want to upgrade their booths after only a few uses," says Dean. "We handle pre-owned exhibits that come at a great cost savings. Earlier this year we had six to ten table-tops priced under a thousand dollars that went fairly quickly." New and used displays can be viewed on the Exhibit Design Consultants' Web site at www.exhibit-design.com. An Internet search produced several exhibit houses that did the same. Large graphics can be generated, usually on plastic or vinyl, by the exhibit company that supplies the unit or by a local printer or blueprint company. Feature images that convey your core mission. "It is important for us to show people that their tax dollars are doing good work," says Karen Benjamin, director of recreation for the Decatur Park District. "We usually set up our table-top exhibit, but we try to make the display look three dimensional. At the annual lawn and garden show we actually set up a park, complete with flowers, bushes, benches, and a pathway." If you don't want to cart the flora and fauna to the community center, try balloons. Or have your staff distribute giveaways from the booth. 36 ¦ Illinois Parks and Recreation MIXED MEDIA "Candy is especially popular with kids but might not be so popular with the exhibit hall or with the parents," says Dean. "It's kind of messy!" Here's an interesting statistic that could save you a bundle: approximately 80 percent of the literature or brochures that are picked up at an exhibit or trade show are thrown away. Dean recommends that booth staff ask for visitor names and addresses and follow up with a mailing. Not only does a follow-up mailing save money, it gives you another chance to make a contact with the public. If you do want to distribute brochures or flyers, experts say not to put them on a table in front of your exhibit. The table becomes a barrier between you and the public. Have staff hand them directly to visitors and engage them in conversation if possible. "Over the year we do a fair number of kid expos and we (use) Gus and Goldie the Safety Fish" says Benjamin about the districts brightly colored water safety mascots, which really are park staffers dressed in larger-than-life-size goldfish costumes. "We have (Gus and Goldie) staff the booth some of the time." It's all about making an impression. And in a sea of displays, a six-foot goldfish certainly would be one way to stand out in the crowd.
November/December 2001 ¦ 37 |
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