Exhibitors invest huge sums of money every year in their trade show marketing programs, but it is important to remember that attendees (and the businesses they represent) also invest a great deal in trade shows. Plane tickets, hotel rooms, and meals are just a few of the expenses that a typical attendee will need to pay in order to visit an event. When a company has invested thousands of dollars to have its employees attend a trade show, the best thing you can do as an exhibitors is to give them what they want. So what do attendees want?

• Attendees want to find products and/or services that they are interested in. If you are exhibiting at the wrong event, chances are you will probably have to deal with a lot of frustrated attendees. Conferences are usually targeted at a particular industry, so visitors typically come with a game plan in mind. This game plan may only consist of a few simple goals, but more often than not attendees come with a fully-loaded itinerary. If your booth is out of place at the show, you are going to have trouble attracting qualified visitors.
• Attendees want a clear, concise description of who you are and what you do. Even if you have beautiful graphics, your trade show display will fail in its purpose if it does not clearly relay your company name and a short positioning statement. Your exhibit should serve as a jumping off point that starts a discussion between your booth staffers and attendees. Attendees want just the right amount of relevant text.
• Attendees want promotional products and free giveaways. Everyone loves to get things for free, and attendees are no different. Be sure to brand your trade show giveaways clearly with your company name and positioning statement, and be sure you have a virtually unlimited supply on hand (giveaways always vanish much faster than you expect).
• Attendees want a place to sit down. After 8 – 10 hours on the trade show floor, visitors to your booth may be exhausted and frustrated. If you can provide them with a comfortable place to sit, they’re much more likely to stick around in your booth and hear about your products and/or services. Plan to purchase at least a few pieces of trade show furniture if you have the space, as this will make your exhibit area more inviting to tired attendees.

Pleasing attendees is not complicated once you know what they’re looking for. Remember that the typical attendee has spent almost as much time, money, and energy as an exhibitor to get to the event, so do your best to make it worth the investment.