Top ways to make an impression in 30 seconds or less

The rule is you only have 7 seconds to make a first impression. Some sources say 20 seconds, others say 30 – whichever rule you go by, you have ­­­­a very brief window of time to make a positive and lasting impression on tradeshow attendees. We’ve put together a list of the top 3 ideas to make an impression in under 30 seconds – OR give attendees a reason to stick around long enough for you to make an excellent one.

1. Competition sparking interest

Choose between a game of luck or a game of skill. Run a lucky draw, guess the number of lollies in the jar, try a prize wheel or business card draw – these games must offer a valuable prize to encourage participation and requires contact details to notify the winner which you can use to build your contact database.

Alternatively, encourage visitors to spend longer at your booth with a game of skill; you can be as adventurous as you like with this! On the larger scale, try setting up mini-golf course with a scoreboard for bragging rights or life-size tic-tac-toe or Jenga. For something on a smaller scale, a game of trivia can be set up on a tablet or digital display which, again, can collect contact details at the same time.

2. Make your space interactive

Gamification and digital displays can draw a crowd, educate your customers on your product and keep them at your booth for longer. Make your display one that is fun to visit and that people will talk about. Conduct product demos, bring a product protype with you or build it into the display. Encouraging your target market to interact with your product is an effective way to generate leads and even convert them.

The next step up? Rather than bringing your product to the venue to demonstrate it, take the attendees to your product with Virtual Reality. Headsets and tech can come at a cost but are guaranteed to attract exhibition foot traffic. Few people can resist the intrigue of not knowing what’s going on behind those goggles.

3. Charging stations

Offer a space for attendees to recharge. Charging stations literally tether attendees to your display, keeping them there for longer and giving you more opportunity to pitch.

You could also create a relaxing and inviting space for attendees to take a seat and recharge from the chaos of the tradeshow. Provide some snacks, tea or coffee if the venue allows it, play some jazz and let them settle in for a few minutes.

Looking for some more tradeshow advice? Check out our step by step tradeshow planning guide.