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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]N[/dropcap]ow that you’ve compiled a list of the cannabis trade shows you have to hit this year, it’s time to consider how you’re going to setup your booth. After all, competition in the cannabis industry continues to grow with each passing day, and it can be tough to make your booth stand out from the crowd. No one wants to walk by a booth full of bored volunteers looking at their phones, or pass an unmanned stall that looks generic and uninviting. With your revamped marketing materials for the new year in hand, here are a few techniques that will help you up your trade show game and get even more traction at your booth.

The key is to create an inviting environment that allows people to be able to relax and chill.”

Stand Out from the Crowd

It’s about doing something that’s different and something that will draw attention to you in a sea of booths,” explained Chris Walsh, vice president of editorial and strategic development at Marijuana Business Daily, the company that sets up the well-known trade show MJBizCon. “You have some of the companies that make kind of self-contained growing pods or facilities. Something like that makes a major footprint on the show floor, and you can see it across the hall. Those have been successful at attracting people, and mock dispensaries have been particularly effective, when you’re trying to create something that resembles a dispensary or a recreational store.”

In other words, have more material to your booth than just some literature to take, one or two cheap freebies, and don’t hire just anyone to watch over it all. The more creative your booth is, the more likely strangers (who could become potential clients) are to stop by.

We always strive to have captivating, interactive booths,” said Chris Whitener, executive director at MagicalButter, a company that excels when it comes to its trade show presentations. “Often times, we offer live cooking demonstrations, showcasing our unique products and the exciting process of cooking with cannabis. In order to draw in a crowd, you must appeal to a person’s five senses. MagicalButter does this with ease through engaging cooking experiences you can see, smell, hear and often times taste. The key is to create an inviting environment that allows people to be able to relax and chill.”

Bring Knowledgeable Booth Staff

Other rookie mistakes, according to the experts, include staffing booths with volunteers who don’t care, folks who lose interest in manning the booth or leaving the booth completely unattended. It’s also not a good idea to try and hire people who don’t know much about your product, to try and sexualize your products or services. While there’s something to be said for the appeal of an attractive person, experienced industry professionals will see right through the marketing strategy.

“Be sure that your staff and [yourself] know your key messaging inside out,” advised Mike Weiss, president and founder of Nature’s Dream cannabis company. “Having informed staff that can answer questions intelligently is more effective than hiring ‘booth babes’ who are experts at

attracting attention—because you want your product or service to be the main attraction and not those pretty hostesses. Lastly, if you are going to exhibit, be sure that you bring enough people to work your booth so attendees won’t have to wait to make inquiries, because most times they’ll just walk on by if there is no one to speak to.”

Partner Up

Often, two heads are better than one—especially when it comes to trade shows. If you want to make your own booth stand out and do something cool and unique, finding someone to share the booth with could be just the ticket. Often, with the combined efforts of two booths, some really creative designs and concepts can be achieved.

We have found that collaborating with other ancillary or support businesses can help drive traffic,” said Erik Knutson, CEO of CanCore Concepts Inc. and owner of the Keef Cola product line. “The trick is to bring synergy to your product or service offering. For example, in the past we partnered with Thompson Duke Industrial, a vape cartridge filling company that is used in conjunction with our OilStix Technology line of vape devices. This past year in Vegas we partnered with a subsidiary of TerraTech and wrapped a Keef Cola automated dispensing kiosk for display at the booth.”

Consult a Professional

While all these suggestions will give you a major leg up, sometimes you need some professional help to bring things to the next level. If so, you can try companies that provide professional consulting and design for trade show booths and presentation. RND Exhibits International, based in Illinois, prides itself on renting display materials to cannabis companies, providing design and custom booths and helping with trade show displays.

“Ensure your dominance on the show floor over a sea of generic stands with a custom constructed trade show exhibit,” RND Exhibits International boasts. “Reflect your unique attributes from the main structure to product displays and graphics down to the smallest details. Our full wood and metal shop can make any concept a reality from large to small. Inlines and islands of all sizes can benefit from a bespoke display tailored to how you’d like to communicate with show attendees.”

Listen to the experts, and take their advice. These tips and practices will help you make your business and your products become more noticeable and help make a bigger impact at the next cannabis trade show you attend.

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