Most people don’t realize it, but trade shows and conferences are a big business here in the United States. Yet while the annual trenchless plumbing and widgets expos might pass unnoticed, even if they’re happening at your local convention center, there are some events too big to ignore.
While most goings on in the trade show world are of interest only to industry insiders and interactive exhibit design services, the annual video game bash E3 is like Comic Con in San Diego. Even if you don’t like video games or comic book movies, you’ve probably heard of these events.
As such, they can be great examples of how to take advantage of trade shows in your own industry. So while your upcoming Widgets Expo 2016 might not have the allure of Comic Con, you can still learn valuable lessons about trade show exhibit design.
Most importantly, the 2016 E3 event can teach everyone a key lesson about these events:
Don’t Go To an Event Until You’re Ready To Show Off
That might seem obvious, but many people fall into this trap. Big events allow you to utilize exhibit design services and social media to hype up your company, especially when you have new products or services to roll out. Sometimes, going to a trade show is a great way to build hype. Other times, people rush a demo product ahead of schedule to show it off at an event, and end up embarrassing themselves in the process.
Let’s use a real world example. One of the most highly anticipated games in the world right now is a game called “No Man’s Sky,” which allows players to explore an incredibly large universe in a shared environment. Yet the game’s developer chose to skip out on the biggest video game event of the year, even though it’s just months before his release date.
So what gives? Why didn’t you see a No Man’s Sky booth with custom exhibits? The game’s creator Sean Murray tweeted to disappointed fans, “things we could have done last week: 1) gone to e3 to build more hype 2) made our game better.”
Ultimately, he decided to invest in his product before hiring interactive exhibit design services to help him show it off in front of the world. So while a killer interactive exhibit design can be a huge asset for promoting a new product, never attend a trade show if you aren’t 100% ready to show off the goods.