Trade shows are a popular—and sometimes crucial—way for companies to get their products and services in front of prospective customers and connections.
When 2020 hit and industry events were postponed or canceled, business owners and companies needed new ways to promote their brands and products. And it forced many people to ask, “What are the trade show alternatives?”
From virtual events to portable or popup displays, there are lots of other ways to showcase your brand to customers. If you’re looking for fresh opportunities to promote your brand and products, read on for trade show alternatives.
1. Virtual Events Have Big Potential
For many organizations, live events remain the gold standard by which all other forms of direct-to-client marketing are measured. And while it’s true that for some, in-person trade shows are the most effective option, virtual events and virtual trade shows have definitely proven their worth. In fact, virtual events have some unique benefits that can make them just as valuable as the live format.
The face-to-face interaction virtual trade shows lacks is made up for in myriad ways:
- Hosting or attending a virtual trade show gives you the opportunity to reach a potentially greater audience. People can attend an event online no matter where they live, as long as they have internet access. The reduced cost of attendance can boost interest too.
- They’re great for networking. A well-planned virtual event and a well-designed digital exhibit encourages the kind of camaraderie that fosters long-term relationships. Lively real-time online discussions can provide plenty of exposure to build your brand and generate new leads.
- The data power virtual events hold is unlike anything you could do at an in-person event. Learn more about virtual event analytics here.
Hybrid events present another viable alternative to trade shows in the traditional in-person event format. With a live exhibit on the trade show floor plus a virtual booth online, you get the best of both formats and can significantly expand your visitor potential.
2. Try a Local or Niche Event
Consider Attendees’ Comfort
In 2022 and beyond, the world in general is more conscious of infection risk and other public health considerations. The bigger an event, the more uncomfortable some people are. That’s one reason some exhibitors opt to attend smaller events, rather than the biggest, most popular ones.
Make Your Interactions Count
In fact, there are plenty of situations where smaller events are a better option than setting up a booth in a convention hall surrounded by thousands of others. Large industry events can be exciting places to launch new products, but they’re not always the best fit. When you want to really connect with your audience, a smaller venue may suit your purpose. Small events of 50 to 75 people offer more chances for one-on-one interactions. And the smaller the guest list, the more time you have to make each interaction a high-quality one.
Stand Out in the Crowd
Another benefit of attending small events is that there’s less competition. In a huge, crowded exhibit hall it’s difficult to stand out, especially if you’re a small company competing in an industry full of big-name brands. Those big brands don’t usually attend hyperlocal shows, giving you a better chance to get your share of attention. And attending a small local or niche event can help you make the most of your trade show budget because these events tend to have a lower exhibitor fee.
3. Outdoor Exhibits Are Perfect for Most of the Year
If you’re concerned a small event won’t have the impact you’re driving for—for example, at a product launch—a larger non-traditional kind of event may fit the bill. When you have a large target audience but want to step beyond the traditional trade show booth, why not take your exhibit outside? An outdoor exhibit isn’t always a feasible trade show alternative, but in the summertime, good weather and fresh air make it a highly enjoyable option. It’s the perfect compromise, especially considering many people are now more aware of their personal space and may want to keep a little bit of distance while waiting in line or checking out an exhibit.
A great way to showcase your product or hold demos outdoors is by pairing your event with a mobile exhibit—or more than one. Outdoor exhibits are often portable by design. This makes setup and teardown easier and ensures your exhibit is ready to go any time.
If your exhibit proves successful at a local level, why not take it to other areas in your state or even on the road across the country?
4. Get On the Road with Mobile Exhibits
Seasoned exhibitors often look outside the box for trade show alternatives. Touring a mobile exhibit, for instance, can be a great way of getting engagement and exposure. You still get to meet people, but it’s without the intense competition and sometimes frantic atmosphere of a trade show.
Mobile exhibits are an even more attractive prospect because they’re built with portability in mind. At its simplest, a mobile booth might be a single person with a few dozen brochures and a table for product demos. A large company might build a mobile exhibit in a vehicle or container and have a permanent team of staff to run it. Mobile exhibits can be deployed both indoors and outside, making them ideal for outdoor events as well as the traditional trade show exhibit hall.
Face-to-face interactions are best for making and strengthening relationships. But, while industry events are effective, they’re often predictable in terms of existing customers and the people you see at them. Taking your show on the road changes things up. Those in-person interactions can now happen anywhere, even in unexpected places. With a well-designed mobile exhibit, you can perform product demonstrations and tell your brand’s story to people across the country with mobile marketing.
5. Pop Up a Retail Store
Like mobile exhibits, pop-up stores are a great way to take a brand directly to your customers. But while mobile exhibits are typically designed for B2B purposes, pop-up stores are more geared towards retail, and so they’re perfect for introducing consumers to new products and brands. They’re currently especially popular with native digital brands that don’t have retail storefronts. And they’re not just for testing products—some companies have even used pop-ups to test their retail concepts and subsequently go on to open permanent retail stores.
A pop-up isn’t just for native digital or startup brands, of course—even luxury brands are opening pop-up stores. In 2021, for instance, Dolce & Gabbana opened a pop-up called The Sicilian Cart in the Hamptons. Housed within a beautifully decorated Airstream trailer, the pop-up was designed to immerse visitors in the brand and its stories, as well as sell a range of themed apparel and accessories.
6. Create Something More Permanent for Long-Term Brand Messaging
A successful exhibit isn’t necessarily one that’s aggressively marketing your brand. Sometimes it’s an installation that promotes your organization in a way that’s a little more subtle and just as effective. Permanent installations fit this bill. Their “always-on” messaging invites viewers to engage with your brand on a regular basis, rather than just at an event.
Permanent environments and installations work well at company HQs and in other corporate environments. These are the places where your image and your brand story are crafted. The most successful organizations are often ones that reflect their brand’s image everywhere—not just to the buying public, but in the places employees work and where clients, partners, and prospects visit. Prime areas for permanent installations include:
- Customer lobbies
- Product demo rooms
- Executive briefing centers
- And more
These Trade Show Alternatives Can Be Just as Effective as Large Trade Shows
Trade shows have long been popular for exhibitors—for product launches, brand building, and networking. But now is the time to think outside the box. Small events, outdoor exhibits, mobile exhibits, virtual events, and permanent environments can all meet your marketing needs and lead generation goals just as well—if you approach them in the right way. Be thoughtful about pairing your objectives with the kind of event you hold, and you’ll find that these trade show alternatives can help your organization meet its goals.
