Best Practices for Heritage Display Booths

If you are involved in the heritage sector, you know that many great outreach opportunities are available at heritage fairs, festivals, trade shows, and volunteer fairs.  Many of these events allow participants to present display booths or tables, where they can showcase their publications, get exposure for their organizations, and recruit volunteers.  But how do you stand out among the rows of exhibitors who come to these events?  Below are some suggestions for “best practices” in heritage displays, to help you stand out from the crowd!

Attendant Habits
These are some things you can do right at your booth to help engage visitors.

1.       Smile More
·         Smiling is the easiest way to attract people to your booth.  A sincere smile can make someone stop who you may otherwise have missed.

2.       Take Shifts, Bring Snacks
·         Engaging with the public is surprisingly tiring, and in order to be effective you need lots of energy.  Bring refreshments, and if possible, man the booth with a partner so you can both take breaks.

3.       Stand In Front of the Table
·         When you sit behind your table, you create a barrier between yourself and the visitor.  Moving in front of the table removes this barrier, and standing up helps you connect because you are at a visitor’s eye level.

4.       Consider Your Clothes
·         Uniforms can show professionalism.  Name tags can make your representatives seem more approachable.  Dressing well will show that the event, and the people attending it, are important to your organization.

5.       Visit the Other Booths
·         What are they doing well?  What makes you want to stop at a booth, and what makes you pass by?  When you get back to your booth, look at it objectively.  How does it measure up?  What could you change about it?

6.       Take Names, Follow Up
·         Don’t be afraid to ask for contact information from visitors.  Provide a sign-up sheet for your mailing list or other services, and take the time to send a message to anyone who signs up.  This personal attention will go a long way toward making the new person feel welcome.

7.       Talk to the People
·         This is the single most important thing you can do to make your booth more successful.  If you want new people to get involved with your organization, you have to invite them in.   It is not the visitor’s job to make the first move in engaging with your material.  It is YOUR job to engage with THEM.

Which of these ladies would you talk to?

 

Display Elements
These are some things you can do to your display to make it more appealing to visitors.

1.       Bright Colours
·         Bright colours on your display attract attention, and give a sense of energy and excitement.

2.       Handouts and Interactive Elements
·         Handouts help visitors remember your organization, especially specific events or exhibits.  Something interactive at your booth, that visitors can make, take, or do, will be more memorable than a static display.  A good chat with the attendant is the best kind of interaction.

3.       Variety
·         Don’t have all your display materials at the same height.  Use the front of the table, a colorful backdrop, and signage to add visual variety to your booth.  A table with pamphlets and nothing else will not be interesting, even of those pamphlets come in every colour of the rainbow. 

4.       Keep It Simple
·         Your display booth is an opportunity for you to make first contact with a visitor who may never have heard of your organization, and likely doesn’t know what you’re about.  Concentrate on one or two simple messages, and don’t overwhelm visitors with information.

5.       What’s Your Name?
·         Your group’s name should be prominent, and the visitor should be able, at a glance, to get an idea of the purpose of your organization.

6.       Change Up Your Display
·         Don’t allow your group to bring the same display to the same events year after year.  Has your organization done anything new in the past 5 years?  Make sure that is reflected in your booth! 

 

This booth has good variety, a friendly face, and a cohesive colour scheme.  But what is the name of the organization?

Background and Brainstorming
These are some things you can do in the background to make your booth more effective and useful.

1.       Pick the Right Person
·         The most knowledgeable person in the organization may not necessarily be the best person to man your booth… and that’s ok!  Some people are more open, friendly, and gregarious than others, and those are the people you want at your booth.  Pair them with someone who has a deep knowledge of the organization, and you have a winning combination.

2.       Consider the Type of Event.
·         Trade shows are different from display fairs, which are different again from festivals.  The same display might not work for all three.  Consider who will be attending the event, and tailor the booth to interest them.

3.       Know Why You Are There.
·         What is your goal in putting this booth together?  Are you trying to attract new members?  Sell publications?  Promote events or activities?  Having a goal will help you to determine what kind of display you should have, as well as who should man the booth.

4.       Monitor, Evaluate, Improve!
·         In order for your display to be truly effective over time, you need to keep records from one event to the next, and use that information to make changes.  If you are not meeting your goals, take the time to consider what you might need to do differently in order to be more successful at the next event.

This display is just too busy.  Nothing stands out, not even the group’s name!

Take a look at the examples below to see how you can apply these practices to your display booth!

At Heritage Day 2011, this group really got it right!

-          Three staff members – they can take breaks if they are tired, and still have people at the booth

o   one seated (resting), one standing behind the table, one standing in front – perfect configuration for engaging visitors

o   Name tags make them more approachable

o   Uniforms show that they have put thought into how they will appear to the public, and make them seem more professional.

-          Big smiles

-          Variety of things on the table

o   Plenty of interactive games and toys

o   Handouts readily available

o   Banners provide different levels of display

-          Their name is clearly displayed

-          They brought refreshments for themselves, to help stay alert and focused

-          One attendant is holding a clicker to count visitors to the booth, so that they have data to help them evaluate their day. 

-          Another attendant is actively talking to members of the public who have visited the booth

Now take a look at this table, from Heritage Day 2009:

They were great at getting people’s attention by bringing a brightly coloured tablecloth that makes their booth stand out!  The sign on the easel presumably gives the name of the organization, and provides some variation in levels for the display.  BUT:

-          The table display is uniform: all books and papers lying flat, none are propped up so the titles are easy to read

-          The one person manning the booth is sitting passively back in her chair, not engaging people walking by

This booth did a great job getting people’s attention, but that’s not always enough to engage them! A bright tablecloth will get visitors to glance at your booth, but if you don’t follow up by having an attractive display, interesting objects, or approachable people, they will not take the next step by stopping at your booth.  It’s not enough to just get someone’s attention; you have to be able to hold it!

Interesting note:  The two booths above are in almost the exact same place in the room.  Placement is not as important as engagement!