Trade Show Lighting 

Control the Exhibit, Create the Sale

Controlling the environment is a fundamental lesson in sales. But often at a trade show or exhibition – where selling is the purpose of the convention – control is the one thing missing, especially in lighting.

Knowing the lighting situation before arriving on scene is as important as knowing the competition. When you know what you have to work with, you can develop a plan to control the environment and entice customers.

With the blaring overhead lights at most convention centers, too much additional lighting coming from trade show exhibitors with flood lamps can create a true "deer-in-the-headlights" look from customers. However, if the exhibit hall is dimly lit, only having a few clip-on display lights can make your area disappear in the corner. And with shipping rates, union fees and overall costs, exhibitors can’t afford to come prepared for six different lighting options.

Trade show experts say doing your homework is extremely important. Call the venue, ask questions, be your own secret shopper. Search online for posted videos of previous shows at the facility. Ask what the fire regulations are for canopies over your displays.

Don’t just go out and buy some fabric and bring it with you either, says Julia O’Connor, president of Trade Show Training Inc., a consulting and educational trade show company based in Virginia. Whatever you bring usually has to be flame retardant. You can be thrown off the floor for using improper equipment, so make sure you find out ahead of time what the rules are, she said.

Each venue has a different set of rules regarding what kinds of lights can be used, so if you aren’t sure and no one is answering your questions, call an electrical company in town and ask.

After doing your homework, decide on a plan and browse online through trade show architects and lighting stores to find the right products. Remember these tips when choosing your lights:

1. If there are specific display items that need to be highlighted, such as paintings, then use one display light for each item. If the item is especially wide, use two lights.
2. If you do not have items to highlight and the display light uses an MR16 light bulb, use one display light for approximately every two feet of horizontal display space.
3. If the display light uses a PAR halogen light bulb, use one display light for approximately every three feet of horizontal display space.
4. If the display light is intended to wash the wall with light, then use one display light for every two to three feet of horizontal display space, depending on how brightly you want to "wash" the display wall.

The right lighting environment can create warmth and convey energy to your customers, but you usually have less than five seconds to capture an attendee’s interest. Make sure your message is making the right impression.

About the Author

Susan Paff is a former journalist and copy editor who has covered a variety of topics including education, marketing, e-commerce, and lighting. She is a now a freelance writer and public relations professional working with Pegasus Associates Lighting. In addition to being an e-commerce business site selling unique lighting products on the internet, the Pegasus Associates Lighting web site, www.PegasusAssociates.com, places a heavy emphasis on lighting tips, knowledge, and techniques to ensure that the web site is a learning experience in lighting.

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Illuminating Your Sales - Employ lighting techniques to attract trade show customers

In the sea of people milling around, weaving in and out of exhibit booths, catching the big client who is going to bring in the sales to help meet quota can be overwhelming. People are easily distracted. And with so many ideas and literature swimming around, the wrong display strategy can easily lead to sensory overload and zero sales leads – Not a good report to take back to the office.

But in order to have the chance to get the sales lead, the exhibitor first has to attract people to the booth.

"When you figure out that the average attendee only visits 28 to 32 booths over a three-day show, it’s very important to draw attention to yourself. One of the ways to do that is to have a very inviting display," says Stephen Schuldenfrei, president of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association. "Lighting is one of the many ways to do that."

Finding unique ways to effectively manipulate lighting in your booth is a technique many trade show consultants recommend.

Julia O’Connor, president of Trade Show Training Inc., a consulting and educational trade show company based in Virginia, says if you are going to employ lighting techniques, you need to make sure you know what you are doing. Three years ago, she attended a show where she found people huddling under a tent enveloped in blue lighting.

"Everyone had a slight blue tinge to them," she said. "People don’t look good under blue light. I’ve seen it several times, but it might not be a very good idea."

Who wants to buy a product when everyone looks like they are about ready to hurl the free four-hour-old cheese spread they just inhaled at the last booth? Instead of blue, try peach or pink colors that are more natural and compliment one’s skin.

There are plenty of lighting techniques to employ. And just as the entire booth needs to have a marketing strategy, so does the lighting. To help make the right decisions, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you trying to highlight one particular product, or do you have multiple things you need to market? Try to avoid flooding the area with numerous lights of different colors and types. Use flexible arm display lights or clamp display lights to create smaller spotlights on specific posters and products.
2. What lighting atmosphere makes you feel comfortable and ready to buy? If you have a lot of reading materials available, your lighting should be slightly brighter than a booth that has mostly products and few marketing materials.
3. What is the overall tone of your company? Does it offer a serious business or a more laid back commodity? Your lighting choices should reflect the business’s services. In other words, if you are offering at-home spa products, keep the lighting dim and incorporate colored lighting filters. If your company is showcasing fun games, try illuminating the area with white or colored rope lighting.

Don’t add to an already inappropriately lit convention center with obnoxious strobe lighting and purple-hued products. Lighting techniques are a tool in the creative sales process. Use them effectively.

About the Author

Susan Paff is a former journalist and copy editor who has covered a variety of topics including education, marketing, e-commerce, and lighting. She is a now a freelance writer and public relations professional working with Pegasus Associates Lighting. In addition to being an e-commerce business site selling unique lighting products on the internet, the Pegasus Associates Lighting web site, www.PegasusAssociates.com, places a heavy emphasis on lighting tips, knowledge, and techniques to ensure that the web site is a learning experience in lighting.