How to Create a High Converting Booth at a Medical Aesthetics Conference

The most important strategy for a high converting booth at Modern Beauty Con, or any medical aesthetics conference, is to think of your booth as a website. If done correctly, your website will have a singular goal (i.e., make a sale, book a demo). When the user lands on your website, they will see a call to action (CTA) that will lead them down a sales funnel towards this singular goal.

Let’s dive into how to make this happen. Oh, and if you haven’t secured your booth yet for Modern Beauty Con then click here.

1. Define Your KPI

Before diving into the design and logistics, vendors must set a clear goal for their booth. Please note that I didn’t say “goals”. What is the one KPI that will have the biggest impact on helping you receive a ROI on your investment. Here’s some KPI ideas: Emails collected, product demonstrations, attendees entering a raffle, direct sales. Knowing the primary goals will influence all subsequent decisions.

2. Strategic Location

At Modern Beauty Con, you get to choose your booth location after you pay. So if you are the first to commit then you get first dibs on your booth’s location. Booth location can significantly impact foot traffic. Aim for high-traffic areas such as near entrances, main aisles, or next to the coffee / food stations.

3. Interactive Elements (i.e. Call to Action)

If attendees do not know what action they are supposed to take at your booth they will walk by. As the saying goes, a confused mind does nothing. However, if an attendee sees an interactive element immediately upon walking up to your booth or walking by it, they will stop and act out of curiosity. When designing your booth experience think in terms of, “what will make an attendee stop.” You cannot sell them if they do not stop, so getting them to stop is the – most important part of your booth experience. Here’s a few ideas…

• Spinner Wheel: It’s amazing how a simple spinner wheel will stop attendees. Be sure to include something cheeky in there like, “Listen to my sales pitch” or “Demo product”
• Gamification: Think Carnival Games. Simple games or contests can increase engagement and make your booth more fun.
• Drinks/Food: Maybe have a specialty coffee bar – something they cannot get at the conference. It doesn’t have to have anything to do with your product but it will get them to stop, prepare their coffee and give you the opportunity to sell them. Have them make it in a branded cup, which will tell everyone that they were at your booth.
• Product Demonstrations: Live demonstrations can attract attention and provide hands-on experience.
• Touchscreens: Interactive screens can showcase your products or services through videos, slideshows, or interactive catalogs.

4. Engaging Booth Design

Now that you know your one KPI and the primary Interactive Element, you’re going to have to get them to stop, so you want to focus on your booth design. The key principle here is that your booth design should lead the attendees down your sales funnel. Here are key elements to consider:

• Eye-Catching Graphics: Use bold, high-resolution images and clear, concise messaging that can be read from a distance. Maybe a “Start here” sign could be appropriate.
• Lighting: Proper lighting can highlight key areas and create an inviting atmosphere. Use spotlights on products and ambient lighting to enhance the overall look.
• Layout: Ensure the layout guides them down your sales funnel. Avoid clutter and make sure everything on your table has a specific purpose in leading the attendee towards the main KPI.
• Brand Consistency: Ensure that the booth design aligns with your brand’s color scheme, logos, and overall aesthetic to create a cohesive brand experience.

5. Knowledgeable and Approachable Staff

Your booth staff plays a critical role in conversions. Ensure they ALL know the main KPI and that they understand the sales funnel strategy and where they fall into that sales funnel. Are you going to have each staff member lead the attendee down the sales funnel from start to finish or are they going to take the attendee to a certain part of the sales funnel and then pass them off? The pass off strategy could be one staff member is helping redirect foot traffic to step 1 in the sales funnel (i.e. spin the wheel). This is when staff member #2 steps in and scans the attendee’s badge to get their contact information.

6. Effective Lead Capture

Capturing leads efficiently is essential. At Modern Beauty Con, you can scan the attendee’s badge with our app, which allows you to collect all their data. But, your staff need to know where in the sales funnel they are scanning their badge and how to ask for their badge without it being awkward.

7. Promotional Giveaways

Offer branded giveaways that are useful and relevant to your audience. High-quality items are more likely to be kept and used, keeping your brand top-of-mind.

8. Pre-Event Marketing

Build anticipation and drive traffic to your booth before the event. Sending out an email and sharing on social media gives you an excuse to reach out to existing clients of yours and to show potential clients that you are connected with an awesome conference 🙂 You could also partner with another vendor who is going to be at the conference to cross promote if this makes sense.

9. Post-Event Follow-Up

Conversions don’t stop when the event ends. Follow up with leads promptly but talk about how you are going to do this before the event. This is arguably the most important part of your sales funnel. What are your plans for the leads that you acquired during the conference? Here’s a few generalized ideas:

• Personalized Emails: Send thank-you emails with personalized messages and additional information.
• Phone Call / Text: For high-priority leads, a phone call can make a strong impression.
• Content Sharing: Provide additional resources like case studies, whitepapers, or demo videos.

10. Measure and Analyze

Evaluate your performance to improve future events:

• Metrics: Track metrics such as the number of leads generated, sales made, and overall foot traffic.
• Feedback: Gather feedback from booth staff and attendees to identify areas for improvement.
• ROI Analysis: Compare the costs of participating in the tradeshow against the returns in terms of leads, sales, and brand exposure.

Creating a high-converting booth at a conference or tradeshow requires a blend of creativity, strategic planning, and effective engagement. By focusing on clear objectives, engaging design, interactive elements, and thorough follow-up, you can maximize your impact and achieve your goal. Each event provides an opportunity to refine and enhance these strategies, leading to greater success over time. Here’s to your success!