Trade shows may have hundreds of booths, but I've found that only 25 percent of them, perhaps, show imagination, creativity and intelligence.

After walking the A.R.A. show in Las Vegas and reviewing pictures from the Louisville lawn and garden show and ConExpo, I've come to the conclusion that there is hope after all for trade shows. The high standards and interesting displays exhibited turned my head and got me interested in machines that I didn't even know existed.

At the A.R.A. show, an exhibitor has strong competition and just seconds to visually attract a customer into the booth. Many of these products are big and expensive and require a lot of space for display - and intelligent signs for explanation if all the booth staff people are busy.

Three colors attract attention and sales better than all the others combined: red, yellow and orange. Red stimulates sales - but can also stimulate irritation, impatience and anger. When using red, sometimes less is more. Orange indicates affordability and construction. Yellow is the first color that the eye sees. It says "stop and think," and suggests a good price. Bright blue and terra cotta promote conversation and friendliness. People feel comfortable in an environment with these colors; mixing them in some way can be very effective. Blue is an excellent choice for creating conversation and good will and opening up people's imaginations.

So, you're designing a booth and you wonder which is ore important - company identity through signs or on floor displays? In the accompanying photos, you'll see companies that have combined both, with excellent results.

One basic thing to remember for both trade show booths and rental stores is that customers want to be empowered by knowing as much as possible about what they are buying or renting. No one wants to feel dumb. So by creating informative signs that are housed in plexiglass and placed on or next to the product, you are allowing your customer to make an informed decision about whether the product will work for the project.

While nothing replaces good sales help, often your staff is tied up with other customers. This is the same situation as a busy trade show like A.R.A. When you give people something to read and learn, they'll hang around longer and feel more intelligent when they ask you questions. Empower them - give them the opportunity to learn something new and ask intelligent questions as a result of their new knowledge.

Your computer will allow you to make up simple signs that answer questions - make, model number, type of product, what it does, what it's good for, how it does it, what else is needed to do the job, its advantages and limitations - that you can put on a 5-by-7-inch card and slip into a plexi self-standing sign holder. The sign holder can be Velcroed onto the product or placed on a shelf.

Make your product literature rack a prominent spot in your showroom. Keep it tidy and orderly. Put out a sign encouraging customers to "Please help yourself!"

Creativity can be expensive or fancy, but it doesn't have to be. Creative visual merchandising is simply the cost of doing business for a trade show exhibitor. It's the same for a rental store. When you visually entertain your customers, they appreciate the effort and it pays off in sales.

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