Out of the Box Print Marketing Ideas to Use at Hospitality Trade Shows in 2018
Let’s get real: sometimes, hospitality trade shows can be pretty boring.
You see the same faces, hear the same pitches, and get the same swag. You’re starting to wonder if it’s even worth attending these trade shows anymore. If this sounds familiar, then we’re willing to bet that it’s been a while since you’ve evaluated the effectiveness of your print marketing ideas.
What if, instead of sticking to the status quo and occasionally picking up a handful of new customers at trade shows, you had promotional materials that actually got people excited? What if you were able to use these materials to communicate to potential customers that your brand thinks outside of the box, and provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience they couldn’t get anywhere else?
If this sounds good, then keep reading about the products you need to make it happen.
Hard Material Marketing Tactics For Hospitality Trade Shows
When you’re in a room full of your competitors, you need to ensure you’re doing everything possible to stand out. While your digital marketing strategy is important, when you’re making an in-person presentation to someone that’s never heard of your brand? It won’t do anything to help you. Instead, you need to be able to hand them a physical reminder and representation of your brand. These are the tools and techniques that can help you to create a lasting impression.
Try Catalogs
Think that catalogs are a thing of the past? Think again.
Recent studies show that a whopping 95% of catalog readers would prefer the physical print version than an online-only option. When you’re creating catalogs for hospitality trade shows you should be sure to focus on highlighting the kinds of experiences your hotel or hospitality product will bring to guests. In other words, appeal to the emotions of attendees, not their wallets.
Use glossy, colorful photos to help to create the experience on the page. Fill your catalog with testimonials from past clients so future ones will know what to expect. Even include interviews with employees or product creators. You want readers to easily make a connection with you and get to know the story of your brand. Catalogs work especially well for colleges and online courses that are presenting at hospitality trade shows. They give you the space to expand on your course offerings, highlight possible career paths, and even show off your classrooms.
Above all, be sure you’ve clearly branded your catalog. Include your logo on the front cover, and write your content in a voice consistent with your blog, website, and other online accounts.
Hand Out Flyers
Let’s face it: you know things can get insanely busy very quickly at hospitality trade shows.
Usually, you only end up having time to visit a handful of booths. Sure, there might have been dozens you wanted to visit, but time can really get away from you at shows. Don’t let any potential customers fall through the cracks, and don’t miss out on any opportunity to educate attendees and industry heavy-hitters about the main points of your company. Instead, save time and build your brand recognition in the process by creating flyers about your hospitality company. Start by designing them in your company colors and font styles. This helps people visually connect to your specific brand right away and strengthens future brand recall and recognition.
When you’re creating flyer content it’s important to include your years in business and the pain points your brand addresses. Also, talk about why you’re different from the competition, and of course, include your contact information.
The goal with marketing flyers is twofold. First, you want to pique people’s interest in your brand. You want to be sure when they’re choosing who to make time for at a trade show, they pick your booth or table. But secondly, you want to give them the opportunity to learn more about your brand even if they run out of time. Think of it as a physical form of instant remarketing.
Other Standard Staples for a Successful Hospitality Trade Show
Another great way to help booth visitors remember you is to leave them with a little something that reminds them of your brand over and over again beyond information. Having custom printed labels or packaging on giveaway items is a perfect thing to do. Doubletree Hotels made a name for themselves in the industry because of their warm, fresh baked cookies. What if you came up with an icon, gimmick or mascot you could incorporate into a promotional giveaway item.
Custom printed pens, stickers, and stress balls are one of the most pickedup and used items long after an event is over, but maybe you take it one step further. What if you gave away a branded bottle of hand lotion to everyone who visited your booth or a special sports bottle from your fitness center? How about little custom branded containers filled with your special condiments, sauces, or syrups? Try to think out of the box, and make it memorable – something you would do at recurring events and become known for.
Take it up even one more notch, and consider a drawing for free terry cloth robe, down comforter, or plush pillow tastefully embroidered with your logo. How about a embroidered apron or grill master set? Consider a bit of glitter with custom printed wine glasses, brandy snifter or whiskey rock glasses? These are all items that offer memory queues with staying power.
Power Drawings Provide Even More Brand Advocacy Building Opportunities
If you gave away one free night at one of your resort locations or upgraded amentities and meal options at the winning guest’s next stay at your facility, think about the goodwill this builds and the ability to extend your brand’s name recall. You can have beautifully printed award certificates to provide to the winning booth visitor.
And, whether there’s a grand prize drawing or all-hands giveaways, you can wrap them up in style with custom printed handbags and gift bags.
Don’t Forget the Booth Itself
When it comes to making a great impression, sometimes it just comes down to the “wow” factor of your tradeshow booth or floor space itself. Make sure you don’t have too many things going on. You want to keep the space feeling clutter-free because this will keep the visitors mind more focused, but you need to have enough information available and hands on deck to be able to fulfill the questions and needs of visitors you’re trying to attrack. And, speaking of attraction, what’s going to pull that visitor in closer to check you out to begin with; especially if you’re a newer brand? Using attractive color palettes that align with your brand, and clear messaging across your screens, backboards, table coverings and banners. And, consider combining digital mediums with attractive custom branded print elements like your booth tent canvas, retractable banners and portable product displays, etc.
Let’s Really Think Outside the Box with Vehicle Wrapping
When people think of the phrases “hard marketing” or “print marketing?” Chances are that they think about business cards and brochures, but your hospitality company doesn’t do things the way everyone expects you to. So, why should your print marketing strategy be just like everyone else’s? If you’re looking to make an amazing impression from the second that you arrive at hospitality trade shoes until the moment you leave, there’s only one solution. Vehicle wrapping.
First of all, vehicle wrapping opens you up to a much broader market than simply those attending the trade show in question. People driving next to you on the street or pulling up in the same parking lot will also have the chance to learn about your brand. Additionally, it shows a serious commitment to and confidence in your brand. We can pretty much guarantee everyone attending the trade show will remember and want to know more about the company with a wrapped vehicle.
Finally, vehicle wrapping is an incredibly cost-effective form of marketing. While you have to pay for a new television commercial, website update, or even new batch of business cards, a wrap lasts an average of 5 years if properly installed. This leaves you money to invest in other kinds of epic marketing ideas.
Where Can You Get High-Quality Print Marketing Materials?
This post has given you several awesome print marketing ideas. We think they are guaranteed to make you the star of hospitality trade shows around the country. However, it’s important to keep in mind the quality of these materials, and the experts you hire to bring them to life, can make all the difference to your success.
Remember! You only have about seven seconds to make a first impression. If you’re using physical promotional materials that look messy, cheap, or just unoriginal, then you’re wasting your time.
