At DVC, we see trade show projects come and go all day long.
But, when our friends from Richard Photo Lab send us their project to produce, we know it’s going to be fun.
Their trade show displays make us stop, take a look, chat about it and want to know more. Which is exactly what all trade show booths need to do.
They were awesome enough to share their story on how they become the best show at the trade show. Enjoy it right here.
What trade show did you exhibit at?
This was at WPPI, the Wedding and Portrait Photography International conference and expo. It is an annual show hosted in Las Vegas for professional photographers. As a film and print lab, it is a great way to get in front of a large concentration of potential clients.
Why do you choose to exhibit at trade shows?
For Richard and our demographic, we’ve found that connecting face-to-face on a more personal level has been the best way for us to drive sales—to know us is to love us! When we are at a trade show we really get to address the individual inquiries/needs of potential clients and give them a sense of our dedication and commitment.
Can you tell me about the design of your booth and the Camp Richard theme you had going?
In 2014 through 2016, we had the same booth design for WPPI (also printed at D’Andrea). It was lovely, it was very clean and minimalist, which mirrored a lot of the trends we were seeing in our clients’ own photography at the time. But, we knew we needed to shake things up and introduce something brand-spankin’ new after three years of the same thing!
The trade show itself was switching venues and time of year, as well as grouping all exhibitors into one room instead of two (like in previous years). We knew we had to make a BIG impact with our booth considering all the “unknowns” floating around the show. The idea of “Camp Richard” was an amalgamation of these conditions along with a shifting trend towards all-things earthy and hipster-esque within our demographic. Plus, there is something very nostalgic about the idea of camping—stripping down to the essentials, going back to nature, “unplugging” from the world—which fits really well into what we and our photographer clients do, which is preserving memories!
In your experience, what is the key ingredient to get attendees to stop at your booth?
Well, the first is to have a booth that stands out amongst other exhibitors—it’s not enough to just display your brand, you have to create a unique environment that people are drawn to amongst the noise and distractions.
The second is to provide people with something that has enough value to them to make them want to stay at/come back to your booth. For example, at this show, everyone shows off the product that they make, and that’s great and it does provide some value to the attendees. But we also host interviews with our clients who are well-known and admired in the industry every day at our booth to help educate attendees on a myriad of topics that are applicable to their profession.
Why did you choose fabric for your backdrop?
We have a small team (maybe five people) on our staff that not only works the booth at the trade show but sets up and tears down the booth—we don’t hire any help. And we definitely aren’t experts at building things! The fabric pillows are the easiest for us to set up, we just screw together some poles and slip the fabric on top. It’s also lightweight and compact for when we need to travel, unlike rigid materials.
Maintenance is easy peasy with fabric, it’s difficult to damage and if it gets dirty we can just send it to D’Andrea to have it washed! It’s a big bonus that the fabric can be printed on both sides, so we can flip it around if one side gets dirty on site at the trade show. And at this year’s WPPI, it actually was taller than the booth of the company displaying behind us, so you could see the “Camp Richard” sign from the back, too!
What was the response to your booth?
Our booth was an absolutely colossal success! We must’ve had over a hundred people come up and tell us it was the best one at the show. The backdrop really helped drive home the concept that when attendees came to visit Richard Photo Lab, they weren’t at a trade show in Vegas anymore—they were outside in the woods, chatting with friends and just being “happy campers” 🙂
Here at DVC, we make it easy for you to go to the show. We offer complete trade show booth services from design and fabrication to large format printing and logistics.
