If you want a crowd at your conference table then give good gifts. People will come in droves for the good stuff.
When you are one of the sponsors at a conference you are in a great position to get some info out about your business. If you've ever been to one then you know the attraction of giveaways. The most positive way to construct a success out of your company area is to have some primo gifts. You want some of that crowd to swing your way? Then you have got to have the cool stuff. The spots with the lame items and throwaway junk will be the quiet areas.
Dreaming up the best ideas for the next trade-show takes some deep thought. Put yourself in other peoples shoes. The other people being your target audience for your product. Then imagine what would most likely draw them to your table. Whatever you do, don't fall into that rut of just having to get something to give out. This is important.
Think positive. You are shooting for something different. You want your table to stand out in a shining light. Since a disco ball is out of the question you need to get the best possible giveaways that you can afford. That way you have attendees walking around searching for your table because they want to score some of that loot.
When you are laying out your area, don't leave the golden items out for those quick grabbers to disappear with. Keep some nice things in view but set aside for special interest types. If you manage to connect with attendees that you may be capable of starting a new relationship with, then pull out all the stops. These are the ones you want to court. Ideally you can get referral info and they will get a token to remember your company by, with the company info printed on the side, of course.
To encourage people who visit your conference booth to share more information about their product and service needs, you could offer better quality gifts for those who fill out surveys or provide you with additional information. A promotional coffee mug, imprinted notepad, or other higher value gift might be the perfect incentive to encourage your ideal customer to strike up a conversation with you.
