Trade shows and conventions are a great way to increase brand awareness and make new connections. However, all the other companies (including your competitors) are set up right next to you, battling for brand awareness and competing for contacts. Want your company to stand out from the rest? Here are some ideas:

1. Be Clever with Your Handouts

Most fliers go straight into the complimentary tote bag and are never seen again. One way to increase the likelihood that your handout will see the light of day is to make it useful in everyday life. Pens, mousepads, or water bottles — any type of schwag is better than a flier. No need to break the bank though. To promote the Academy of Insurance, we printed some bookmarks in-house.

Another way to get your handouts noticed is to hand them out in a noticeable way. For example, Insurance Journal’s Ly Nguyen wore oven mitts while serving up copies of the “Hot Markets” issue. Attendees were intrigued at first (“Why is she wearing oven mitts?”) and then amused (“LOL! Hot markets. That’s clever!”), which led to quite a few more people stopping to chat.

2. Have Fun with Your Audience

Rather than hopelessly shouting your sales pitch at passersby, give them a reason to stop and interact with you. (Then you can make your sales pitch.) Break the ice with a wheel to spin, a drawing to enter, or even a karaoke setup!

3. Think “Outside the Booth”

If you’ve got the budget for it, the ultimate way to stand out at trade shows is with novelty marketing. In other words, do something unconventional, surprising, or out of the ordinary — the bigger the better.

In a previous blog post, our own Kristine Honey recounted how Gainsco Auto Insurance rented two booth spots and brought in a race car. (Read about it here.)

Even cooler, our CEO Mitch Dunford once hired a remote control pilot to fly an IJ-branded blimp around the trade show, which really helped our brand to…rise above the competition! (No pun intended.)

Have you come across any clever, fun, or “outside the booth” tradeshow exhibits? Share them in the comments!