TRADE SHOW IDEAS AND SERVICES
by Brad Blaze from Red Faces Entertainment

This month we get creative talking about Trade Shows.

You obviously have a clear goal in mind for your trade show stand - whether that is to create brand awareness, remind existing clients of your presence or to search for new customers.

Whatever the reason, you want people at your stand for the simple reason that people attract other people. If a crowd is gathering at a stand there is a better chance that people will want to see what the hype is about and will visit. So step one is to make sure you have something interesting on your stand.

Case studies of trade shows I have performed at:


CASE STUDY 1 - Brand Reinforcement

During a trade show for ITT Flygt I plonked a hat with the "ITT Flygt" logo on peoples heads and drew a quick 2 minute caricature of them wearing the hat. The company was already the world leader in their field of manufacture so a nice gift reminder of the company was well received by their clients. Before too long people other attendees noticed the hat and word got out about the caricatures which sent other visitors looking for the stand.

CASE STUDY 2 - New Prospects

During a trade show for First Title in Adelaide, I roamed the room looking for particular prospects. After finding and introducing myself to such prospects I began drawing a quick caricature. During the drawing in casual conversation I established whether the client had heard of the company, whether they knew of the products and whether they were aware of the new mortgage product. It was a great way to casually determine whether the client was interested in First Title's products - depending on the outcome it was a great way to then introduce the First Title Sales Rep to the prospect over having a bit of fun and breaking the ice with a caricature drawing.

CASE STUDY 3 - Entertainment and Brand Awareness

During the Sydney and Melbourne Motor Show, I drew caricatures on behalf of Volkswagen (VW). We've entertained at a few of their promotional events including the Sydney Festival and Chinese Festivals where we had a line which seemed a mile long. At all the events we draw the visitors in their favourite VW - we have templates of all the cars pre-printed so it is just a matter of drawing the heads sticking out the windows of the VW's.

Drawing attendees at trade shows holding the prospects merchandise is also common as is drawing on company letterhead. After all, you want the caricature taken back to the office and put in front of them (along with your company details).


So now lets put your thinking caps on. What is your line of business and how can we create something different for our stand. Here are two more examples that worked brilliantly.


CASE STUDY 4 - Direct Mailing Company

Last year I worked with Salmat, a leader in direct mail communications, at the annual 3 day ADMA trade show. It was a different idea that worked well. Basically I sketched passers-by own company logo in pencil onto a huge canvas map of Australia/NZ. I then mixed up the colours and assisted these attendees in painting their logos. After filling up a huge map of Australia/NZ with company logos, I then painted some caricatures of the sales reps around the picture which Salmat then made into post cards. With Salmat being in direct mailing they mailed them to these, their potential clients.

The canvas generated the attention of enquisitive passers by. After explaining their services and having the client physically paint their logo, the client will certainly remember the stand and would be reminded with a postcard of the picture.




CASE STUDY 5 - Creativity

Last year I worked with John Sands at the annual Woolworths Conference. The stand was transformed into an animation studio and held approximately 40 people. The presenters told the audience they were looking for a new character for their greeting card range - which French artist Brad would find. After explaining about their greeting card range, I quickly made caricatures of some audience members. At the end of the presentation, I called these subjects onto the stage where we presented the drawings and sent everybody on their way laughing. The caricature drawings formed a "wall of fame" which were all potential candidates for the next greeting card.




These are just some examples of trade show creativity. As a cartoonist AND a magician I can also tell you that there are many magic props that may suit your industry. Talk to us for further details.

Good luck with your trade stand. Remember to have something interesting and interactive - the lure of pens, stress balls and key rings doesn't create too much excitement.

Brad Blaze has travelled Australia wide for trade show entertainment. This area of the Red Faces business continues to expand with bookings in some cases received up to six months in advance.