7 Tips for Making Your Vendor Booth Stand Out with a Branded Canopy
Is there a vendor event forecasted in your future? Markets, fairs, festivals, craft shows and direct sales
events are great ways to increase exposure, build meaningful connection and make a few sales in the process. But before you can do all of that, you need a booth. Your vendor booth is your home base. It’s your storefront and your office. It’s also your first impression. To stand out from the competition and attract event attendees, you need to make your vendor booth the very best of the best. In this guide, we’ll show you how. Read on for 7 Tips for Making Your Vendor Booth Stand Out, curated and compiled by our event experts here at Extreme Canopy — and shop the industry’s top event products with our trusted manufacturers today!
Make a Plan
The start to any successful vendor booth is a plan. When it comes to events like fairs, farmers markets, music festivals, direct sales events and more, a little preparation goes a long way. Here are a few things you should do in advance of your next event to give your vendor booth the best chance of success.
Get the Right Equipment
Building your vendor booth requires a few essential supplies: shelter, storage and signage. If you’re preparing food, playing music, showing video or using lights, you’ll also need the proper powered appliances. Whether you’re renting or adding these pieces of equipment to your arsenal for keeps, it’s a good idea to have them purchased, tested and ready to go weeks in advance of your vendor event. Check out our branded canopy tent and signage sections to learn how to pick the best products for your needs.
Know Your Audience
No two events are exactly the same, and most have differing demographics based on their themes, content and respective locations. Do your due diligence and research the event you’re attending. This will help you get a better understanding of the types of potential customers you’ll encounter. It will also give you valuable insight into the other vendors at the event.
Check Out Your Location for Branded Canopy Setups
After researching your event’s attendees, you’ll want to take some time to learn about the location itself. How much space will you have for your booth? Do you get to pick your spot at the event or is it pre-assigned? If it’s the former, choose a spot near entrances, exits or points of interest. Setting up at one of these spots will help maximize traffic. Also, don’t forget to check the weather. Rain, wind and even excessive sunshine all require extra protection, so plan accordingly with your branded canopy.
Pack Your Merchandise
If you’re attending a vendor event, you’re not going to forget your merchandise. What you might mess up are proportions. Packing too much of one thing and not enough of another can quickly leave your booth lopsided and your potential customers disappointed. When in doubt, always err on the side of surplus. Take more than you need and store it discreetly in the back of your booth. When people take interest in your products, you’ll be glad you did.
Dress for the Occasion
Wearing an appropriate and eye-catching uniform will add a degree of legitimacy to your vendor booth and your organization as a whole. If you are bringing additional employees, invest in matching looks. Depending on the event, you may want to wear branded shirts and other swag, or you may be dressing in formal wear. Either way, prepping your uniforms beforehand is an essential step to ensuring that your vendor booth looks the part when event day comes.
Do ‘The Drawing’ Right
“The drawing” is an essential tool for any vendor. Hosting a drawing at your vendor booth will allow you to build connections will potential customers, grow your list of contacts, and generate meaningful excitement about your brand. In principle, the drawing is a simple concept: you collect contact information from potential clientele and enter them for a chance to win one of your products or services for free. In practice, however, the drawing can easily be done wrong.
Here a a few do’s and don’ts
Don’t simply collect people’s names, numbers, and email addresses. While these may seem like good leads, they’re not really meaningful unless a connection is made.
Do take the time to stand out in front of your branded canopy booth and interact with each and every person who enters your drawing. Get to know a bit more about them and take notes if you have the chance. This is especially true for anyone who checks the “Yes, I’m interested in receiving information about promotions” box on your drawing sign-up.
Don’t give away cheap, uninteresting or beside-the-point prizes. Instead, do give away products or services that you think drawing contestants will actually use. If the winners like their prizes, they’ll tell their friends. That’s free promotion for you.
Don’t keep your drawing a secret. Do advertise as much as possible during the event and in the days leading up to the event. This will greatly increase your number of contestants and potential leads.
Invest in a High-Quality Custom Branded Canopy Tent
A vendor booth is nothing without effective and eye-catching shelter. Sure, you may have been assigned a “booth,” but what you really want is a building. The more impressive your temporary structure is, the more likely people are to take notice and check out your vendor booth. However, there is a line. Vendor events are temporary affairs: you’re not going to lay a foundation and bring actual brick and mortar. You need shelter that’s temporary — portable, simple to set up and easy to tear down. You need a high quality branded canopy tent for your vendor event. Here are a few options:
Instant Canopies
Also known as pop up tents, instant canopies are among the most portable, affordable and easy to use of all events. Most feature an expandable frame with four height-adjustable legs that require no extra assembly, making setup and tear-down a breeze. All instant canopies feature fabric roofs, and most can be further fortified with attachable sides.
Inflatable Tents
One of the newer tent types on the market, inflatable tents use pressurized air to stand up and retain their shape. The means users don’t have to worry about heavy frames and cumbersome set up. Simply turn on the electric pump and let it do the rest. Since inflatable tents don’t have rigid frames, they can be made in just about any shape possible for a truly custom look. Plus, they can be folded up and carried in virtually any vehicle.
Star Tents
Star tents are creatively-shaped tents great for vendors looking to do something a little different at their events. Star tents get their name from their fabric roofs, which consist of several appendages that are staked to the ground in an adjustable star-shaped configuration around a center pole or side-by-side poles. A star tent can be staked to fit a number of different-sized spaces and its unique shape will surely catch eyes at any event.
Event Tents
Searching for something larger or a bit more substantial for your vendor event? Event tents like crest tents, pavilion tents and pinnacle marquees offer users more space plus a host of optional add-ons, like siding, flooring, and even gutter systems to deal with inclement weather. If you have a big space that’s going to welcome a big crowd, one of these tents may be the best bet for you.
When shopping for a tent to use at your next vendor event, it’s best to choose a product that can be customized to your liking. Our custom tents here at Extreme Canopy feature custom printing, sizing and shaping options to give you unparalleled ordering options and a truly one-of-a-kind end product. Get the perfect-sized and shaped tent for your needs, and outfit it with your organization’s branding to stand out from the crowd.
Attract Attention with Banners and Flags Along with a Branded Canopy
Once you have your shelter straightened out, it’s time to take a look at other event products that can help increase exposure for your organization and drive traffic to your booth. Among the most affordable and effective of these products are banners and flags. Portable, reusable, and easy to set up virtually anywhere, banners and flags are the ultimate advertising solutions for vendor events indoors and outdoors. Here are some of the most popular banners and flags used by vendors at events worldwide:
Hanging Banners
Traditional hanging banners are an excellent, customizable way to adorn any vendor booth without spending an arm and a leg. High-quality hanging banners are made out of weather-resistant PVC materials with metal-reinforced grommets for strong and lasting tie-downs in any space.
Pull-Up Banners, Pod Pop Banners, Shuttle Pop Banners, and Oval Pop Banners
These free standing banner options are excellent choices for vendors in search of signage they don’t have to hang up. Each comes in a unique shape great for certain spaces.
Table Covers
Made to fit snugly over tables of any size, table covers are a great way to turn any table into an eye-catching advertising solution. Today’s top table covers feature custom sizing and printing options and weather-resistant materials capable of withstanding wear and tear.
Feather Flags
Earning their name from their distinctly feather-like shapes, feather flags are excellent free-standing solutions that can be set up both indoors and outdoors to direct crowds and attract attention. These flags are designed to billow in the wind, which gives them extra aesthetic appeal during outdoor use.
Teardrop Flags
Teardrop flags are another great freestanding solution for vendors in search of versatile advertising they can set up anywhere. These flags feature a streamlined teardrop shape that looks great in any setting. Like feather flags, teardrop flags are available in a number of different sizes.
At Extreme Canopy, we are proud to carry all of the above flags and banners. What’s more, we proudly offer the industry’s finest custom printing options for our products. Order with us to get your brand’s imagery printed exactly to your liking atop flags and banners in your ideal color scheme. For the best in custom quality, our manufacturers are the easy choice.
Decorate Your Branded Canopy
Beyond shelter and signage, extra space decoration can do a lot to transform a branded canopy vendor booth from simple to spectacular. If you’re selling merchandise, arrange it in a way that catches the eyes of any passerby. We suggest using minimalist shelves or racks that showcase your goods without overcrowding your space. For your space as a whole, pick a color scheme and stick to it. Equipment and media presented in complimentary colors will give your booth a professional look that will encourage potential customers to learn more about your goods and services. Lastly, if your vendor event extends into the evening, invest in warm, welcoming lights to illuminate your products and information while inviting in visitors.
…BUT DON’T OVERDO IT!
As you go about decorating your branded canopy , it’s important to remember that a little goes a long way. The primary purpose of a vendor booth is to facilitate sales, build connections with potential customers and business partners, and increase exposure for your organization overall. If your decorations start getting in the way of these goals, you’re decorating wrong. As a general rule, try to avoid clutter wherever possible. Don’t overload your booth with decorations, as this will make it difficult for potential customers to walk around. Don’t go overboard with signs, as this can turn people off. In fact, the most successful vendor booths are often those with one or two poignant, evocative signs and subtle-yet-pervasive branding. These put-together booths keep it simple, prompting customers to check them out and learn more. Do the same with your vendor booth to reap the rewards.
Keep an Eye on the Competition
As a final note on our list of vendor booth ideas, we recommend that you always keep an eye on the competition. Visit other events and vendor booths to see what’s working well and what isn’t. If possible, get a list of attending vendors well before your event so you know what you’re up against. Going the extra mile when researching your competition will allow you to make adjustments with your advertising, your drawings, and your pitches to maximize sales, exposure, and connections made.
Create Your Ideal Branded Vendor Booth with Extreme Canopy
The success of any event vendor starts with a quality booth. Don’t let your booth get buried in a sea of unremarkable lookalikes by settling for mediocre design and uninspired décor. Stand out from the crowd with the tips above and make your vendor booth the very best it can be. Want more creative and successful vendor booth ideas? Contact our event experts here at Extreme Canopy to get in-person advice from our friendly and knowledgeable professionals. Ready to invest in high-quality event equipment? Explore our website to learn more about the many custom tents, banners, flags and other industry-leading products we design and manufacture. Shop and order directly with us for unparalleled quality, service and savings. Your vendor booth will never look better!