Top Tips from Award-Winning Trade Show Booths

We’ve all seen them at events: those booths that stand out head and shoulders above the rest, unmissable because of a great theme, a funny gimmick or the sleekest design imaginable. Of course, it can be easy to look at a truly amazing booth and just see the budget behind it. Most of us don’t have an unlimited budget for design and great floor space. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the great design and clever marketing that make these booths award-winners. Check out these top trade show booths, and the tips you can take away from their success:

HIAB Wins “Best Booth Award” at Boston Expo

Swedish crane and lift manufacturer HIAB won the Best Booth Award at a recent lumber expo in Boston. Obviously it doesn’t hurt to have such a huge spread (20 x 50 feet!), but there are other reasons this booth is an example of great display design.

• Brand visibility from all angles – Corner booths are great if you can get them, because event-goers can spot you from more than one location, but if you have one-sided banners or fabric pop ups, you’re only hitting one section of passersby. The other great element of this booth is the height of their visuals. Some trade shows may limit your display height, so double-check first. But if you can, go for XL graphics so that visitors can spot your branding from some distance. Take a cue from HIAB and keep graphics simple for maximum impact without overwhelming visitors.


• A touch of brand personality – A booth like this could easily go a little generic because it’s so stylized. But HIAB avoided that by incorporating their brand personality into the focal point of the booth – 2 custom built wood reception counters. This makes sense at a lumber expo, and is different and personalized enough to stand out from the sleek, stylish visuals that surround it.

Blue Hive Wins “Best of Show – Small Booth” at ExhibitorLIVE

Blue Hive Strategic Environments impressed at the recent ExhibitorLIVE event, but it wasn’t with super-sized visuals and a huge booth. Their smart marketing and fun theme had everyone ‘buzzing’!

• Be(e) Clever – Witty, even punny marketing can really work at events. After all, trade shows really aren’t the space for subtlety – go over the top! A fun theme is a great way to turn heads and be memorable. Blue Hive’s great tagline “We create buzz” has marketing punch, but also shows their brand personality.


• Give great swag – Blue Hive’s smiling, plush bees are a great branded giveaway, the kind that you notice when you see others walking around with them at the show. They’re fun, playful and memorable. Forget about pens and keychains if you want swag that stands out and shows off your brand personality or theme.

These booths are great examples of how eye-catching design and clever marketing can single you out in a crowd. They couldn’t be more different in size, style or impression, but both have smart lessons for those of us on smaller budgets looking to make an impact!

Top Tips from Award-Winning Trade Show Booths