These days, imagining a trade show without mobile devices is like imagining a trade show without free pens. Mobile device adoption is skyrocketing everywhere, and you can be assured that nearly everyone at even smaller shows is carrying around a smartphone or tablet of some sort.
Those mobile users could be your ticket to extra impressions, walk-ups, and social media buzz during your next trade show appearance. If your booth offers guest WiFi connections, anyone walking by could learn more about your services, or even become part of your outreach!
One Important Warning
Absolutely everything we say here can be overruled by the local rules and restrictions in your agreement with the managers of the exhibition space. We strongly suggest double-checking the contract, or asking the venue owners directly, before implementing any Wi-Fi plans.
And with that out of the way...
It's such an easy detail to overlook, but remember to change the SSID on your Wireless access point to something that clearly identifies who's providing it. Most shows use some sort of grid reference system to locate booths, so try to fit your “address” in there too.
If you're feeling sneaky, turn it into a Call-to-Action, although you're limited to 32 characters. Keep it as short as possible for quick readability. For example, “FREESLUSHIES@BETHS-BOOTH62T”
And then everyone sees it every time they check the local WiFi signal list.
Wi-Fi is becoming more common, but at smaller and even some medium-sized shows, you might just be the only hotspot in town.
If it looks like that's the case, keep in mind that you may get flooded. And in the minds of some users, bad connections are worse than none. However, if you can keep the connection up and running with reasonable speed, you've got a powerful messaging tool.
If you can get away with it under the house rules, you could even beat the local exhibition hall's WiFi. People usually just blindly click the first wireless access point that's unsecured, so if you have the strongest signal, you'll be at the top of their charts.
It's best not to be too pushy with direct-messaging at a trade show, since people are already distracted and somewhat tense. However, the occasional “push notification” sent out to people on your network can be a good way to announce important events, such as a talk you might be hosting.
These should be experience-focused, not sales focused. Video presentations, live talks, free food, and such. They're the lure to your booth.
The router can be rigged to send people directly to a page of your choosing, before letting them online. This is useful if, for example, you need to establish a clear Terms of Usage for legal reasons. It's also extremely useful for placing messages for your trade show display.
This page can have directions to your booth, special offers, social media sharing buttons, or virtually any other utility you'd like to build in. The more useful you make it to visitors, the more traffic it brings you.
Establishing a new network at a remote location can be difficult, but the new BlueSocket standard in virtualized Wide-Area Networks makes it far easier for your booth to connect directly to the main network. Rather than having to transport media – like apps, demos, or videos – you can simply share them out via the distributed network.
If you have a large number of promotional materials, this can put all of them at the fingertips of your visitors, instantly.
For advice on setting up a distributed BlueSocket vWLAN, or for more tips on making WiFi work for you, just contact Hummingbird with your questions!