13 Considerations With Any Convention Handouts
January 15, 2015//Last Updated January 15, 2015
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Attending trade shows and conventions usually means walking away with bags full of convention handouts. From key chains and cup holders to pens and notebooks, exhibitors find a way to get their brand in your hands with promotional items and trinkets.
And the value of pricey giveaways can be lost if your company doesn’t get quality warm leads out of the very thing that’s supposed to draw people to your booth.
Source: Inc.com
What to think about with your Convention Handouts
- Quantity: When you are designing and preparing convention handouts one top consideration is quantity. You need to make sure that you have provided enough materials to cover the most important facts, but no one wants to have to carry around a pile of handouts during the event. A balance should be reached between providing information and the convenience of the visitor.
- Quality: Whether you are handing out informational sheets, promotional items, or even binders and catalogs, quality is a top priority. If your handouts are not quality then you will miss out on a chance to impress the recipient and you could damage the reputation of your company and products or services. Make sure that you only give out materials that are high quality.
- Size: Convention handouts can be designed in a wide variety of sizes, and this is a big consideration for any company that exhibits at these events. You want items that are impressive, but larger sizes will carry additional costs so this must be balanced to account for your preferences and your available budget both.
- Cost: Cost is a factor in everything a company does, from the promotional items handed out to the exhibit that is used to attract visitors. Trying to cut costs can be a mistake with some handout aspects. But there are places where the cost for materials can be lowered without affecting the finished quality and appeal of the items.
- Future Contact: When you design your convention handouts make sure that you include as many contact methods as possible. These items are usually retained by the visitors, and when they need what you can give them they will look at your materials in order to contact you. Different people will have different contact method preferences so provide as many as possible.
- Schedule: You will need your convention handouts for the event, and that means a schedule that must be followed if you want everything to go as planned and you do not want to get caught short on materials. This schedule should cover the design, printing, and delivery of your materials so that these are available before the event starts.
- Printing Deadlines: Another big consideration with convention handouts will be the printing deadlines that must be met. Each printer will have specific orders and deadlines to fulfill, and yours will be scheduled along with their other orders. Make sure your designs and preferences are turned in before the deadlines given by the printer.
- The Best Printer for the Job: The right printer can make the difference between promotional items and materials that wow and those that leave visitors wanting. Compare several printers and ask for samples and quotes, this will help ensure that you pick the best possible printer for the job that you need done.
- Relevancy: When you create convention handouts these need to be highly relevant and to the point. If you are providing data that is not relevant then the visitor will tune out before they finish the handout, and it will probably be tossed away instead of being kept as intended.
- Items to Promote Your Products: Promotional items that are useful can be a great way to get people to your exhibit, and help them remember who you are and what you do. If you are not sure about what items to use to promote your business do a little research and see what is out there. This will help you chose the best items to hand out.
- References: Adding some references to your convention handouts is always a good idea. You can make all the claims you want, but references help to reinforce these claims and show that they are valid.
- The Right Amount of Important Information: Handing out the best possible promotional items is a good start, but you also need to consider what the right amount of information will be. You need to provide all of the details and data that visitors want, without causing informational overload in the visitor.
- White Space: When you create convention handouts you may be tempted to cover every inch, but some white space is necessary in order to provide contrast and prevent the material from appearing crowded.
What do you consider important with convention handouts?
