by Marianne Lance
So, you have an outstanding product and you’ve found the best venue. But, how do you get customers into your booth? This article will answer that question with 7 eye-catching vendor booth display ideas that will make customers stop and shop!
Your displays and table layout are just as important as what you’re selling. You can’t make a sale if no one stops to check out your wares. Products need to be neatly organized and easy to view, so here is how to do that!
1. Start with a Good Base
Having a tablecloth that not only fits your table but goes to the floor is very important for your vendor booth. It shows you’re professional and serious about your business. Plus, it creates a great space for stashing bags and totes away during the show.
Fitted tablecloths can be found on Amazon for about $10-$15. They are worth the investment. HERE are the ones I use.
You’ll want them to match and not distract from your display so black is always a safe bet.
Colored tableclothes can look eye-catching but you want their eyes on your product, not your tablecloths.
2. Get It Off the Table
Utilizing space efficiently creates a vendor display that is appealing, as well as, uncluttered.
You may think well, “I have an 8-ft table so that’s my space.” But you’d be wrong. You have 8 square feet of surface space. To get more space you’ll need to go UP.
We don’t walk around looking at the ground and so your customers will be looking at things that are at eye-level as they walk around the venue.
Use easels and shelves to get things up and off the table.
I use a folding bench from Walmart to get my standing frames up off my table so I can have two rows that are easily seen.
Also, all of my product is displayed upright on custom frames that I repurposed.
Literature should be in holders and signs should also be upright, so keep that in mind.
3. Have a Theme
Vendor displays should have common elements.
In my booth, all of my frames are purple and table clothes are black. All of the frames are repurposed antique frames with chicken wire and off-white fabric on the back.
My Lilla Rose Hair Accessories stand out in this setting and customers are drawn towards the “bling”.
I also have a small, but tall, spinning pegboard display that is white and white letter holder I repurposed to hold some of my accessories. This keeps with my color scheme and doesn’t distract from the product.
4. Have Good Lighting
There are tons of options for lighting on Amazon. HERE are the ones I use.
And while you may not think it’s necessary, just know that it will help your products shine a little brighter for customers passing by.
Having a product that shimmers in the light, like I do with Lilla Rose, also helps.
5. Keep it Simple
Clutter is your enemy at events.
You want customers to see your product first and foremost and the displays themselves should be background noise.
Some vendor event organizers will ask you to decorate for whatever holiday is closest. I have to caution against this. If it’s not required, I don’t do it. It was my experience at a spring show that customers were often interested in purchasing the bunnies I had up as decoration.
This resulted in two things I did not want at the event: disappointed customers, and customers that didn’t see my product when they looked at my booth.
If it is required, make sure to keep the decorations to a minimum.
6. Stand Out Front & Have a Visible Checkout Area
I, personally, never stand behind my tables.
I find it much easier to interact with my customers and provide a personalized, one on one, shopping experience for them by being out in front. (Plus, they wouldn’t see me behind my tall displays.)
That means my checkout area is in full view. I use a small 2x2 foot table that I keep organized and neat.
I want my customers to see that I’ve got it together and am not only professional but organized.
7. Know that YOU are Part of Your Display
What to Wear at a Vendor Event
Your appearance matters! Wear clothing appropriate to the event.
When choosing your outfit, think about what your customers will be wearing.
If you’re at a Mommy & Me Tea, pull out your Sunday best.
For most craft shows, jeans are ok. Skip the ones with holes. Shirts should be free of stains, not too revealing and wrinkle free.
Logowear is a great idea so customers can identify whom to ask for help when your booth is busy.
Put your best face forward. Do your hair, nails and makeup.
You represent your product and your appearance should reflect your that.
The whole point of a vendor event is to attract new customers. A great display space increases customer traffic and interaction which, in turn, increases sales. To take your business to the next level, apply these simple tips because setting up an eye-catching booth is setting yourself up for success!
about the author...
Marianne K Lance currently resides in Salem, WV. She is married with two adult daughters. She has been vending at events large (10,000+ attendees) and small (50-100 attendees) for over 25 years.
Throughout the years she has sold a variety of products, from personalized children’s books to tye-dyed shirts to hair accessories.
For the past 15 years she has been in the direct sales industry, the past 7+ with Lilla Rose Hair Accessories. She travels extensively to do shows and focuses primarily on large events at this point in her career.