By Lou Amico
There are currently more than 10,000 trade shows held each year in the United States. Standing out and showcasing your product is critical to getting attention and a return on your marketing investment. Video can be a very effective way to showcase, demonstrate and catch the attention of buyers. However, a trade show video looks very different from a video that is produced for corporate, commercial or online purposes. Here are some tips for creating an effective trade show video.
Components of a good trade show-use video
Several things should be kept in mind when producing or editing a video for trade show use, including:
• The video needs to carry itself without audio. Trade shows are noisy with a lot of distractions and people won’t be able to hear narration. Use bold and effective text copy to convey action and highlights of your product or service.
• Be visually appealing. Pictures should tell the story versus a narrator. Your video must capture the viewer’s attention within seconds, even from across the room.
• Be short and concise. Trade shows are busy with a lot of visual stimulation. A one to three minute spot that loops is ideal. Capture the viewer’s attention and get to the point quickly.
• Be able to be seen from a distance. Trade shows are high traffic events where attendees need to be able to grasp the big picture from a distance. Save the minutiae details for personal one-on-one demonstrations.
• Be repetitive. Viewers may start viewing the information at various points of the video. A brief video that repeats will ensure that someone can see the entire video.
• Maintain your company’s branding and be relevant to the audience.
• Some products or services are harder to communicate than others and video can help showcase the product in ways that can’t easily be done in a trade show booth. For example, if you are a landscape concrete manufacturer, your video should show before and after footage of how the concrete can be used to create outdoor living spaces. Large equipment manufacturers can save thousands of dollars using video rather than bringing equipment to communicate their benefits and differentiation from the competition.
• How-to or specific product demonstration videos are often more effectively shown on a laptop or personal monitor during a one-on-one meeting with a potential buyer.
Tools of the trade for showing your trade show video with high results
A good 1080p high-definition television monitor is essential for showing a clear, vibrant video. Avoid projectors since they require a lot more space and the ambient light in a trade show could prove problematic with your viewing screen.
Blu-ray discs can be programmed to loop and playback high quality HD content. Remember though that playback must be done on a blu-ray player. There are also many media devices that can store and playback multiple HD videos and loop specific programs. Since the media is a file there’s no worry of scratching a disc.
While you may be able to re-purpose a video used for corporate, commercial or online viewing, it will require some editing to fit a trade show setting more effectively. Using video the right way will help you get the most return on your trade show investment.
Here are some samples of trade show videos produced by L.A. Management Company: https://lamanagementco.com/video-production-charlotte/tradeshow_demo/