How to Make Your Booth Stand Out at a Jewelry Trade Show (or any type of show)

Woo hoo! You did it! You’ve committed to doing a jewelry trade show, a craft fair, a trunk show, or even a show at a friend’s home.

Whichever it is, you're investing money and time – and your goal is to not only get a return on your investment but also to make some money.

A show, no matter what type, is no guarantee that you will make money. However, having a booth and/or display that your DREAM clients are drawn to will definitely increase your odds! Tracy and I were just at the NY NOW show (formerly the NY International Gift Fair) visiting two of our Mastermind students and another designer who is in our community. One of them was exhibiting for the first time and the other two are NY NOW veterans. Each of the designers had very different booths and it was interesting to see the ways that their set up, displays and product merchandising reflected their brand personality.

I really love trade shows! I am fascinated by creative people and products, and even more sp by how designers set up their booths. If the way a booth is set up doesn’t grab me, I may miss out on a really great product – I am not alone in this!

It’s really important to have a booth & display that pulls people in.

At trade shows like NY NOW, there are so many different products, it’s pretty amazing to see. With so many jewelry designers competing for business it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. How can a jewelry designer create a booth that makes them stand out and will draw people in? Think creative, clean, warm, and pleasant – an environment that buyers/shoppers can easily step into. Your booth or space is like your very own retail store, your home for a few days. It’s just like you’re inviting guests into your “home”.

So how do you create this awesome space?

1. Plan ahead.
2. Do a mock setup of your booth before the show. Map out where everything goes.
3. Photograph your merchandised displays or booth set up. Make sure you take note of all of the displays you need, etc.
4. Test the layout. Invite a friend (or two) who will give you honest feedback to view your mock booth. Walk them through your booth. Was the layout easy to shop? Listen to all of their feedback.

You will save yourself countless hours of precious set-up time at the event by planning ahead. Note, even though you will have a plan, you may want to change things once you are setting up at the event. This has happened to me more than once when I was overseeing trade shows for Dogeared. Don’t worry, just go with it.

Your plan will still be the guide you will follow.

Guidelines for setting up your jewelry trade show booth:

• Make sure you have room for people to easily walk inside.
• Lighting is very important, especially for jewelry, necklaces, and earrings. Lighting should be your most important investment.
• The walls of your booth should be neat and consistent.
• Your jewelry should be thoughtfully displayed and merchandised.
• Signs should be visible and legible from down an aisle and should include company name, logo, and any tagline if applicable.
• Depending on your booth size, make signs with enlarged images of your best-selling pieces – these can be show stoppers.
• If you have press/PR, make signs of the articles even if it is from a blog post (and if you don't, think about pitching press for a major PR boost) – people love press!
• Have all of the jewelry priced because when you get busy, you or your staff will not have time to look up prices.
• Bundle best-sellers together. 

Remember: the same principles apply for in-home trunk shows and craft shows.

Your booth & display are key to attracting your DREAM clients.

We want to hear from you! In the comments below, answer the following:

1. Which is your favorite tip from the above?
2. Are you currently participating in trade shows or other “live” events? If so, tell us what you did well and what you’d like to tweak!

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Got your booth ready to go? Check out our top tips for maximum sales at a jewelry trade show here.