The Top 5 Must Have Print Materials for Your Trade Show Booth

How to Attract Attention, Engage Visitors, and Leave a Lasting Impression at Trade Shows. Trade shows are one of the most powerful marketing channels for business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) businesses alike. They offer a rare opportunity to connect with potential clients and partners face-to-face, showcase your products or services, and generate leads in a focused, high-energy environment.

But here’s the truth, no matter how amazing your product is, if your booth doesn’t look professional and inviting, you’ll get passed by. People really do judge a booth by its cover. While digital displays and live demos are popular, it’s the printed materials that often determine whether you’re remembered or forgotten. It’s the printed materials that make an impression and often times taken home and looked at and referenced later.

At Color Depot, we have the expertise and experience to help you with all your trade show printing needs. With over 30 years of experience, Color Depot staff are here and ready to help you with all your printing materials for your next trade show. Let’s take some time and talk about the five essential print materials every trade show booth needs to make a powerful impact.

Number One: Large Format Banners and Booth Backdrops

Your brand’s first impression starts from across the aisle. You need to be able to catch the eye of your potential customers right away. Your banner is basically your booth’s billboard. Before attendees even know who you are, they’re looking at your visuals. If your signage isn’t bold, polished, and on-brand, you risk blending into the background. You need to be able to stand out in a crowd and draw trade show attendees to your booth/table.

There are many different types of large format banners, depending on your needs and the type of booth space you have. Color Depot can help you decide which one will benefit you the most. If your space is big, you might want to do several of these, not just one type.

Retractable (roll-up) banners: These banners are easy to set up and pack down and don’t take up to much room. This is ideal for tight spaces and time consuming situations.

Step-and-repeat backdrops: These banners are larger and do take up more room. These are great for photo ops and interviews. If you’ve got the space and would like to have people take pictures in front of it and promote your business, maybe have influencers interview and take pictures in front of it, this is the option for you. However, you do need the space for this banner.

Tension fabric displays: These banners are sleek and modern, perfect for full-wall visuals. These do take up space so make sure you have the wall space for a banner like this.

Hanging ceiling signs: These signs are a must have for large booths or island displays to guide traffic from afar. If you’ve got a large space then you do need to have a few of these hanging signs so that people can spot you easily.

Do you need help designing your large format banners and both backdrops? Here are some quick design tips for you, please note that at Color Depot we do have in house designers that can fully design all your marketing needs or can help you with any questions you may have. We are here to help you grow your business.

Some quick design tips to follow while doing your large format banners for a trade show:

• Use minimal text—focus on 1–2 main messages.

• Prioritize high-contrast color schemes and clear typography.

• Include your logo, tagline, and website and/or your QR code.

Make sure to invest in quality materials—cheap banners do wrinkle, fade, and send the wrong message about your brand. Color Depot offers quality printing at competitive prices. We’re here to help you with all your trade booth bringing needs.

Number Two: Brochures, Flyers & Product Sheets

Always give visitors something to take with them. This is crucial to have them have something in their hands to remind them of your company. While at the trade show they will be visiting so many different booths and companies that it might all become a blur by the time they’re done. Having them leave your booth with something in hand will help them remember you.

They do need something tangible that summarizes your offerings. A quality brochure or flyer helps reinforce your message after they leave your booth, and as mentioned, it helps them remember who you are. Make sure to include in your print collateral one or two short paragraphs about your value proposition and key features and benefits of your product/service. Make sure to include visuals such as product shots, infographics, and diagrams. Of course, you can’t forget your contact info and a clear next step, give them instructions to call, schedule a demo, or visit your site. Another great thing to make sure to have in your printed material is a custom QR code linking to your website, video demo, digital catalog, or lead capture form.

There are many different types of printed marketing materials that can be used and distributed to your trade attendees. At Color Depot we’re here to listen to you and help you decide which printed materials will be best for your company and brand. It will be beneficial to have more than one type of printed material to give out.

Trifold Brochures: Great for general overview, they’re eye catching, have enough space to have your company info, and not too big for people to carry with them.

Sell Sheets (single page unfolded flyers): Ideal for product-specific info, you can have several different sell sheets for your various products, this way people can take whichever one they’re interested in.

Catalogs: Useful for companies with broad product lines that would like to display everything in one catalog. These catalogs can be from 8pgs up to however many pages you want, depending on how extensive and informative catalog you want and also how much info you have that you’d like to share with your potential customers.

Number Three: Inserts, Coupons, and Promotional Print Pieces

The purpose of the coupons and promotional pieces is because this will give your potential clients an extended engagement once they leave your booth and even leave the trade show.

In addition to handing out printed materials and possibility even branded swag, but pairing it with targeted print inserts is what turns a giveaway into a marketing tool. You should focus on more specific marketing materials, such as an event exclusive coupon or discount code that only people that came to your trade show booth will know. Another great printed marketing material could be small postcards or flyers promoting an upcoming webinar or a launch or a product, or anything else that may be coming up in the future. It also helps to have custom made thank you cards with your website and info for people to reach out and follow up with.

Number Four: Custom Presentation Folders

If you really want to stand out from the crowd and bring it all together with a professional polished look, presentation folders are the way to do it. This is a bit more costly and doesn’t make sense for some trade shows, it depends on your industry and the people that will be coming to the trade show. At Color Depot we can help you decide if this is a good fit or not for your trade show.

If you’re giving out multiple materials, such as brochures, pricing sheets, contracts, flyers, catalogs, then a custom presentation folder ties everything together neatly and impressively. The presentation folder will keep your documents organized and protected, will communicate professionalism and attention to detail, and will increase the likelihood your materials are reviewed once the trade show is over. The great thing about a presentation folder is that not too many companies will give presentation folders, so yours will stand out and will actually be used as a folder, at the end of the day your potential clients will all have a folder with your info on it front and center when they leave the show. This is a great way to be remembered after the trade show is done.

Number Five: Custom Printed Extras That Will Elevate Your Brand

Other products that will definitely help you get noticed and remembered, such as table covers with your logo and company name on them. These products help bring your entire booth together and are eye catching when trade show attendees are walking by or near your booth/table. Another great printed product is giving out branded notepads or notebooks. Notepads and notebooks are things that everyone uses, and some may even use that day at the trade show. So why not have everyone using yours and your name front and center. These pads will last some time and will be sitting at people’s desks for a while, which will help them remember you and help you stand out from the crowd. It will take you out of the trade show and place you in their workspace.

If you’re selling a product and have samples that you’re giving away, a great option would be to do custom printed packaging for your giveaways. At Color Depot, we can do all types of custom packaging printing. This will truly elevate your brand and help you stand out from the crowd. All these little touches show that your brand is polished, prepared, and serious about standing out.

Print is a crucial part of any trade show and it is your secret weapon to help you stand out from the crowd. Call the experts at Color Depot, and we’ll guide you through the process and help you pick the right printed materials for your upcoming trade show. In today’s noisy, fast-moving trade show environment, your printed materials do a lot of heavy lifting. They attract, engage, educate, and help your brand stay top-of-mind long after the event is over. Whether you need just a few pieces or a full trade show print package, investing in high-quality design and printing is an investment in your brand reputation.

The great benefit of working with Color Depot is we’re not an online printing company. You can call us 818-500-9033 and get a live person helping you right from the start. Our knowledgeable staff are standing by to help you and answer all your questions. We specialize in professional, fast-turnaround printing for trade shows, conferences, expos, and business events. We offer all types of printing, including but not limited to, banner & large format printing, brochures, flyers, custom folders, full trade show bundles & booth branding, in house design services, rush delivery available to the local shows. We are located in Glendale CA, close to many trade shows happening in the Los Angeles area. Let us help you make your next trade show your most successful one yet!