In the wonderful world of exhibiting don’t you yearn for that magic wand to give a quick magical fix to your tradeshow trials and tribulations. Wouldn’t it be nice to have attendees motivated to flock to our booths because they wanted to and not because they had to? So what lessons can exhibitors learn from Harry Potter and his creator’s miraculous success? I’ve come up with the following thirteen (auspicious for some) for starters:
Use boundless imagination
Without a shadow of a doubt, imagination and creativity need to permeate from every pore of your exhibit marketing program. How can you tap into the creativity and imagination that exists in your organization to cast prizewinning spells to enhance your exhibiting program?
Stop being an adult - be childlike
At the core of every attendee is a little child yearning to escape. What can you do to help them do that? What can you do that incorporates what we all loved as children — fairy tales, story-telling and make-believe games? Disney managed it very successfully, and now, so did J.K. Rowling. What would a five-year old do to add some magical power to your exhibit marketing program?
Break and bend the rules
To get what you want, you often have to break and bend the rules, especially when it suits your purpose. Most advances in science, medicine, music, art and design came as a result of someone being prepared to challenge the norm and try a different approach. What scary rules could you secretly break?
Do what you know
Take something you know and do well and add a little something else to it, and then add something else. Very soon you will take on the mark of a wizard and transform what you have into something new. What creative things can you do with what you know, and what resources and solutions are right in front of you?
Think outside the box
It’s easy to only look at exhibiting from one perspective especially when you exhibit within one particular industry. Often, the best ideas come from cutting across different boundaries, for example, how could you integrate weird and wonderful potions, charms, giants, dragons, cauldrons, crystal balls and the like into a scientific or machine tool setting? Make a point of looking outside your particular situation for enchanting ideas.
Plot out what you want to do before you begin
What’s your exhibiting objective, what are you trying to achieve, and what planning do you need to do? Draw a picture and make a map of where you need to go and the things you need to do. Using pictures instead of words can add bewitching power and put a very different perspective on your planning process. It also helps make it fun!
Expect the unexpected
Many of history’s greatest discoverers and inventers happened across their major discovery quite unexpectedly. Often, they were looking for something else. Remember Christopher Columbus set out looking for India, and lo and behold, look what he found! What are the two most unexpected things that might mysteriously happen during your next exhibiting experience?
Put magic into your thinking
When you ask yourself "what if" questions you stretch your thinking and plant the seeds for creative new ideas. What if ghosts and goblins were to roam the show floor? What if exhibit booths could fly around the show hall positioning themselves right in front of your major prospects? What if people wearing special glasses were the only attendees able to see your exhibit display? What if you tried this exercise?
Slay a dragon
Dragons elicit fears and fears often stand in the way of you doing new and creative things. So many exhibitors fear uncharted territory. You fear the unknown and you fear failure. Take time to look at those fiendish creatures that hold you back from being and doing all you can before, during and after the show. What dragons can you slay?
Learn from others
There are countless people and situations you can learn from. The key is being open and receptive, and in essence, being prepared to be a lifelong learner. Look to the past and learn from historical figures, borrow ideas from innovators, learn from others’ mistakes, use ideas from the patterns and cycles in nature. Where can you look for some magical theory?
