Why does your company go to trade shows? It could be that you’ve found out live events are more effective than other forms of marketing, such as digital marketing or email marketing. If you’re like many trade show exhibitors, you might go to connect with new clients and customers or to re-connect with your existing client base. About 64% of marketers say they use trade shows to find new business opportunities and prospects.
Let’s not forget that trade shows can be fun too. They’re a chance to see what others in your industry are up to, and they allow you to learn about the newest trends.
When you set up an exhibit at a trade show, you want to make sure your brand’s space stands out and grabs attention. One way to do so is by using portable kiosks, which you can rent. With a portable kiosk, you can incorporate high-tech elements, such as iPads or charging stations, into your exhibition. Adding technology to your trade show display can help you better engage with the people who stop by to visit your exhibitor and can create excitement and buzz about what you have to offer.
If you’ve never used a rental kiosk as part of your trade show display, learn more about your rental options, how you can use a kiosk and what the benefits are of doing so below.
What Are Trade Show Kiosks?
A kiosk is typically a small booth that can stand on its own. When you visit an ATM, you’re visiting a kiosk. A vending machine is another example of a kiosk. Other examples in everyday life include DVD rental machines that you often see outside of supermarkets, interactive map and information kiosks at malls and ordering kiosks at fast-food restaurants.
At a trade show, a kiosk is a free-standing booth that can provide information to passersby or to people who stop at your brand’s display to learn more. A trade show kiosk with a monitor or iPad attached to it can provide people with information about who your brand is and what it does. If your booth is particularly busy and your company’s representatives can’t interact with everyone immediately, a kiosk can provide some initial information and can keep people entertained and occupied while they wait for a representative to help them.
What Types of Trade Show Display Kiosks Are Available?
If you’re considering renting a portable kiosk for your next trade show display, you have several options to choose from. The type of kiosk you rent should depend in large part on the kind of technology you hope to incorporate into your display and what your overall goals are. A few of your display kiosk options follow.
1. Monitor Kiosks
Perhaps you want to play a video that explains who your company is or what you do at your next trade show. You might have put together an exciting presentation or PowerPoint that introduces your brand to new customers. The easiest way to share that video or presentation at a trade show is by setting up a kiosk for a TV monitor. You can play the video or run the presentation on the monitor, and people passing by your exhibition or booth can stop and watch it. Ideally, after watching the video or slideshow for a few minutes, their interest in your company will be piqued, and they’ll want to learn more.
You have a few options when it comes to choosing a rental monitor kiosk. If you want one that can stand alone or be incorporated into the back wall of your exhibition, you might choose the Vibe™ monitor kiosk. It features a tube frame that comes together quickly with spigot connectors. When fully assembled, it’s about 6.5 feet in height and about 2.5 feet in width. It can hold a monitor that weighs up to 50 pounds with a screen size of up to 40 inches.
If you want a monitor kiosk that can stand on its own and that’s eye-catching, you might prefer the Linear™ Pro Kiosk, which has accent wings and a fabric graphic canopy, which means you can add a custom design or logo to it. The kiosk also has a counter with storage space beneath it, so you can store promotional and display materials for easy access during a trade show. The counter’s storage space locks, meaning you can rest assured that your stuff is secure.
When assembled, the Linear™ Pro Kiosk measures 99 inches in height and about 54 inches wide. The counter is 34.5 inches wide and about 39 inches high. The counter and attached mounting tubes can support a maximum weight of 100 pounds.
2. iPad Kiosks
A monitor kiosk is an excellent option if you have a passive video or slideshow that you want trade show visitors to view. But what if you want people to interact with your displays, or you want to actively engage people who might be passing by or who could have a casual interest in your brand or trade show booth? If that’s your goal, you might want to consider renting an iPad kiosk and setting up an interactive program on an iPad tablet.
The Formulate® iPad Kiosk is available in two formats, Kiosk 02 and Kiosk 03, which are designed to grab people’s attention and get them to hang around your booth. Both are free-standing, but they have some variations in design. For example, Kiosk 02 is 85 inches high and narrow at the center, where the iPad connects. There’s space above and below the iPad mount for graphics.
Kiosk 03 is shorter, measuring just under 65 inches. It’s narrow at the top and widens to the base. There’s room on the kiosk beneath the iPad mount for a graphic or your company’s logo.
Both iPad kiosks feature a tube frame made from aluminum and a weighted base. The fabric graphic can slip on and off the frame like a pillowcase, making assembly before the trade show and breakdown after the show super easy.
One thing that’s important to note about renting an iPad kiosk is that the tablet itself is not part of the rental. You’ll need to provide your own compatible iPad device to get the most out of the kiosk.
3. Charging Towers
We’ve all seen them: The trade show attendee, phone charger in hand, frantically searching for an outlet. The person who ends up crouched in a dusty corner of a convention center, phone plugged into an inconveniently placed outlet.
Even with the best of planning, our phones and tablets tend to run out of juice, usually right in the middle of a busy, action-packed day. One way to solve the battery-drained electronics problem for trade show attendees is to give them a comfortable, convenient place to charge up their devices. A charging tower kiosk, such as the Formulate® Charging Tower, gives people a place to plug in, relax and recharge.
The charging tower can charge up to 16 devices at once. It has eight charging tips for Android devices (micro USB) and eight charging tips for Apple devices (Apple 8-pin). While charging up, people can lean against the small counter that circles the tower and chat with other power-drained trade show attendees. Since the charging tower can include a graphic that features your business name and logo, they’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about your brand and company while they wait for their device to be restored.
How Can You Use a Portable Kiosk at Your Next Trade Show?
Feeling intrigued by the idea of adding a portable kiosk to your trade show display but unsure what you would use the kiosk for? We’ve got plenty of ideas to inspire you. Take a look:
- Use an iPad to check people in: One efficient and practical way to use a rental kiosk at your next trade show is as a check-in desk for visitors. If people who drop by your booth are interested in talking to a representative, they can check in at the iPad and get a number. Then, you’ll be able to see and assist everyone who comes by and checks in, in the order they arrived.
- Create an iPad game: Another way to use an iPad kiosk is to create a game for the iPad that people can play as they wait for a representative or to learn more about your brand.
- Make a video to play on a monitor: Keep people occupied as they hang around your booth or give them a passive way to learn about your company or products by putting together an informational video. Make sure the video has subtitles or captions so that people can follow what’s going on during it even without any sound.
- Hold a raffle by a charging station: A charging tower gives people a place to relax while they charge up their devices. They’re likely to be feeling a sense of goodwill toward your company for letting them plug in. One way to increase that feeling of goodwill is to run a raffle. Have a bucket or jar on the counter of the charging station, where people can leave their business cards. Decide on a prize — such as a gift card to a restaurant or a cash prize — and pick a card from the jar before the end of the event. Not only will someone get the chance to win money or food, but you’ll also get to collect plenty of new leads.
- Collect surveys on an iPad: Another way to make use of an iPad kiosk is to set up a survey on it and ask people to take the survey. It can be as simple as “how did our display make you feel?” and a collection of happy face/neutral face/sad face emoticons that people can press. You can also go more in-depth and ask people to rate their experience on a scale of 1 to 10 or ask them to provide more detailed feedback.
- Take orders on an iPad: If you collect orders during a trade show, using an iPad can be an excellent way to streamline the process. You can set up an iPad kiosk that lets you assist people in placing their orders or allows them to put in an order on their own.
- Create a photo booth with an iPad kiosk: A rental kiosk will allow you to turn your trade show booth into a photo booth. You can most likely find a photo booth app for the iPad that provides fun backdrops. Bring along a few props for people to use in their photos, and let them take home the photo strips as a souvenir from the trade show.
- Put together a slideshow for a monitor kiosk: If you don’t want to make a video to play on a monitor, another way to engage with people and educate them about your company is to create a slideshow or presentation, which can play on the monitor screen. Put the slideshow on a loop so that it plays continuously throughout the day without you having to hit “restart.”
What Are the Benefits of Renting a Portable Kiosk?
You might like the idea of using a display kiosk with either a monitor or tablet at your next trade show. The trouble is, you’re not sure your company goes to enough trade shows or other events each year to justify purchasing a kiosk. Luckily, you can rent the kiosk you need for your next event, then return it at the end of the rental agreement.
Renting a kiosk can be beneficial for a few reasons. It:
- Is budget-friendly: Depending on your budget, you might find that renting a kiosk is the more affordable option. It’s important to note that although you can rent the kiosk structure, if you get any printed graphics to go with it, you’ll need to purchase those. Any purchased graphics are yours to keep.
- Gives flexibility: You’re interested in trying out a monitor kiosk for your upcoming trade show. It ends up working out okay and helps you reach your goals for the event, but next time, you think you’d prefer to try an iPad kiosk. Since you return your kiosk structure at the end of the rental period, you’re free to choose a different option the next time you rent.
- Includes the option to purchase: Let’s say you rent an iPad kiosk and absolutely love it. You’d like to use it for more than just the occasional trade show. Maybe you want to set it up in your store or office location to engage with customers or collect opinions. Most rental agreements give you the option of buying the kiosk outright if you decide you love it and can’t live without it.
Ready to Rent a Kiosk for Your Next Trade Show? Contact Your Local SpeedPro Studio Today
If you’re ready to rent a kiosk for your next event or trade show, your local SpeedPro studio is there to help. We’ll work with you on designing the custom graphics for your kiosk and can help you select the style of kiosk that best meets your needs and can help you achieve your goals at the trade show. To learn more, reach out to your local SpeedPro studio today.
