The good, the bad, and the ugly of video screen Do’s and Don’ts we found while walking the floor of the Eastec 2019 tradeshow.

DO hide those untidy cords! If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on a tradeshow booth, spend a few extra bucks to find an elegant way to hide the screen cords. (We’d also add, don’t leave your booth empty with a dark screen. Just saying.)

tradeshow marketing tips
Hide those untidy display wires!

DO keep videos short. People are distracted and can’t focus on them for longer than a minute.

DO add captions. For crowded busy shows, the noise level is deafening. Captions let viewers understand what’s happening in the video without needing sound. (See our post, On Display: Using Screens in Your Tradeshow Booth, for examples.)

DON’T use PowerPoint presentations filled with TMI (too much info). When we saw the display below, our first thought was OMG. Way too much info for our brains, which immediately fizzed out like R2D2 when he plugged himself into an electrical outlet.

tradeshow marketing tips
Too much information for one screen!

DON’T use “Download” call to actions in your videos. When you include a “download our PDF” as a CTA, viewers don’t have time to snap a photo of the URL. Instead, have the piece available for interested booth visitors to take with them.

DON’T use fake “touch me” displays. This display made us want to swipe to read the rest of the info. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an interactive display. It was a rotating PowerPoint.

tradeshow marketing tips
The fake “touch me” screen.