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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | Hey Guys, Just curious what you all look for in a good show booth? Our club down here in Tn is going to be hosting a booth at the local fishing show, and I am hoping we can put together a nice booth. However the booths are only 10x10, so space is an issue. It will mainly be an informational booth, to get the word out about musky down here in TN and to spread the word about our club.
So far, here are a few ideas we got....
-Lots of TN caught fish...8x10's and a photo album to look through.
-Possibly a couple mounted fish
-Laptop playing Musky dvd's during the show
-A big display board for displaying baits, possibly a map of TN showing general musky waters, and probably more pics
-A few informational pamphlets to hand out
-A few of our musky rod/reel combos for display in a rod rack
-Sign-up sheet for anyone interested in being contacted about the club afterwords.
Just curious if you guys may have a few more suggestions, without cramping space TOO much. Just wanting to put together a good booth that will stand out in the show. Thanks guys. Open to any suggestions! | |
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Posts: 244
Location: Mallard Island Lake Vermilion MN | Add a young shaply women on a chair smiling.
That brings them in....for sure.
Have them Add some bending an lifting an your bringing them in off the street.
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Posts: 3149
| Im one of two people in charge of the Twin cities chapter of muskies inc booth weve done dozens of shows.benefits,etc
pictures of kids holding fish with BIG smiles goes a looooooooooong way
a TV with 'ACTION" dvds and I do mean "ACTION" BIG muskies splash and thrash on the surface gets people to stop and look and eventually notice the rest of your booth, the 'just big muskies' dvds are great for this.
you have to get good at spotting the "look" because the "look" definitly exists,,,the look is the guy who stands 10 ft away from your booth and looks at the repo muskie in your booth,,,this is the SAME look of the guy who stares at the loaded Chev Subburban or Ranger 620 at the sports shows and thinks "someday I'll maybe be able to get one of those" the difference is he dosent have to come up with 50 grand right now to join your club and learn about muskies,,notice this look and invite him in this is a guy who WANTS in but just needs an invite/nudge.
have a few BIG lures on display,,pounder bulldawgs are great,,14 inch jakes and if possible a 'wishmaster' will get lots of converstaion
you need to lure them in with some of these special effects so that the take your educational info handouts and other worthy info. | |
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Posts: 572
| I personally think it is a good idea to promote what your state is doing and has done to promote muskie fishing, and how it is becoming more popular.
To me, the laptop playing musky dvd's doesn't appeal to me, unless the dvd's are from fishing in your state.
While displaying baits, along with rods and reels, you may want to include some smaller baits, bass rods, etc. where newcomers can feel comfortable getting started without spending a fortune.
Rather than a sign up sheet, you may want to offer a couple of club seminars where members "show and tell" what works best for them and how the club can help new members. A simple tear off sheet giving time, location, etc., and perhaps a couple of phone numbers of club members to call for additional information.
Of course, a calendar of club meetings and events should be displayed, along with info from past events. Promote what your club does and what it can do to help new members.
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Posts: 189
Location: Barrington, Il | How about a raffle? Prize could be a day on the water with a musky fisherman. Doesn't neccessaritly have to be a guide. Money going to stock fish or something. | |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | As far as promoting the states musky program, and what the club has done, that is on our list as well. We plan to have an "Accomplishment" sheet to show what the club has done in the past(ie. donated money to TWRA, donated money to help feed fish in the hatchery before they were stocked, etc), and what our future plans are(try to get a higher statewide size limit, which is currently 36").
The reason for the dvd's are to show non-musky fishermen what is involved when musky fishing. As you might guess, as of right now...there aren't many musky fishermen in TN right now, and the ones that may be interested have no clue whats involved. So I figure a good dvd would be nice to show them some examples, and plus the "cool" factor of seeing guys catchin' some nice muskies. We also have a dvd that was made here in TN, so that will be a plus.
Along with our sign-up sheet, we are also going to be letting possible members know(possibly a hand-out as well) of a "Meet & Greet" meeting we are currently planning for the month of February. Where like you mentioned, we are trying to obtain a speaker, offer door prizes, as well as free food to make newcomers feel welcome.
We also had plans of raffling off a musky rod we had donated, however with abit more research, we found that the state of TN does allow raffles for non-profit organizations like our club, however they charge a $150 fee for anything with a value up to $5K, so for a 100-120 dollar rod, we opted against doing the raffle...as our club doesn't really have much expendable money.
Good stuff so far though guys, Thanks!
Edited by BubbaTn 12/22/2009 12:07 PM
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Location: SE Wisconsin | What you need, my friend, is one of those glazed almond makers and sell them for $.50 cheaper than the vendors. . . That alluring scent would draw me right in. Then I would stare and admire the replicas behind you before looking at the awesome photo album and catch a few worthy minutes of the REDFIN OUTDOORS DVD you have playing. | |
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Posts: 909
| I'm a sucker for Giant muskie replicas!
Brian
Edited by muskie24/7 12/22/2009 5:47 PM
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Posts: 734
Location: Watertown, MN | Brad you forgot the biggest show stopper, A nice rotating 56" mount from LAX, that gets everyone attention, they show up at your booth. | |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | For whoever works the booth, don't hide behind your table. Push the table to the back wall or to one side or the other. Place an "attention grabber" facing toward the aisle.
When the table is back off the edge of the aisle, you create a place for people to get out of the trafffic flow to hear your groups story. When your table is out on the aisle, just a couple of people can block other potentially interested people who won't fight the traffic flow in the aisle and will keep moving rather than fight the crowd. You need to make it as easy and as hassle free as possible for the potential targets to engage you.
If you have pictures or brochures on the table tops that are intended for display only cover them with a acrylic sheet or glass. Accidents happen and spilling on pictures can ruin them. Clean up is much easier. Keep a big role of paper towels handy but out of sight.
Attempt to engage everyone who enters the booth.
If possible don't have any chairs in the booth. In too many booths, people park themselves in chairs behind a table and talk to just their friends.
Try not to eat in the booth especially messy foods, big greasy wrapers laying out in the open with partially eaten pizza, hamberger, or hot dog does nothing positive for the image of the organization that you are representing!
In Sports Shows the old saying about "you only get one chance to make a good impression" could not be more true!
Perception is reality! As people walk by your booth, especially if they don't know you previously, they are making a value judgement within 3 to 5 seconds of whether or not they would want to make contact with you.
Especially engage the ladies and the kids. Once they are involved it is much easier to get the guy's attention and time to learn about your organization.
Keep your stories short and to the point.
Ask the ladies and kids about their fishing experiences. Ask the guys about: what kind of water do they fish; what is their biggest muskie; what is their favorite way to fish-topwater, bucktails, etc,; what kind of boat do you have. Most everyone likes to talk about themselves and the more that they are engaged the more likely that they will be to stick around to hear your pitch.
Come and see the Slammer Crankbait Booth in the muskie shows in Chicago, State Fair in Wisconsin, Minnesota Expo, to name a few.
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 12/23/2009 9:02 AM
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Put a lot of emphasis on how the club will make them a better fisherman! People join clubs for a reason, and it isn't to give, it is to get. Show them what the club has to offer them. Show them how they will be accepted into the fellowship of the club anglers. Bragging up too many big catches might just scare off more people than it attracts, as they will feel they can't measure up. Photos of kids and fish, as mentioned before, is a great idea! | |
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Posts: 39
Location: IL | Great post Steve, and spot on!  | |
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Posts: 284
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Sometime something as cheap and simple as a well stocked bowl of candy can bring people to a booth. | |
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Posts: 39
Location: IL | Like mentioned before, Drawing in the kids is a great way to stop the adults to talk. I remember one year when we had a "Muskie Stamp", that when the kids came by we would ask if they wanted "A Tough Muskie Fish" on their hand, and 99% would. Just make sure Mom & Dad are ok with it! Muskie, or Fish stickers work well too. | |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | Thanks guys, really great ideas! Definetly will be keeping some of these in mind. | |
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| Like Steve said, keep the booth open and inviting. Dump the chairs, there are enough guys in the club to rotate and go sit and have a smoke or beer. Don't eat up valuable space. Also, try to limit the amount of club members in the booth at one time. A gaggle of guys blocking everything up won't get you one interested person. Remember you are selling!! Best salespeople out front, the rest in the competitors booth.
Personally, if the aisle in front of a booth is blocked I keep moving. I don't want to be the stooge who blocks traffic and plugs everything up. | |
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Posts: 91
| All great ideas! We've used many of these with our shows. One idea that we've used that has been a real draw , especially for kids, is to have an aquarium with live muskies. We have a number of members that raise muskies, and then in conjunction with the State, release them in to State approved waters. Seeing those little "guys" swimming around really attracts a crowd, especially at feeding time! Good luck with your show! | |
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Posts: 458
| Since Muskie fishing is so new to your state I would try to stress the importance of catch and release and try to hand out something like the Muskie inc. educational brochures. Maybe something like how to properly catch, handle, photo, and release. Just an idea. | |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | chasintails - 12/23/2009 6:07 PM
Since Muskie fishing is so new to your state I would try to stress the importance of catch and release and try to hand out something like the Muskie inc. educational brochures. Maybe something like how to properly catch, handle, photo, and release. Just an idea.
Yup, That is one of the "informational pamphlets" that we have in mind. We are in the process of trying to obtain some of those. As well as a few other CPR items. | |
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Good Show Booth?