By Marlys Arnold, Exhibit Marketing Strategist; Speaker, Author, Consultant; Trade Show Insights Blog/Podcast Host

As the weather warms and flowers begin to bloom, there’s often an urge to do spring cleaning around the house: garage, closets, front yard, you name it.

But what about your exhibit marketing program … have you thought about giving it a thorough spring cleaning as well?

You may still be in the middle of show season, but as things begin to wind down for the summer months (for many exhibitors, anyway), examine the following aspects of your exhibit display and determine:

• What elements need to be cleaned, fixed or even replaced?
• Is it time to add new graphic elements or lighting to refresh the look?
• Are there scratches and dings that need a touch-up?
• Could the colors or finishes be brought more up to date?
• How could you rearrange or repurpose the elements you already have? (Known in the fashion world as “shopping your closet.”)

But it’s not just the display that you should be considering during your spring cleaning activities. Also consider the following aspects of your exhibit strategy:

• Review your list of shows where you exhibit and determine which ones should continue to make the cut vs. which ones could be scaled back or skipped altogether.
• Evaluate which promotional tools should remain in your toolbox. Assume nothing! What worked in the past doesn’t necessarily still work now.
• Investigate what new technology is available (there are no shortage of options) and which ones make sense for your exhibit program.
• Scale back the items you take to hand out at shows – giveaways, collateral materials, etc.
• Spruce up your follow-up strategy.

By spending some time to refresh and renew, you can make a tired old exhibit look new again.

So what are you doing to spring clean your exhibit marketing? Please share in the comments below!

With experiences as both an exhibitor and a show organizer, Marlys Arnold has a unique perspective on trade show exhibiting. As an exhibit marketing strategist, she travels the country consulting and training on how to create experiential exhibits that produce significantly higher numbers of qualified leads. She’s led workshops for events ranging from local consumer expos to some of the largest trade shows in the U.S. She hosts the Trade Show Insights blog/podcast, and is the author of Build a Better Trade Show Image, the Exhibitor Education Manifesto, and the ExhibitorEd Success System. Exhibit Design That Works (the first book in the YES: Your Exhibit Success series) debuted in July 2017. She’s also the founder of the Exhibit Marketers Café, an online education community. Opinions are her own.