Taking Command at the Trade Show

Imagine a business presentation located on the side of a highway with diesel trucks rushing past. The presenter projects his voice, but the audience cannot hear him over the roar of the traffic. 

This isn’t far from the truth for the 11.5 million business professionals who present at and attend trade shows every year in the U.S. 

Noise levels at trade shows can reach 80-90 decibels, the equivalent of a passing diesel truck. This sustained high noise environment prevents attendees from clearly hearing trade show exhibitors. 

Presenters can overcome these obstacles and take command at the trade show with an enhanced hearing and communication system so their message is clearly heard and they can better engage prospective customers.

The Importance of Clear Communication at Trade Shows

Trade shows and other events such as conferences and exhibitions are valuable opportunities for businesses to raise brand awareness, share information about products and services, make connections, conduct market research, initiate business deals, add to the credibility of their company, and more.

Simply attending is not enough, businesses must make a connection with trade show attendees through their presentation. 74% of trade show participants say that they are more likely to buy products/services from exhibitors that engage with them. 

Preparing for trade shows is time intensive and the event fees are costly. On average, space on the trade show floor costs about $100-$150 per square foot. Many businesses spend at least 2-3 months planning and preparing an engaging presentation for a trade show to capture the attention of prospective customers.

When you consider the time, energy, and expense of a trade show in addition to the business opportunities at stake, it is vital that the presenter’s message is clearly heard. 

Trade Show Sound Environment

Many trade shows offer a mix of workshops, breakout sessions, speaker presentations, exhibitions, networking events, media opportunities, award ceremonies, and more. Usually, these events take place concurrently in the same space creating a high-noise environment. 

The cacophony of sounds from the simultaneous mix of events, the conversations of thousands of attendees, and the general hustle and bustle of the trade show are all vying for people’s attention and make it difficult for attendees to clearly hear important information.

Noise levels at trade shows can reach 80-90 decibels – the equivalent of heavy machinery or a passing truck. Anything past 70 decibels is annoyingly loud and distracting for most people. 

Some venues or individual presenters attempt to overcome the environmental noise by using a microphone and loudspeakers. However, this strategy only adds noise to the already loud sound environment. 

Engage Audiences with an Audio Communication System

A two-way communication system provides a clear hearing solution for trade show presenters and guests in an otherwise buzzing, noisy environment.

The presenter wears a small transceiver on a lanyard around their neck accompanied by a headset system with a microphone for hands-free communication. Attendees wear a transceiver on a lanyard and an earphone for enhanced hearing. 

The communication system has many features and benefits to better engage audiences:

• Easy-to-use
• Filter’s out background noise
• Scalable for groups of any size
• Can be set up for multiple speakers
• Hands free for product demonstrations
• Two-way communication feature allows for audience questions

In addition to enhanced hearing, with the use of an interpreter, the communication system can also be used to translate a presentation for non-native English speakers. As the business world becomes more international, this function helps engage a segment of attendees that would otherwise be left-out.

No matter what is happening in the background or where guests are seated, attendees stay connected and engaged with the speaker who can be clearly heard without raising their voice. 

With a more engaged audience, businesses can maximize impact and increase ROI at trade shows.

Implementing Advanced Hearing Solutions at Events

Two-way communication systems are easy to use and scalable for events of any size. They can accommodate:

• A select group of attendees in need of hearing assistance
• Entire groups at an individual booth
• Groups at multiple booths
• Large auditoriums

Multiple communication systems can be used at separate booths simultaneously without interference from neighboring systems.

For presentations that utilize a microphone and loud speakers, the enhanced hearing system can take sound from the venue’s audio system and deliver it to the headphones of individuals in need of hearing assistance or translation. 

Communication systems can be implemented by individual businesses presenting at trade shows or by event organizers on a larger scale. Event organizers can rent systems to interested presenters or offer them for use at larger presentations that would typically utilize a microphone and loudspeakers.

For more information about utilizing two-way communication systems at your event or to request a free 30-day demo, contact Tripp Communication Systems.