Trade Show Ideas & Inspiration

How to Stand Out at a Real Estate Convention or Trade Show

  • Mel White

    • Post-pandemic, the real estate industry has experienced significant changes, presenting both opportunities and challenges for realtors. Those challenges include shifting market dynamics, regulatory changes, technological innovations, and economic uncertainty.

    A real estate convention is important for professionals in this industry as they navigate the evolving competition from online platforms, legal changes, and demand for value-added services. Whether you’re showcasing a custom trade show exhibit or attending as a guest, these events are excellent opportunities for realtors to stay current by taking classes, networking with colleagues, and discovering the latest trends and strategies in real estate.

    Whether you decide to attend a national real estate convention like NAR NXT, The Realtor Experience, or state events like the California Realtors Expo, these events provide invaluable insight into the industry.

    What Types of Companies Exhibit at Real Estate Conventions?

    For exhibitors, a real estate convention represents a one-stop shop to showcase their products and services to attendees.  A wide range of companies exhibit at real estate trade shows, catering to various aspects of the industry. Here are some of the companies you might encounter:  

    Technology Providers:

    Real Estate Brokerages and Franchises:

    Financial Institutions:

    Real Estate Investors and Developers:

    Other Service Providers:

    The specific companies exhibiting at a particular real estate convention can vary depending on the focus of the event. However, these categories provide a general overview of the types of companies you might encounter.

    Planning Your Real Estate Trade Show Exhibit

    If you are new to trade shows, the planning process can seem overwhelming, but it’s actually very manageable, particularly if you work with an exhibition professional. Start by choosing an exhibit designer. This article will help with that process. You’ll also need to create a checklist to manage the details and stay on schedule. 

    However, before you jump into designing the booth, reserving space at a real estate convention, or even Googling “trade show displays,” you need to define your trade show strategy and goals. Those, along with a budget, will drive every decision you make about the exhibit design, graphics, marketing, and even logistics. If you remember nothing else, remember that a successful trade show strategy requires careful planning and budgeting. Here are the basics of creating a winning strategy:

    1. Define Your Goals 

    Most likely, someone in your organization said, “Let’s exhibit at Show Z so we can increase sales.” And while increasing sales is a worthy goal, it isn’t a strategy. Some other common goals are:

    2. Identify Your Target Audience

    Every company should periodically revisit their target audience. Many companies exhibit at a variety of trade shows and those audiences vary. For example, if your company sells event registration software, the museum fundraiser audience would be very different from the high school athletic director audience. There may be some overlap in the messaging, but the graphics and the onsite marketing will be very different. 

    3. Create a Comprehensive, Yet Realistic Strategy

    We all know the saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Yet, many exhibitors will create a comprehensive checklist of tasks but not a trade show marketing strategy. That’s like building a house on sand. It may look impressive at first but will soon start to lean and eventually collapse.  

    The strategy will be your touchstone as you develop graphics, create a pre-show marketing campaign, choose your show staff, determine your success measurements, and formalize your post-show follow-up guidelines. The strategy may change. It may evolve, but having a strategy that anchors your trade show marketing is essential to both setting and achieving your objectives.  

    4. Set Your Budget:

    It’s easy to view a budget as a series of expenses. Some, like show labor and drayage, are not only expenses but also expensive. However, try to view other costs as potential revenue, like pre-show marketing and post-show follow-up. Those drive sales and should be seen as investments. 

    Creative Real Estate Booth Ideas to Attract Attendees

    Trade shows are a hyper-competitive sales area where attendees are bombarded with lights, colors, sounds, and smells. It’s a sensory overload where attendees may not remember who they visited 30 minutes ago, let alone a week later. Every exhibitor wants to be memorable. Their choices are: to have a product or service that solves a problem for the attendee or create an activity or a memorable event. Or, ideally, both. A real estate convention is no exception. Success at a real estate convention requires careful planning and execution to leave a lasting impression. Here are some recent examples:    

    Interactive Experiences:

    Unique Promotions:

    Engaging Activities:

    Getting it mostly right means the attendee associates the experience with your brand. Getting it perfect means the attendee remembers the experience, your brand, and how your product or service benefits them. It’s easy to be clever, but it’s hard to be smart at a trade show. 

    Real Estate Conventions & Trade Shows to Attend

    Fortunately for real estate professionals, there’s a wide variety of national, specialized, and regional real estate convention events to attend.

    General Real Estate Conventions:

    Specialized Real Estate Conventions:

    Regional Real Estate Conventions:

    Many states and regions host their own real estate conventions, such as:

    These regional events offer opportunities to connect with local professionals, learn about state-specific regulations, and network with peers in your area.

    Engaging with Prospects at Real Estate Trade Shows

    Engaging attendees at a real estate trade show starts months before the show opens. In the past, trade show traffic was a given. However, exhibitors can no longer rely on attendees wandering the show floor nor can they count on show organizers driving traffic to the exhibition hall. Instead, exhibitors must have both pre-show marketing and onsite strategies to engage prospects. Trade show success isn’t random. The exhibitors plan and implement it with the same thoroughness as a social media campaign or website launch. 

    Pre-Show Strategies

    Targeted Marketing:

    On-Site Strategies

    Attractive, Functional Booth Design:

    Engaging, Knowledgeable Staff:

    Interactive Activities and Exclusive Offers:

    By implementing these strategies, you are more likely to attract qualified attendees to your booth and create a memorable experience that will leave a lasting impression. 

    Maximize ROI at Real Estate Events with Classic Exhibits! 

    Imagine you’re selling your booth as a property. And the audience is other real estate professionals. It’s a tough audience. They know all about staging an open house, how to create the perfect listing and the importance of being at the top of your game. It requires a team to do it right, one with the right training and a commitment to excellence. At your showing, you’re not just opening a bag of Oreos. You’re baking chocolate chip cookies, serving apple cider, and showing them renovation ideas via a virtual reality tour. 

    Expect that level of professionalism from Classic Exhibits and the Classic Distributor Network. For over 30 years, Classic Exhibits has been designing and building creative custom solutions for our Distributor Partners and their clients. As North America’s largest private-label exhibit manufacturer, we have the unmatched capability, capacity, and creativity to create 3D projects ranging from 10 x 10 inline displays to 60 x 80 double-deck islands.

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