First stand at event - Giveaway & Freebie help!

[newrecruit]

I have booked my first stand at an event. I have ordered a banner (£75) to stand behind so people can see me.

However, I am trying to decide what to do on my table (4ft).

I provide social media consultancy to businesses so I am the product!

I have some leaflets and A4 handy hints guides to give away but will that be enough?

I thought about getting some Logo pens to giveaway, as I always find those the most useful things at those sorts of events but it feels a bit 'meh' and also will cost £150. Sweets are always a safe bet too but I need some inspiration for something cheap and memorable!

do you have any you tube clips or similar that demonstrate what you do etc? We found a 19" dvd combi was invaluable when we did our stand at ideal home show as it ment that the customer we couldn't speak to because we were with other, could watch and learn about our product while we got to them. We just had the one 10 min dvd that we looped all day.

and yes SWEETS! people always come get a sweet - but make sure you don't just leave them lying on the table as folks just help themselves and walk away - hold a basket with them in your hands as use them to engage with people and start talking

business card magnets are reasonably priced. Also make sure you collate data for future contact - have a free prize draw if your exhibition allows one. Collate data in exchange for entry and draw a winner at the end of event, then you will have leads to follow up on!

Yes to idea of draw, people can put their business cards or details in to wn a prize.
A (big) bowl of sweets helps cheer up a table, and draws in people, (well it does me!)
I love pens, but use them and hardly look at the details,
How about post it packs / notes,could you get your logo printed onto those?
Or USB thingy's that you save data on pre loaded with some of your information. I prefer those to mountains of paper I end up recycling
Printed cloth bags for people to carry stuff in with your logo on, quite cheap to do and I love those!

These are really helpful. Thank you :-D

If you have done events before you will know all about the people who only visit stands with people on that they know. You will also know how many people appear to wander around with no purpose.
In all my long experience of exhibitions trade and public, visitor and exhibited, getting to actually engage with a passing prospect is the most difficult.
It is not true "If I am here they will come"
Frankly it is like fishing. You know the fish are there, however only a small proportion of the fish need or have any use for your product. How do you engage and spend time with people that can actually be turned into customers.
In my opinion you need to grab people walking by you (bowl of sweets can do it) then you must have a set of questions that will qualify or reject the person as a potential customer.
For a very simple simple question if you were selling swimming goggles, asking the passer by if they swam immediately rules them in or out. The second question in this example then might be "do any of your family swim" a no to both those questions (and remember people lie) means you immediately move on to the next prospect.
Good luck. Perhaps you will come back to this thread and let us all know how you got on.

Good luck New I'm still in my research stages but hoping to do my first stand event this year.

Lots of great advice on this thread.