Common Mistakes In Decorating Your Canopy Tent

A canopy tent is a powerful marketing tool that brands, entrepreneurs and marketers are using to capture their niche audience. With the right location, perfect messaging, and spot-on design, you can convert passersby into customers. However, there are some pitfalls and common mistakes that must be avoided to maximize your marketing strategy.  

Overdecorating Your Tent

Over-decorating means that you are putting too many elements into your booth which takes away the focus of your target. Let’s say that you have a customized canopy tent but decided to go full-on with other decorations. You have customized table covers, banners, flags, buntings, barricade covers, hand held flags, and tension fabric displays all over your tent. There are plenty of materials around that people can hardly walk properly. In addition, there’s too much marketing going on that people could find overwhelming. We’re not saying that it’s bad to have other materials combined with your tent. But, make sure to use a combination of 2-3 marketing tools only. If there are more than 10 marketing elements around, your salespeople won’t know what to use or offer. At the same time, the people passing by won’t know where to focus their attention. In our previous blogs, we’ve been highlighting the importance of having simple and focused designs. 

Remember, a canopy tent is more than a shelter to invite your customers over. These canopy tents are powerful mediums that transcend the message of your brand to your customers. It opens the door to networking opportunities. It imparts your brand’s mission and vision to your audience through the design. Avoid the common mistakes stated above for you to have a marketing strategy that’s effective and yields results. 

Choosing The Wrong Size 

Canopy tents come in different sizes. It is important to choose the right size for the event. If the event place is too big and the tent is too small, chances are people will miss your place. In addition, if the place is too small and you choose a huge canopy, you might annoy other participants. You may get the attention of your prospective customers given the size of your tent, but you may end up having enemies. This could have been avoided if the event organizer had stated that there should only be a standard size for the canopies across all the participants. But, if this is not under the policy and exhibitors have the freedom to choose the size, be mindful. Think of your location, the size of the event place, how big the crowd will be, and several other factors. 

Misfit Style For The Occasion/Event

Did you know that there are several styles of canopy tents? If you check the website of your Everest Print, you will have to choose from 8 different styles. You can choose whether to have side walls or not. You also have the option to choose whether you want to add a back wall. As for the back wall, you can choose whether you want it as a full back wall or half. The same goes with the side wall, you can have it either half or full too. These are additional accessories that you can consider depending on the type of event. You can still opt for the classic gazebo style with just the frame and canopy only if it fits the event. 

Let’s say that you have new products you want to introduce to the market. You want people to walk into your tent and try it out themselves. But the problem is the type of tent you have is a canopy with a full wall x3 with a full zipper door. With this type of enclosed shelter, no one will get to see your products. You can’t expect people to be lining up in front of your tent and try out products that they can’t see. If you want people to see your samples and have product demos, choose the tent which is open and inviting. Passersby should have access to the product and they could easily try it out themselves. 

If you’re throwing a surprise number for a concert and want to keep the artist’s identification to be unknown, that’s when you can use an enclosed canopy tent.

Disregarding Comfort and Comfortable Seating 

As much as you want to maximize your limited space, you should not take for granted the comfort of your staff and your guests. Customers do not want to be lining up for an hour. The same goes with your team. There should be a spot for them to rest and recuperate after talking to a lot of people at the event. If people are uncomfortable and overwhelmed, they have a higher tendency to leave your booth and move somewhere else. Apart from the seating arrangement, another thing to consider is that they should have access to ventilation. If the weather is too humid, people crowding inside the tent could get uncomfortable. Think of an arrangement where your products are displayed properly at the same time, people have access to chairs and air. 

In addition, delegate a person who will manage the flow of people coming in and out of the tent. The problem with events is that most of the staff are occupied in the selling of the products or services, they forget about customer services. The people should be guided on where’s the right way out and in to avoid overcrowding and pushing around. There should be at least one staff delegated to manage the traffic flow. This person should also be looking out for any tell-tale signs of people needing help. There could be a customer who needs water and is on the verge of passing out. He/She could readily ask for medical assistance. 

Poor Signages and Directions 

In addition to having a dedicated staff for managing the flow of foot traffic, it is also important to have the right signage and directions. This will keep the flow of people moving smoothly. Your canopy tent needs to have the right signages such as ‘Free Samples’ or ‘Product Demo.’ This will make the people aware of what to expect when walking around your station. These signs should be easy to read and visible even those who are in a hurry could easily see them. Other factors need to be considered in terms of signage. If the event will extend until nighttime. These signages should still be visible. In addition, you may consider using LED lights or paint which illuminates at night. 

The important thing is that you want to avoid having congested or overcrowded walkways. This will result in frustration, anger, and disappointment. This could also result in a negative review or could be something negatively associated with your brand. So be mindful of keeping the traffic flow smooth and hassle-free. 

Consider The Weather

When you are decorating your canopy tent, another important factor to think about is the changes in the weather. It could get very hot in the morning and then the rain comes in the afternoon. You and your team need to be prepared for such changes. Depending on where you are going to have an event, you may also have to deal with hail and snow. For outdoor events, you need to prioritize having a weather contingency plan. This will keep the momentum going despite the weather changes outside your tent. In addition, having a plan b makes your team ready. They would know what to do once there are changes in the weather. This could result in a positive customer experience. Your clients would feel that you have been prepared and still ready to serve them regardless of what weather it is outside.  

Check The Flooring

Do not forget to check the flooring especially if you are going to have the event outdoors. The location of your tent may be rocky and the flooring may be uneven. This could result in accidents if not checked properly. Uneven flooring could also cause your products to stumble or fall. Make sure that your table is placed on an even floor. This goes the same for chairs. You don’t want your customers stumbling over because the flooring wasn’t checked properly. 

Not Reading The Guidelines

This is a critical mistake that you should avoid when participating in events. Make sure that you are up to date with the guidelines. There may be restrictions when it comes to the allowed decorations. You want to avoid taking down things when your team has already exerted effort to put them up. 

The ones stated above are just a few of the mistakes that you should avoid to make a successful participation in an event. Leverage the marketing power of your canopy tent and learn from your experience.