Trade Show Theme Ideas and After Party Planning Guide

If you want your brand to gain attention from the right crowds, join a trade show. But if you want to leave a lasting impression on your guests and clients, throw an epic trade show after party!

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Afterparties are a whole lot of fun, but they’re not easy to put together. It requires major organizational skills, creativity, and a strong will to push on when there are bumps along the way—and believe us when we say, there usually are.

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Let The Concierge Club, a leading experiential marketing agency, share some of the best trade show theme ideas and planning ideas that will surely inspire you for your next after party.

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4 Trade Show Theme Ideas For Your Next After Party

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1. Oktoberfest Theme

You don’t have to be a the owner of a craft beer bar to opt for an Oktoberfest theme. That’s because many people all over the world love beer! Transport your guests to Munich—home of the largest beer festival in the world—right to your trade show after party with your very own version of Oktoberfest.

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It’s a theme that gives you plenty of venue options to choose from because you can hold it indoors, outdoors, or at a marquee event. Use rustic benches, tables, and picnic seats to seat attendees. To complete the ambiance, use lots of blue, brown, white, and green colour palettes for your decor. And of course, serve your guests beer in steins and an endless supply of Bavarian pretzels!

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2. Body and Mind Theme

Nowadays, meditation isn’t just for people seeking spiritual enlightenment—a staggering amount of people have been practicing it for both mental and physical health purposes, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Bring the outdoors indoors with lots of greenery in your decor: big plants, a wide expanse of grass, foliage, etc. You can set up reading nooks, put up smoothie bars and grazing stations, and organize short yoga sessions and healthy cooking classes for attendees.

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3. Outside-Inside Theme

Turn your indoor venue into an enchanted rainforest, a secret garden with a swing, or a large terrarium with an “outside-inside” after party theme.

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Not only does this theme give the opportunity to showcase brands, but it also highlights sustainable policies and green practices—not to mention that it’s also very Instagrammable. So set up aesthetic backdrops so guests can capture their perfect shot at your trade show after party.

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4. Disco Theme

Let your attendees loosen up and take it easy from the stresses of everyday life with a disco after party theme. And like Oktoberfest, this is also one of those trade show theme ideas you can apply indoors or outdoors.

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Whether you take the party inside or outside, spruce up your venue with flower power props, peace signs, and rainbow-coloured decorations. Turn up the volume so attendees can groove to Marvin Gaye, Four Tops, and other 60s party music. For the final touch, encourage attendees to come in tie-dye outfits!

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Five-Step After Party Planning Guide

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To avoid major issues, follow this simple five-step after party planning guide:

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1. Prepare Early

Start preparing at least six months before the date of the party. This should give you enough time to research and negotiate your venue, catering, and other supplies.

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Write and send out your Request for Proposals (RFPs) to vendors so you can finalize contracts. If you don’t do this early, you might not be able to get your preferred date.

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‍Tip: To avoid no-shows, choose a place either within the trade show venue or right next door.

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To make the planning process even easier, hiring an experiential marketing agency—like The Concierge Club—is a great option. Not only will we take care of all the heavy lifting, but you can also rest assured that your event is being carried out using next-level strategies.

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2. Organize a Team Dedicated to the After Party

Create a separate team that can focus on planning, organizing, and making sure the party is a success. Brainstorm with them, set your goals, pool your ideas and then delegate tasks.

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3. Create After Party Exclusives

What makes your trade show after party different from other afterparties? This will give attendees a good reason to show up for your event. Here are some ideas to create that “wow” factor that will increase attendance:

• Create an offering related to the trade show, which attendees can only get if they go to the party. It could be anything from a signed book from one of the main event’s guests, exclusive discount codes, or other useful gifts related to your brand.
• Offer unique entertainment such as arcade games, karaoke, or a food truck to inspire people to attend.

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4. Create Buzz Online

Once all the party details have been set, start promoting it. Let people know what, where, and when it’s going to happen through teaser videos, email campaigns, social media posts, and hashtags.

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Be sure to include the exclusives you’ve put together and other special details such as venue, food, drink, and parking information.

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5. Measure Your Results

Was the attendance higher or lower than you expected? Were you able to develop prospects, create brand awareness, and generate new sales leads?

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Be it a Return on Investment (ROI), Return on Objective (ROO), or Return on Relationship (ROR) you’re after, it’s important to measure the party’s performance to determine if it was a success or not.

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Extraordinary Trade Show Afterparties with The Concierge Club

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Planning trade show afterparties is no easy feat. After all, they aren’t just ‘fun’ events you design based on whims—there’s an art and a science behind them.

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The Concierge Club is a full-service experiential marketing agency that uses well-researched data and innovative creativity to plan events specific to your target market. We use sophisticated strategies to deliver our clients’ business objectives.I

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f you want to put together an extraordinary trade show after party that will meet your business goals, reach out to us today.