Trade shows are well worth attending, as they provide a great opportunity to network with potential clients, scope out competitors, and increase your industry contacts. They are definitely an asset to your business, and it is important that you present yourself well when you attend.
There is a lot that goes into your image at a trade show, from making sure that your stand is attractive and will draw in people to engage with you, to making sure you bring along your most knowledgeable staff that can really help to make those connections that are the reason you’re there in the first place.
One thing that many businesses overlook, however, is the importance of your team looking professional and unmistakably a part of your business. This is where branded corporate clothing comes in, and we thought we’d help you out if this is something that you perhaps haven’t given much thought in the past.
Read on for our quick guide to buying corporate clothing for your team for your next trade show.
Consistency is Key
One of the most important things to ensure is that your team looks consistent and that the corporate branding of your company translates well to the clothing that your workforce is wearing.
Make sure that your entire team has the most up to date versions of your uniform, particularly if you have updated it recently, and that each member of staff working at the stand has the same items of clothing.
Incorporate your company’s branding into the clothing by carrying across your color scheme, logos, fonts, and other elements of your corporate identity. These steps will help your business to present itself in a more professional way.
What’s more, it will ensure that your company can be recognized by its branding alone, which is useful if you have some members of your team networking away from your stand itself. This article from Inkblot Design discusses the importance of brand identity in corporate clothing further.
Ask your team for input
As your employees are the ones who are going to be wearing the clothing, be sure to get their opinions on any clothing you are thinking of choosing.
You’ll want to make sure that your employees feel comfortable wearing it, not only from an aesthetic perspective but also in practical terms too. Trade shows can be quite physically demanding, from setting up the display to standing and walking around for long periods, so ensure that clothing fits well, and is high quality. Uncomfortable employees won’t be performing at their best so this is important!
What type of uniform to choose
When it comes to branded clothing, there is a difference between your company actually having a uniform, or just a uniform look, so it is important to give some thought to which will be most appropriate for your company and its employees at a trade show.
A uniform is set clothing that must be worn by everybody in the company, whereas a uniform look allows for a little more individual input on outfits while still looking similar.
You’ll also want to decide whether you’d like your work wear to be stitched or printed, as both of these techniques have their pros and cons.
We spoke to Stitch Embroidery, who told us “embroidery has a bit of a more professional look, and also has the benefit of being more hard-wearing so you will likely get a lot more wear out of embroidered clothing. On the other hand, printing works out far cheaper, so is a great option if you are only just starting out at trade shows. It’s also a good choice if you have a particularly intricate logo.”
Once you’ve made these decisions, ask to see a sample before putting in a full order as this will allow you to make tweaks to get everything just perfect before you pay to have clothing for your whole team made up.
