It’s August.Despite it being one of the slower months in the financial services industry,sales and marketing managers are feeling the pressure as we begin turning thecorner into September – the start of what will be a long and busy conferenceand event season.

We often getasked, “How do I raise my exposure at conferences?” Many firms have made theexpenditure to take out a booth and are wondering what exactly to do with thebooth and how to maximize the investment. Additionally, how do you draw trafficto a booth in especially large and crowded exhibit calls? Usually, thequestions are, “Well, what kind ofstress ball should I have?” or “Which Wii game would financial executives wantto play most?”

We oftengive this advice: think outside the booth box. Sure – trinkets and fliers willalways have their place at conferences. But if you want to leave your stamp ona potential client who wanders by your booth, think strategically, creatively,and most of all – think of your ideal prospect. What do you want them to thinkabout you when they walk away from your booth?

DeutscheBank wanted prospects to see them as being innovative, leading-edge, and green– so they went paperless, in a truly groundbreaking way. Cognito worked withDeutsche Bank to implement an entirely paperless booth where iPod-like touchsurfaces acted as gateways for attendees to access, view, and literally swipedocuments onto USB sticks.  Read moreabout it here.

Not only did the booth draw flocks of attendees, it left a veryspecific and targeted message in attendees’ minds – which should be the goalfor any giveaway, campaign, or event at any conference.