To most companies, trade show displays are something that are put up only at a convention, and taken down shortly afterward. They rarely see any use apart from the actual exhibition, and spend the rest of their time gathering dust. For a small handful of companies, portable displays have become much more than an occasional-use item; they have adapted these old designs to new purposes and are seeing success because of it.

Use #1: Enhancing A Company Tour

Many large businesses have a tour that shows some of their facilities to interested visitors. Whether it's a donut factory, a jellybean facility, or a local recycling center, many businesses have something that's worth seeing. To help people understand what they're looking at, many of these businesses have started using portable displays along the tour route. These exhibits are versatile and often use mixed media, sometimes including videos or audio as well as photos and text.

Without these consoles, the visitor experience would be much less rich and informative. Although these exhibits were never designed for use at a convention, they are often designed by convention companies and share many similarities. The only difference is that they're designed with a slightly different goal in mind.

Use #2: The Interesting Waiting Room

Doctors and veterinarians are no longer the only ones with waiting rooms. Increasingly, businesses do have to make clients wait for their service, and many businesses are taking advantage of that waiting time to promote themselves. Inside a waiting room, your clients have little to do save for read and wait. Why not keep small trade show displays in the room and use them to highlight recent accomplishments?

If you're a lawyer or law firm, try displaying news stories about recent high-profile cases you negotiated. Whatever your business, use the board to tell the world about your recent triumphs. You can also use it to communicate your involvement with charities, possibly even to display thank you letters sent by grateful community leaders.

Use #3: The Business Information Center

When your business becomes a local institution, you might want to consider opening a miniature history museum. This type of facility does double duty as a tourist attraction and as a great place to communicate with your buyers. It should be placed on your main grounds, and should have rich descriptions of your history and your greatest triumphs. It should also have samples of your work and a small gift shop.

Many companies who have used this technique choose modified trade show displays to teach people about their history. The exhibits are generally custom designed and then posted permanently inside the building, although they can be updated if the company so chooses.

What's Right For You?

Not every business will have a public forum, and not every public forum needs portable displays. Ultimately, only you can decide whether your company will see a benefit from using one of these techniques. You may want to commission studies and use focus groups to determine whether your clients would be receptive to it, as any of these options will require at least some investment. If your company is in the right market, you are likely to see huge returns.