You’re exhibiting at a tradeshow surrounded by the glitz and glam of flashy spaces, engaging booths, and video screens that walk attendees through their products almost as well as salespeople do. But wait—what makes certain booths stand out while others fade into the background? It’s not just the bright lights and colors that catch attendees’ interest and keep them there, but a well-organized, professional asset library that transforms your booth and space from “check it off the list” to “let’s check this out!”
First, what is a digital asset library? Simply put, it’s an online repository your tradeshow team members can securely access 24/7 from any device to retrieve your latest digital files, including photos, videos, logos, brand guidelines, schedules, brochures, booth designs, and more. Usually, it’s an important component of a larger brand management portal that helps you streamline and organize all marketing assets, even incorporating asset ordering, reporting, and inventory functions. Essentially, an asset library within a brand management portal is your tradeshow HQ for digital assets.
Let’s dive into why your business needs a robust digital asset library and how it can elevate your next event.
Building a Robust Asset Library (Your Secret Weapon)
Every successful event needs a digital asset library. This isn’t just a folder on your desktop labeled “tradeshow materials.” It’s an organized, easily accessible, and searchable system that holds all the pieces—photos, handouts, trifolds, videos, signage, exhibit booth graphics, branded merchandise, and even the custom font you use for your brand’s signature look.
Whether you’re prepping for a last-minute conference or a year-long tradeshow tour, your assets are locked and loaded, ensuring consistency across every event you attend. And as a bonus, consider that it’s a massive time-saver.
How an Asset Library Saves You (And Your Sanity)
Imagine your team scrambling two days before a tradeshow because no one can find the updated company logo. With a digital asset library, your marketing materials are already organized, tagged, and ready to roll. Need the latest version of that sales deck? It’s there. Searching for last year’s booth designs to tweak for this year’s event? Easy.
Not only does an asset library streamline your workflow, but it also ensures brand consistency. You’ll never have to worry about mismatched logos, outdated information, or searching for content at the last minute. Instead, you’ll breeze into every event with everything perfectly polished and prepped.
Five Essential Assets for Your Events
Now that we’re clear on why you need an asset library, what should it include?
- Exhibit Booths: Your booth is your brand’s “home away from home.” Whether it’s a 10’x10’ pop-up or a sprawling custom setup, make sure the design is on point and aligned with the rest of your marketing. It’s also a great opportunity to do something different to stand out.
- Marketing Materials: A beautifully designed handout or trifold is tactile and memorable – and easy to pass along to key stakeholders. Include key info and a strong call-to-action, but don’t overload them with text – let the compelling graphics do some of the talking. Along with these assets, include the source photography so you can always update the visuals or create new materials.
- Videos: Looping product demos or customer testimonials on a screen behind your booth is an easy way to pull people in without having to pitch to every passerby. Just make sure they’re short, snappy, high-quality, and on-brand.
- Signage: Banners, backdrops, and even directional signs should be branded, sleek, and professional. Your marketing materials for business extend far beyond the booth itself.
- Branded Merchandise: Shirts, pens, reusable bags – if it’s going to have your logo on it, make it worth keeping. People love new tech gadgets, useful items for their home or office, or things that make traveling easy. Get something you’ll be proud to put your name on!
Related: Four Steps to Finding the Perfect Promo Items
Start With High-Quality Materials (Because No One Wants to Look at Blurry Photos)
Imagine walking into a tradeshow where the first thing you see is a pixelated logo or a banner that looks like it was printed in the 90s. Not the best first impression, right? High-quality materials are non-negotiable. Whether it’s professional photographs, crisp marketing materials for business, or sleek exhibit booths, what you show the world speaks volumes about your brand. If you start with the best assets, you’ll end up with an event presence that looks professional.
Your asset library should be an organized repository of high-resolution photos, impactful graphics, and polished videos within your brand management portal. Got a great shot of your CEO from last year’s event? Save it. Did your graphic designer work their magic on that slick infographic? Store it. Every time you invest in top-notch materials, you help your team build a stronger digital asset library. And remember that all photography should be professionally executed – more on that in this article.
A Game Changer for Event Success
Your next tradeshow or conference could either be a missed opportunity or a total win. The secret sauce? A well-organized asset library filled with high-quality marketing materials. It’s the backbone of a professional, consistent event presence that leaves lasting impressions. When it comes to events, your digital asset library isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s your competitive edge.
Ironmark can provide that edge for you, and it’s called Ignition. A centralized, cloud-based brand management platform that organizes, shares, orders, prints, fulfills, ships, and tracks materials, it’s an asset library on steroids with features that streamline your marketing efforts significantly. Talk to us about how Ignition can help to consolidate and accelerate your brand. We can add already-created assets or build new ones. Our end-to-end services include marketing strategies from initial concept planning to conquering the tradeshow. Reach out today and transform your next event!
