7 Design Tips that Will Make Your Exhibition Stand a Winner

Your exhibition stand is an opportunity to create a memorable impression with potential clients and is one of the best ways to display your product in front of the right set of eyes. It can also be a great vehicle to promote your brand and services. However, all of that can’t happen unless you have a well-designed exhibition stand. In this article, we’re going to give you 7 design tips that will make your exhibition stand a winner.

Make Use of Space

If you have the space, make use of it. Create big posters or standing walls that contain your logo, images of your product in use and anything else that sells your product for you. If you have limited wall space but have floor space, set up banner systems, popup stands, panel displays, pavement signs, display stands and similar items along the edge of your exhibition slot. If the height of what you can put up is limited, consider light boxes to attract attention and stand out from the crowd.

Another option is exhibition tablecloths, especially if all you’re allowed by the exhibition is the table they provide. Always understand the rules for the facility before you decide to create the tallest displays you can afford.

You could bring in modular furniture, too, that advertises your brand while providing a natural work surface and meeting point for sales people talking to the public. You don’t have to spend a fortune on exhibition display stands; companies like Discount Displays can create attractive and professional displays that can be customised to a specific event. They also have a number of special offers on to help you out if you have a more limited budget.

Don’t cram in as much as possible into the space. Even good display boards lose their effect if you have several multimedia displays and flags right in front of them. And if you clutter the exhibition booth itself, it will look messy and something to avoid.

Have the Right Imagery and Information

Don’t make the displays too busy. Ideally, each panel shows off one product or logo. You can have several such panels. However, trying to show fifteen different products being used on the same board will demand too much of the barely interested lead, and they’ll move on to something else. This doesn’t exclude having your tagline as part of your display. A good catchphrase will capture the attention of those who notice it, assuming it is large enough to be readable from a distance and short enough that it can be read quickly. Catch phrases like this should be in the top third of the exhibition stand.

However, the catch phrases or company name in bold letters doesn’t eliminate the need to have good images to attract and engage people. Good visual displays will help you stand out in the exhibition without relying on gimmicks like aggressive giveaways. And always include your company’s logo, since this is your brand identity.

Another issue is ensuring that customers have the necessary information to contact you. You can put up a website on one of the display boards, but this doesn’t eliminate the need to hand out flyers, booklets or business cards.

Keep It Simple

Going simple is often one of the best ways to get your audience’s attention. If you can, try to keep the displays themselves as simple as possible. Go for a modular exhibition stand that can be easily carried and assembled. Go for a lightbox that you just park and plug in. A display case with the items locked into place will be ready far faster than the display case that needs to be assembled and elements put in place.

Signs need to be simple, too. Simple signs that communicate as much as possible with imagery will have a greater impact than signs that look like busy presentation slides.

Consider Your Floor Plan

Consider your exhibition space to be an extension of your showroom or corporate offices. Imagine how people will approach and interact with the space. Can passers-by readily grab literature on their way to an event, or are marketing advertisements getting in the way? Can people walk up to your staff and talk to them, or do they seem segregated and inaccessible? How will people enter your exhibition booth?

The longer the walk, the more prospects you’ll lose. Where do you want visitors to meet when they visit with your staff? Design a space where several representatives can talk to as many guests without anyone feeling crowded. In general, meeting areas should be in the back so that you can draw visitors into your stand and away from the crowd. They’ll hear you better and have fewer distractions.

Consider how you’ll use the space. Exhibition tablecloths could both promote your brand and hide the equipment or product stored underneath. Panel displays could hide equipment or keep storage boxes out of sight. This is where dramatic entrances to your exhibition space that resemble mall entrances could make your business literally stand out from the crowd while eliminating the need to find places for various stationary elements.

There’s another dimension to the floor plan that people tend to forget, and that’s the floor itself. If possible, put your own comfortable carpets on the floor in colours that match your brand’s colour scheme. Or you could put exhibition flooring down to promote your product or service; these can serve double duty by directing people to your booth in addition to advertising your business. Another option is providing valuable information like directions to the bathroom or cafeteria, even as the signage promotes your brand.

Remember That Your Staff Are on Display, Too

The exhibition booth may sell itself, but you still need people there to close the sale. The staff manning the exhibition booth need to be professionally dressed, though this may simply mean branded T-shirts and polo shorts in addition to colour-coordinated trousers and skirts. Professional behaviour is even more important, since a disengaged look at a visitor will turn them off to your entire organisation.

Another factor is the layout of the exhibition space and how it facilitates the interaction between people. Any barriers between people reduce the connection between them. This should lead you to favour a few flags and hanging displays allowing people to easily walk up to each other. If you’re using modular furniture, it should be small enough that someone can easily walk around it to assist a visitor and doesn’t make the employee seem out of reach. If your staff are sitting at tables, ensure that the product is off to the sides so that there’s nothing between the presenter and the visitor. The only exception would be an employee inviting people to interact with the product; now they appear to be a helpful teacher.

Get Interactive

We already addressed the value of multimedia presentations if they don’t distract from other advertising materials. If all you’re going to have are branded wall hangings and a few flags, then multimedia presentations are good – and any simulation or game that people can interact with is even better. If possible, arrange live product demonstrations. This attracts attention and keeps visitors engaged. At the end of each demonstration, you have a perfect opportunity to give out branded gifts or free samples. If you can’t let the general public handle the items, put a variety of the items in display cabinets while accessories, printed 3D models or other items safe to handle are available to the public.

Another option is offering a free item or service people value and will approach you for. One possibility is letting them charge their devices in your booth or connect via your wi-fi; it is a good opportunity for your staff to talk to them casually, creating a human connection. Or give out bottled water wrapped with your company’s logo. Giving out free sweets always gets people’s attention. Interactive competitions can also generate excitement and attention. Get creative, such as giving out branded mouse pads or thumb drives instead of T-shirts. However, branded pens and stationary remain valuable merchandise to give away, since people tend to use them over a long period of time and are less likely to throw it away than knick-knacks.

Light It Up

Lighting is essential, though this isn’t a guarantee in an exhibition hall. You could be literally overshadowed by someone else’s booth. One solution is setting up lamps and portable lights around your exhibition booth so that everyone can clearly see your display. Don’t overlook the benefits of directing lights at your own popup stands to make them pop.

Lightboxes are another option. This is where digital signage that both promotes your product and lights up a room do double duty. Just be careful that your lighting creates or maintains the atmosphere you want. For example, you don’t want lighting to make the carefully crafted colour scheme look garish.

Your exhibition stand determines the success or failure of the entire venture. Create an inviting, attractive and bold exhibition stand, and your staff will only have to answer visitors’ questions that the ads can’t answer. Conversely, if you have a busy, cluttered exhibition that makes people who enter feel crowded, you’ll lose them even if they stay to talk. Implement our design tips and you will make your exhibition stand a winner.