Top 10 Things to Consider When Planning Your Exhibition Stand
Establish Your Objectives 🎯
When you choose to exhibit at a conference, trade show or international exhibition, it's a good idea to know what you and your brand's objectives are, so that your stand can be designed to accommodate this.
Whether your focus is on growth, increased brand awareness, sales or lead generation - creative, tailored design and high quality stand build is key to achieving these aims.
Establishing your target audience, creating a profile of your ideal delegate or buyer and keeping their aims and preferences in mind when crafting your stand design is a great first step towards success, whatever that looks like for you.
Keep It Real 😎
You don't have to splash the cash to create an eye-catching stand or generate a return, but it's important to be realistic about how much your allocated space or designated budget range can accommodate.
A good stand contractor will help you maximise your return on investment and provide practical advice on what can be sourced, fabricated or assembled safely within the organiser/venue build and breakdown times.
Establish your scope, aims and practical requirements first - designs can be spruced up or scaled down around these core needs. Remember, if you're a growing company with big ambitions, you can always spice things up next year! 🚀
Function Over Form ⚙️
Big, flashy stands look great, but if the design isn't tailored to what you need or doesn't align with your aims or brand identity, it's not going to be worth the investment or achieve what you're looking for.
Consider what onsite services you may need and how these will be incorporated into the design. Will you require catering, running water, internet or power? Other considerations may include private meeting rooms, charging tables or seating areas - there's a lot to think about!
To promote a professional look and prevent visual clutter on your stand, consider lockable storage or (if your stand space and budget allows) cloakrooms for overflow literature, giveaways & merchandise, bags and coats.
Stand Layout & Orientation 🔁
When choosing your space size and location, think about whether you would prefer to be up against the venue walls, or out in the middle of the show floor with an open island site - it all depends on what you're looking to achieve and what works best for your brand.
Take note of the hall entrances, official show areas and natural delegate flows - you want your layout to feel inviting and maximise footfall onto and around your stand; showstopping designs won't mean anything if you're hidden away in a corner or obstructing visitors on all sides!
Make sure you've assigned clear, designated areas for seating, catering or product demonstrations which not only look good, but also serve a purpose, working in harmony with your design and practical requirements.
Brand Communication 📢
In face-to-face marketing, drawing delegate attention is key to driving footfall and engagement, capturing leads and, ultimately, driving sales, so you'll want to quickly and clearly communicate your brand identity and include stand features that really pique visitor interest.
To improve brand recognition and consistency, your stand design should align with your established brand colours or guidelines, and ideally your latest marketing campaign materials.
It's worth noting that although industry specific messaging is vital to provide visual context and serves to establish competency and expertise, you don't always need to fill your walls with reams of product information or text; you can often communicate professionalism through colour, icons, bespoke finishes or stand features. Sometimes, less is more, and you should let your stand design speak for itself.
Product Placement, Demonstrations & Displays ✨
Whether you're launching a new product range or just looking to inject some interactivity to your stand offering, it's important to carefully plan product demonstrations and touchpoints.
Aside from the practical considerations, such as underfloor cabling, power and internet connectivity, you should think about product placement in relation to the stand and showfloor layouts.
Showcasing the best of your offering to stand visitors is essential to creating memorable experiences and opportunities to build genuine connections.
Fit for Purpose 🧩
Bear in mind that longer term or permanent installations such as showroom fitouts or retail displays may need to be constructed from higher quality, more durable or fire rated materials, depending on the venue.
Although appealing to the budget conscious exhibitor, the cheapest quote isn't always the best option. You should consider that something built cheaply may require repair or reconstruction after only a few uses, unlike high quality elements which may only need a quick refurbishment or lick of paint between installs.
So, if you're planning to send a stand out to 5 shows a year, or shuffle it between venues overseas, it needs to last - appointing a qualified stand contractor with a skilled workforce (and secure client storage) is paramount. Sometimes, a larger initial investment might actually be the more economical option, saving you money AND headaches later down the line.
Sustainability 🌳
If you're looking for something bespoke, but concerned about sustainability, many suppliers carry plenty of hired, modular and stock options that can be incorporated into your design and reused or recycled.
Consider your contractor's location in relation to the venue, their accreditations, supply chain and waste management provisions. Some may offer alternative or recyclable options for graphics or flooring for example, ensuring peace of mind with regards to staying green.
If you plan to reuse the stand in future or attend the same show again, refurbishing existing stand structure is both a sustainable and economical option; you can always print new graphics to spruce up old designs.
Keep Visitors Engaged 💡
Visual points of interest are key to capturing visitor attention and driving traffic to your stand; it's about going beyond communicating simple product & services information. Careful planning, coordination and placement of lighting, audiovisual and graphic elements can work together to create a memorable experience.
Interactive elements too can give exhibition stands a whole new dimension and provide an opportunity for gathering relevant industry data from peers and potential clients, which you can use to inform your sales and exhibiting strategies going forward, especially in conjunction with relevant and meaningful follow up marketing.
Promoting engagement through quizzes, votes or competitions helps to increase brand awareness by boosting familiarity with your products or values, and tangible branded merchandise or giveaways will keep you top of mind, even after delegates have left the show floor. Crafting positive encounters and memorable event experiences is a great way to leave a lasting impression.
Industry Trends 📈
Of course you want to stand out from your competitors, but it's a good idea to at least loosely complement the overall show look and feel; you want to get noticed, but you also want to make sure your stand is in keeping with the industry setting and avoid sticking out like a sore thumb.
Whether you're looking to match a particular style or avoid any stand faux-pas, it's a great idea to take photos of any design features you liked/disliked on stands at other events you've attended, or draw up lists of things from your previous stands that either worked well or need some adjustments.
Although it's not a good idea to lean so much on external influences that your own brand gets lost, taking inspiration from the latest industry trends, relevant successful advertising campaigns or pop culture references can also help to give your stand a bit of character or a quirky twist.
In Conclusion 💭
You don't need to follow a rigid, step by step guide in order to have a successful show, but, in order to get the most out of exhibiting, these are all considerations and key areas of focus that should be on your mind when designing your space.
A great stand contractor can help you navigate all of the above and their help can really mean the difference between a passable stand and potential loss, or a showstopping experiential display which turns out to be a genuinely good investment providing real value. 💯
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