How to come up with the perfect exhibition stand design.
Whether you’re showcasing your company at the BIC in Bournemouth, turning up to an event at the ExCel Centre in London or trying to stand out at the NEC in Birmingham, coming up with the perfect exhibition stand design is a difficult task. Here are some ideas for how you can supercharge your exhibition design.
Be creative and original.
One of the most effective ways to attract visitors to your stand is to be unique. Being memorable to potential clients is extremely important, so you should strive to do something different that makes you stand out. You want to be as unique and recognisable as possible among your competitors. In your exhibition design, you should also think about what exactly you want to communicate to visitors. Think about why your potential customers should choose you, and not the competition. If possible, try to communicate a very simple or minimal message. By presenting confusing, muddled or inappropriate messages you might drive away visitors.
Think about your brand.
As well as presenting something original, you should also try and make your stand reflect your corporate identity. Make sure your stand design communicates your brand effectively to visitors, and think about things like colours and messaging. Think about the overall image you want visitors to have of your brand. Having an identity makes everyone more confident and helps to form stronger relationships. It helps to build loyalty among clients and helps develop brand awareness.
Observe your competitors.
You should always pay attention to other traders at exhibitions, especially your competitors. By observing them, you can find new and interesting ways to stand out from the pack and be that stand that visitors flock to. As well as finding ways to be more unique among rivals, you should also think about taking inspiration for ideas. If you see an excellent idea somewhere you certainly shouldn’t be afraid to take inspiration from it. Steve Jobs was famously quoted, saying “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
You can’t please everybody.
Trade shows and exhibitions are home to a very wide range of potential visitors. No matter what techniques you employ in the design of your stand, you are unlikely to be able to attract every single visitor. Instead you should focus on having a clear and simple message, and attracting a targeted audience that will benefit you the most.
Create an experience.
Being memorable to visitors is very important. There are many ways to do this, but perhaps the best way is to create a positive experience. You can hold Q&A sessions with clients to help improve your communication and get closer to visitors. You can hold contests to encourage people to interact and offer a potential reward in the form of prizes. You can even use games. People love playing games, and competitiveness encourages people to interact and share with their friends and other people.
Use current technology.
As mentioned in point 4, games are a great way to interact with visitors and create a positive experience. Whilst physical games are effective, you should definitely look at taking advantage of technology to create virtual experiences. For example, you could design a simple computer game and have it downloadable as an app outside the exhibition. That way, visitors can continue interacting with you after the event, and will remember you for even longer. Also look at emerging technologies such as VR and AR, which can supercharge the experience of visiting your stall. As an example, you could design a minimal white space that comes to life with colours and animations when viewed through augmented reality (AR).
Avoid offering too much.
Visitors don’t want to spend all their time or energy on one stand, so you should try to avoid overloading them with information or things to do. Clutter can also ruin the design of a stall and make it look less appealing to visitors. Simple and minimalist designs are often the best way to attract visitors, and improve the way your stall looks. Steve Jobs is also a source of inspiration here as he championed simplicity and minimalism in the design of branding and structures for Apple.
Why large exhibition stands are good.
Large exhibition stands are good if you have a lot to show off, or want to incorporate a lot of empty space for a more minimalist design. They might also help you create a bolder or more impressive visual statement. Large stands can also accommodate a larger amount of visitors, which might be suitable if you are expecting a lot of footfall.
Why a small stand might be better.
Whilst a large stand does have some advantages, using a smaller space has many advantages too. Perhaps the first advantage is that by spending less money on your exhibition space, you have more to spend on marketing, which is essential if you want to reach visitors effectively. You can also expend more effort promoting your stand outside the event. Another issue with large stands is that whilst empty space can make an impact, it can also drive away visitors. Some people even find large empty spaces intimidating. Smaller stands can also be more intimate, giving you more of an opportunity to interact with visitors and create a positive experience. You should also make sure your stand matches the amount of footfall at the event, so a small stand might be better if you are expecting less visitors. An oversized stand with a lack of footfall risks looking deserted, which is not attractive to visitors.
Consider hiring an expert.
Coming up with the perfect exhibition stand is a very difficult task, and getting input from an expert can help you create something incredible. Fortunately, Digital Storm is here to help. We have almost two decades of experience designing custom exhibition stands, and have worked with many different clients. We’re very flexible, so get in touch with us to book a consultation.
At the end of the day, getting your exhibition stall just right is a very complex task. There are many different things to consider, such as your visual impact or even the structural design of a stand. We hope this post has helped you think about creating the perfect exhibition space.