Before you hit the venue get the best tips for designing your exhibition stand.
Create an attractive exhibition display
Take two exhibition stands that are the same. One could be brilliant for a service business that has no physical product, but a disaster for a company that needs to showcase lots of products.
Designing your exhibition stand requires careful consideration. What are you trying to achieve? Consider the following questions to get the best out of your stand:
- What colours and graphics are the right fit for our brand?
- Where is the key point of our exhibition stand that people will see walking down the aisles in the hall?
- What exhibition stand decor do we need and how do we make it simple
- How can we position everything so that our open sides are inviting for visitors?
- Where on the exhibition stand can we position our brochures? Are they clearly within reach of visitors?
- Is our company name visible from at least 15 feet away?
- Is the stand number marked on our exhibition stand for the visitors to see?
- Is there a clear metre around any free-standing units we have on the exhibition stand?
- If we are using a raised floor, is it finished and accessible for visitors?
At the end of the day, the exhibition stand is the first thing your visitors will see about your company.
Tick these boxes
✓It’s presenting the right perception of your company
✓It’s using colours that best represent your message
✓It’s clearly inviting and accessible for visitors
✓It has a simple layout with little clutter
✓It’s comfortable for your exhibition team to manage and work on
✓It features lots of open space
✓It has enough but a limited amount of furniture
Light up your exhibition stand
You’ll need to ensure that your graphics and any physical product are well lit up.
I would recommend using just one colour lighting. Think about the key areas of the exhibition stand that needs focus and ensure that the lighting there is 100%.
I have found over the years that many companies put far too many lights on their exhibition stand and the result is very overpowering!
Quadrant2Design exclusively use LED lights on their exhibition stands and feature underlit bases on their showcases to ensure that the focus truly is on your product.
Colour Matters
When designing your promotional material and exhibition stand, think about what message you are trying to send out.
BLUE – Inspires trust and security
RED – Encourages urgency and impulse buying
YELLOW – Promotes clarity and ease of use of the product
ORANGE – Used as a strong call to action to do something
GREEN – Promotes healthy lifestyle and products associated
PURPLE – Represents creativity and quality
As a visitor walks down an aisle in an exhibition hall you have just 4 seconds to make an impression.
The design and layout of your exhibition stand, as well as the colours you’ve used, will have a dramatic effect on how you are perceived in those precious seconds.
Perception drives sales
When it comes to exhibitions, the simpler the better. Take a look at the list above and decide how you want to come across.
When designing your exhibition display you need to think about what your customer will see. If you’re in the direct to client market with a smaller priced item, then you are probably looking for a quick sale and lots of them!
If this is the case, you need to use a strong call to action colours. Likewise, if you sell a consultative product or service, it may be more important to use a strong credible colour.
Every case is different, but don’t underestimate that colour choice is important. The exhibition stand layout also makes a difference and can be hugely positive in conveying your message.
Stephan “The Exhibition Guy” Murtagh has 25+ years’ experience in the exhibition and events industry and has worked with many of the biggest organisers in the industry.
As a qualified Fetac trainer, he set-up The Exhibition Guy to educate and train people on how to sell more, his website features module-based courses and coaching for real-life situations within the sector.