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With a highly-defined audience, industry-relevant content and speakers and comprehensive PR plans to attract delegates and generate buzz and hype, trade shows are an unmissable opportunity to showcase your organisation, your products and/or services and the people behind your brand.
One of the most important aspects to consider when exhibiting at a trade show is how you show up. The look and feel of your stand need to be planned carefully to make sure it helps you stand out from the crowd and as a result, attract as many people as possible to engage with your brand and exhibition team.
Eye-Catching Trade Stand Design & Layout
The more creative and innovative your stand design, the more likely it is to attract a crowd. Think about the stand colour scheme and how this can be used to amplify your presence. Bold colours like deep red or orange can create a sense of energy and power, whilst darker colours such as black or purple can make your stand look luxurious and elegant. The clever use of lighting, which you can read more about here, can help create ambiance on your stand, spotlighting key areas or using colour to draw attention to a product or stand feature. Exhibition stand signage can also be an effective way to capture the attention of your audience, especially when designed with unusual materials or in a creative design.
It’s also important to think about the physical experience a delegate will have when they reach your stand. There should be a natural flow through the areas you want to draw your audience’s attention to as well as space to interact comfortably with those who wish to engage in a deeper conversation. Your stand design is key to this as it can incorporate bespoke stand elements and carefully selected furniture that combine to create a seamless and purposeful flow through your entire exhibition space.
Interactive Stand Elements & Technology
With attention spans shorter than ever, creating ways to capture the imagination of delegates is essential. There are many options available to integrate technology and interactive elements into your stand design, both to purchase outright or to hire. From TV screens live-streaming content, gamification to create some competitive spirit or even VR headsets to immerse your audience in new surroundings, there is something for everyone which you can read more about here. Budget is an important consideration as this will determine the best option for each trade show and remember to integrate technology with purpose – it should add to the experience of your brand presence in a meaningful way to have lasting impact.
Branding & Messaging
There is always a ‘why’ to exhibiting and it’s important to tease this out in the key messaging for your exhibition or trade show stand. Having a clearly-defined narrative helps create a more focused and impactful design that is purposeful in the brand message it needs to convey. Words aren’t always the most powerful way to covey a brand message so be open to using graphics, multi-media content and other creative methods to help make sure your audience know why you’re there and how you can help them.
Sustainability & Eco-Friendly Trade Stand Ideas
With an increasing global focus on creating more sustainable and environmentally-aware trade shows and exhibitions, the industry is making a real effort to change its ways. From removing single-use plastic to implementing renewable energy sources, organisers are making more conscious decisions about how they deliver an event. As an individual exhibitor there are lots choices you can make that support this agenda whether it’s as part of your trade show preparations, such as the materials or production process involved in your stand build or the logistics arrangements connected with storage and movement of trade show stand elements. You can find read our top tips to make your trade stand more sustainable here.
Creative Giveaways
Whilst sweets and pens will always remain a popular and budget-friendly option for exhibition giveaways, it’s now easier than ever to select items that will have far more impact with the recipient whilst still boosting your brand. There are lots of unique options to choose from, and sourcing from a small business local to the event or looking for a sustainable option will help with your eco credentials. Think about how your trade show or event messaging/brand can be captured within the giveaway and whether there’s post-event engagement in your choice, such as asking recipients to post a fun picture with a specific hashtag showing them using their item.
Engaging Presentations & Demonstrations
With such a highly-targeted audience, trade shows are a great way to deliver a live presentation or product demonstration within your stand space. Aim to keep these short and purposeful to hold the attention of the audience and where possible, think about how you can involve the audience in what you’re sharing. Don’t be shy about using technology or props to support your demo and make sure your event team are fully briefed on the product or topic to ensure they can continue the engagement once the live event presentation has finished.
Pre & Post-Show Marketing
Make the most of your time at the trade show by planning a comprehensive pre and post engagement campaign. Use social media, direct email and word of mouth to hype your presence, perhaps teasing a highlight or main event you have planned within your exhibition space. Encourage your audience to live-post social content during the event as well as deploying your own social posting to create more buzz and perhaps even a little ‘fomo’ (fear of missing out!). Post event, follow up on the warm leads and relationships you’ve cultivated to ensure you benefit commercially, from your investment in the trade show.
Why Not Talk To The Experts?
There’s a lot to think about when you’re planning a trade show, whether it’s a one-off investment or part of a multi-exhibition strategy. Working with a partner that can design, manufacture and install your trade show stand has many benefits, from time with our expert designers to understanding the latest industry innovation in stand design through to accessing our team of highly-skilled installation team who will support you pre, during and post event. We have an exceptional reputation built on over four decades of excellence. Exhibitions and trade show stands are our passion and we love nothing more than supporting you to deliver exceptional events, time after time. Talk to our team today by emailing here, giving us a call on 01270 848 650 or completing our quick online form and we’ll get straight back to you.
