So, you’ve invested in exhibiting at an upcoming event; that’s great! You’ve probably found yourself on this page because you want to ensure that the event goes as well as it can go, and creating a standout exhibition stand design is now firmly on your radar.
There are lots of things to consider when planning an exhibition, and the design of your exhibition stand is probably one of the most important of all. If your stand doesn’t appeal to the event visitors, then effectively, it’s the equivalent of throwing that investment down the drain.
You want your exhibition stand design to stand out, attract your audience, and ultimately contribute to why being an exhibitor was a resounding success.
In this article, we provide some key things to consider when designing an exhibition stand.
Exhibiting is not cheap; it’s an investment, so to maximise the return on investment (ROI), having clearly defined objectives on paper ensures you know exactly what you want to achieve. You can then plan your exhibition stand design to help you get there. We recommend setting SMART objectives.
What are SMART objectives?
For example, if your objective is to generate more leads for your business, then your SMART objectives would look something like this:
Top tip if your objective is to generate leads: Knowing your conversion rate will give you a good indication of how many leads you need to generate.
Having a good understanding of your audience is super important when designing your exhibition stand. After all, you’ll want to create a stand design that appeals directly to them.
Take a step back, look at the event you have signed up for, and ask yourself: Who are the typical visitors? Who is it that attends an event like that? What’s their age? profession? What are their interests? Having a good idea of this information will help you create an exhibition stand design that is not only appealing but also attracts people to your stand at the event.
You might find that the event has a few different types of visitors. Maybe they have their own interests, or their job roles and needs differ slightly. That’s okay! You can get a good idea of the audience and create a stand design that appeals to them all.
This one is also closely related to knowing your audience. Sometimes a branded stand isn’t enough to attract your target audience to your stand. So, once you have a good idea of what your audience’s interests are, you can come up with a list of things that you can feature on your stand that help you stand out from your competition.
A stand-out focus could be anything from a product launch or promotion to a game for visitors to take part in, a competition to enter, or a giveaway.
A great example of this was when we exhibited at the VM & Display Show in April 2022. This event is a leading retail industry exhibition that attracts retail designers, marketers, visual merchandisers, and everyone in between. Working with a number of clients already in the retail sector, we knew that sustainability and environmental retail design were hot topics, with brands and retailers all looking for ways to be more eco-friendly in their stores and displays.
Keeping this in mind, we created a bespoke exhibition stand with an eco-focused design, crafted from sustainable materials and fully recyclable. Not a thing went to the landfill. We even offset our carbon emissions from being at the show using the tree planting scheme.
Your company’s branding, personality, and style should certainly not be forgotten during the exhibition design process. Just because your stand has a particular message or focus, you still want to be recognised as the company you are representing.
Sharing your brand guidelines with an exhibition designer is super important; they’ll get valuable insight into your business and come up with some creative ways to incorporate them into your exhibition stand design. If you don’t have a brand guideline for your business, share any other literature you can to bridge the gap.
Another thing to think about is the type of environment you want to create on your stand. This is where the ‘feel’ comes in. Do you want visitors to come onto your stand and sit in a lounger and sip on fancy coffee, or do you want them to prop themselves up at a bar-like counter and have an informal natter? The personality of your brand may determine which of these options is right for you.
There are four main types of exhibition stands to choose from when planning your exhibition stand design. Typically, your budget will guide what option is most suited for you, as well as the space that is on offer.
Roll-up banners or pop-up graphic displays are quick and easy to assemble. Your exhibition space will have impactful graphics in a matter of minutes. Temporary exhibition displays such as these are also easy to pack up and carry, so you don’t have any costly logistics fees as they can simply go in your car boot.
Exhibition shell scheme displays are the metal structures and fabric wall booths that you find in many exhibition halls across the globe. These are often put in place by the exhibition organisers, and at the point of designing your exhibition stand, you will probably know if the space that you have booked is a shell-scheme booth or a space-only option.
There are some limitations with the shell-scheme display, as it’s likely that you cannot affix anything directly to the fabric walls of the booth. That said, there are many display options available where exhibition stand graphics can be fixed to the booth structure without causing any hard-fix damages. It’s completely possible to line your shell scheme with graphics that transform the look of this booth display.
Shell-scheme displays are often smaller in size than space-only stand spaces and are typically cheaper too.
Modular exhibition stands are constructed using metal components, typically aluminium, that link together to create exhibition stand displays. The ability to link display pieces together makes it possible to create scalable exhibition stand displays easily and also reuse them for multiple events. Modular exhibition stands are a great sustainable option.
As your exhibition stand designer knows what can be achieved with modular exhibition displays, they will ultimately be the best person to bring your ideas to life. These displays are often interpreted from initial stand design concepts, as the modular designer will know how to use the system to create the best execution of the desired concept.
A bespoke exhibition stand design requires the ability to create something unique and tailored to you and your brand. Custom exhibition stand designs can range in size, from something as small as a few square metres right up to huge, hundreds-square-metre pavilions.
Exhibition stand designers will take a brief from you, asking all the questions that you have answered if you’ve followed the points in this article. By understanding your objectives, your target audience, and their interests, an exhibition stand designer will create a unique design, layout, and stand message for your stand.
Many exhibitors who are conscious of their impact on the environment will opt for custom-built exhibition stands. This is because materials can be selected with an environmental focus, creating a sustainable stand design that can be recycled or repurposed after use.
If you have the budget to go bespoke with exhibition stand design, the possibilities are endless.
Designing an exhibition stand is no quick process. Careful consideration should be given to the factors that we’ve outlined in this article to ensure that you create the best possible exhibition stand design that drives a return on investment for your business.
Looking to create an exhibition stand design for your next event? We can help! Contact us today via email hello@kgkgenix.com or 01920 461244.