Planning your exhibition Stand

The visual impression you make at your event is vital, telling a story not only about your organisation but also the type of people you want to attract.

Your exhibition stand will act as a shop window for your organisation and should always therefore be viewed as an extension of your brand.

If you are investing in new stand equipment and graphics it is important to think and plan long term in order to maximise the return from your investment. The golden rule is to opt for equipment that is flexible and can cater for your changing needs. If you attend recruitment as well as sales exhibitions, it would be most cost effective to opt for equipment with interchangeable graphics so you can change your message for future events.

1. Create a strong graphic message

You have just three seconds to attract your audience's attention so your graphic message should be clear and bold.

  • Keep text minimal: - to attract your target audience you need to ensure that who you are and what you offer is crystal clear.
  • Use bullet points to summarise your key messages.
  • Keep your main messages above 1 metre
  • Use bright colourful images to symbolise what you offering. Think about imagery which would attract the eye of the visitors.

2. Avoid barriers

To attract a maximum number of visitors to your stand it is essential that you do not have any barriers restricting access.

Aim to keep your stand as open plan as possible and keep your meeting areas towards the back of the stand. This will enable staff to continue to attract new footflow at the front.


3. Bring your stand to life and differentiate your company

A exhibition is an opportunity for you to bring your company branding/culture to life to attract new business.

Think about your key message, if you are launching a new product or service or wanting to increase sales leads, your stand could reflect this with bold colours, sound and maybe even some special attractions such as online demo’s, gimmicks or comedians.

Consider audio visual equipment to bring some movement to the stand, you could consider running a video or presentation.


4. Light up

The most impressive stand in the world can be totally lost without effective lighting.

Lighting can be used to create an impact and draw people to your stand.

Coloured lighting effects can be an excellent way to maximise your presence with minimum investment and are available to hire.

Experiment with direction, intensity and colour, lighting really can make or break your stand!


5. Use your height

Stand out from the crowd and ensure your stand is clearly visible in the exhibition hall.

Some organisers will allow you to build up to 6 metres high and you get charged no extra for using this space!

A 6 metre stand will tower above a shell scheme and draw the crowds from across the hall so where possible this opportunity should not be missed.