The nature of trade shows means that exhibitors are in direct competition for the attention of visitors. Nevertheless, most attendees will only actually manage to visit around 10 percent of the booths at a trade show, according to Enigma Visual Solutions, which makes the design of exhibition stands of paramount importance.
For exhibiting companies, this means making the most of the available space to showcase their products or services, provide room for visitors to move around and include the various design elements that will attract attention. Here, we offer tips on how to achieve this on a limited budget.
1. Choose Your Space Carefully
The first step to maximising the amount of space available is to select your floor space carefully, wherever possible. Although space tends to be made available in standard sizes, like 10×10, or 20×20, not all of these spaces are equal in reality and some positions on the exhibition floor will be easier to work with.
For most modular exhibition stands, it is best to avoid the corners of the room, as the walls of the room will make it impossible for visitors to make use of the space immediately surrounding your stand. For the same reason, you also want to avoid any space that is situated too close to another company’s booth.
Try to choose a space which will allow your booth to be accessible on at least three sides and, with some designs, all four is best. Ideally, you want to be situated as close to the main aisle as possible, in a central position.
2. Include a Meeting Area
Another great way to free up space and make a booth seem less cramped is to include a dedicated meeting area, where you can sit down with visitors and have lengthier conversations. With most exhibition stands, a meeting area can be included without breaking the bank and without occupying too much floor space.
Whether you choose to have a formal setting, like a desk and chairs, or an informal setup, including lounge seating, there are many options to suit your business needs. For other visitors, this can look a lot less intimidating to approach than when a stand is filled with people standing around talking. It also means those who are going to stay in your booth for a while will be seated away from the main entrances, freeing up that space and making the entire display seem more inviting.
3. Make Use of Three Dimensions
As previously mentioned, space at trade shows is usually distributed based on standard floor space sizes, like 10×10. With that being said, exhibitors need to think in three dimensions, rather than two, because one of the single best ways to maximise space is to utilise the space above the floor.
Modular exhibition stands can allow for things like screens to be installed into the walls, ensuring they take up no extra floor space. Arches or lighting rigs can double up to include various design elements too. Placing banners or logos above ground level can sometimes free up additional room for people to move around.
By thinking in three dimensions rather than two, you can fit more into the space you have been allocated.
4. Take Only Your Best Staff
Finally, you want to try to limit the amount of space taken up by your own staff by ensuring you only take those who will be most engaged, most useful, best at talking to customers and most effective at closing sales. Five excellent staff will be of more value than 10 who are not committed to the cause and will take up less room too.
Of course, you need to be certain that you have enough staff to cope with the demands of the show, and it is better to have too many than not enough. Nevertheless, you need to choose wisely and only select keen staff members, who are going to give you 100 percent effort, rather than take up valuable space without contributing a whole lot.
“Use only personable trade show booth staff personnel that engage with enthusiasm,” the Tradeshow Network Marketing Group recommend in a blog post. “Don’t send the people that do not want to be there.”
Author Bio: Reno is a founder and director of a leading exhibition and event company Enigma Visual Solutions, specialising in retail designs, event branding, bespoke exhibition stands, trade show marketing and much more. He specialises in experiential marketing and event productions. Reno enjoys sharing his thoughts on upcoming marketing ideas and design trends. Follow him on twitter.