HINT 4 – Goals and Measures
Exhibition Stands are meant to increase Brand awareness. Plan to measure
the stand’s effectiveness through targets, such as:
• 5% Increase in your client list;
• New product or service launched;
• Business or product Repositioned;
• New leads generated; and
• Picture of target audience made clear.
Create a communication plan that makes a clear statement of your goals with the measures
of success, to help you:
• Choose the exhibition you want to participate in;
• Configure the type of stand and internal displays/services you want;
• Determine the number of people you need to bring;
• Determine the gifts, publications, information and merchandise you might need; and
• Determine the competition or lead generating activities you will use.
HINT 5 - Attention Span
It is widely accepted that you have 3 Seconds to snare a client into your exhibition
experience. In 3 seconds you need to communicate:
• Who you are
• What you do
HINT 6 - Display Stand Design
Be Different
"If this is such a great idea how come everyone else is not doing it ? "
Don't be afraid to think and explore new and better ways to generate better results for
your company. Doing what everyone else are doing is the easiest but not the best way
to take your company to the next step.
The design of exhibition and display stands needs to consider two fundamental
characteristics:
Spatial Awareness:
The size and orientation of stand, including its base materials (wood/metal/fabric),can
often make an imposing statement in an exhibition, and control your ability to attract
visitors, not unlike creating an architecture for an iconic building.
The Stand infrastructure needs to make a good impression in the first seconds. This can
be achieved by embedding service or product operations into the functions of the stand
(e.g. shoulder line of sight for product operations, use of floor graphics to capture
contemplation or encourage traffic/lead generation, use of turrets for locating your
product/service offer.)
Will your exhibition stand support your staff members and their roles during the show,
including the right place to stand in order to have a conversation, access to look and
feel models (requiring physical space) or virtual models (requiring technology including
power/data cabling, audio-visual equipment) and places for private reflection by your
customers (demonstration, tables or stands for meetings or to take down details).
How will the stand facilitate storage. Hiding unsightly boxes, bags and supplies,
(i.e. anything that isn’t part of your display) can be designed to be accommodated in the
stands infrastructure skeleton/frame. The design caters for hiding plain cardboard boxes
and any other packing materials you may have used to ship everything to the exhibition in.
Brand Awareness:
Getting Design/Artwork right is critical in achieving results and meeting objectives.
There are four basic principles to keep in mind that will ensure your design/artwork
supports your goals.
• KIS – Keep It Simple
Many exhibitors try to load their design/artwork with too many messages and images. Keep
in mind that the exhibition stand’s task is to get the right people into a sphere of
influence. Once they are in, you can provide them with an immersive experience that details
and sells your product and services.
• The 3 seconds rule
The exhibition environment is a busy one and on average you have only 3 seconds to get
people’s attention. Your design/artwork should be able to let passing by traffic know who
you are and what you do within 3 seconds.
• Brand Consistency
Ensure your artwork maintains brand consistency. This ensures you product is easily
recognisable outside the exhibition and trade show environment, or it can align the exhibition
to any other (non-exhibition) relevant marketing and promotion.
• Target audience-driven ArtWork
When creating artwork always think about your target audience. How will your target audience
interpret your artwork (images and text), showing them how your product or service fulfils
their needs or solves their problems.
Artwork can be used to filter visitors, ensuring you attract your main target audience,
letting you get on topic within 3 seconds, on the products/solutions you offer. This will
optimise your staff's time in engaging in qualified contacts.
HINT 7 - Play to Emotions
Colour is a big part of your exhibition stand graphics. While text and shapes will help
create your message, it is colour that will set the tone.
Research has shown that:
84% of consumers identify colour as the primary reason for purchasing a product.
Consumers make subconscious judgments about a product within 90 seconds of first seeing it.
62% to 90% of a consumers initial assessment is based solely on colour.
Setting the Mood with Colour.
Colours are closely associated with emotion. In order to produce a graphic that works, you
must understand how the shades you chose will be interpreted by your audience.
Primary Colours evoke emotion
• Red evokes intense emotions.
Red is often associated with passion and,when used on objects like roses, can also symbolise
love. Red is known to encourage appetite, which is important for food products. Red is
frequently used by the restaurant industry. Red is also ideal for attracting impulse buys
and garnering attention forclearance sales.
• Yellow is cheerful and warm.
Yellow is associated with the sun and translates to a sunny personality. Yellow is viewed
as optimistic and youthful from a marketing perspective. Yellow can stimulate mental
processes, the nervous system and communication. Like red, yellow can grab attention. It’s
often used to show clarity, however it has a tendency to make babies cry and can cause
eye strain, so always use it strategically.
• Blue represents tranquillity and productivity.
Blue is often used as a visual aid to curb appetite.
Blue is frequently used in office settings because it promotes productivity. Blue is a good
choice when creating a sense of trust and security.
Secondary Colours build character
• Orange is exciting and enthusiastic
Orange is considered a warm tone and can signify aggression. Orange is often used in marketing
as part of a call to action. Brands that want to be perceived as friendly and confident
sometimes usually pick orange as part of their logo design.
• Green represents a healthy color.
Green is used to symbolise both money and nature. In a retail setting, green is used to
create a sense of relaxation and tranquillity.
Green is considered a symbol of fertility. Green is frequently used to promote eco-friendly
products as well as those focused on wellbeing and healthy living.
• Purple represents wealth, wisdom and success.
Kings of the past often wore purple robes as a symbol of their status. In marketing, purple
is often the preferred colour for anti-aging and beauty products. Purple can also represent
creativity and calmness.
HINT 8 - Create a Budget
Budget governs much of what we do in terms of marketing and promotion. Make sure you know how
much you can comfortably spend on the stand as well as the event, to maximise your profit.
Some events have higher rental rates and may charge for extras like electricity, remedial
cleaning if bringing your own booth, or booth cleaning for supplied booths.
Using a big booth doesn’t necessarily translate to big sales. You may have started to outdo the
competition, but will need to maintain momentum in customer engagement and lead generation
activities. How will your both build support those activities including your displays,
furniture, kiosks while ensuring customers can still walk around comfortably.
HINT 9 - Quality vs Quantity
Go for quality over quantity by making sure your display is well organised, clean, attention
grabbing and easy to browse.
You may find that an event you thought you couldn’t attend is within budget if you opt for a
smaller exhibit space.
You may wish to consider building in audio and visual effects, which are a great way to
promote your exhibition space. Colour graphics can work well, but sometimes you need a little
extra boost to stand out in the crowd. Effectively applying light, audio and video can improve
your chances for success!
