The golden rules of exhibition stand design

The key to any tradeshow is, of course, having a killer display. Styles, colours and lighting can all be the difference between your stand drawing in the crowds or fading unobtrusively into the background.

There are a few golden rules to bear in mind when planning your event stand:

1. Have one strong, clear message throughout

2. Maintain brand consistency

3. Be bold, be visual, and avoid overuse of text

Think of your stand as a shop window, it should be welcoming and draw people in using graphics and colour to create a bold striking space that catches the eyes of those around.

Stick to your brand identity and messaging to maintain consistency, and help those already aware of you, to spot you in the crowd. This use of a single brand message will allow you to announce your products and services clearly and concisely, increasing your chance of success. Including product USP’s and the benefits of working with you will add to your success rates.

Experiment with lighting to see how atmospheres can be created and how you can display your products in the best possible setting. Exhibitions and trade shows are often held in such huge buildings that creating a personal space can be tough. Using lighting can help bring down the size of the room and personalise your space. Be mindful though not set up a light show, the last thing you want is to detract from the products themselves!

Be sure you know your stand, set it up in advance and have a trial run, pick your primary focal point where information and help can be easily accessed. It might sound crazy, but knowing where materials will be and where you want people standing will help the day run smoothly – the last thing you want it to be running around trying to find information in front of potential prospects.

Planning event staff numbers is important too, be sure to have enough people available to chat, but not so many that it looks quiet and as though people are standing around, too far either way can be off-putting. To maintain brand identity, stick to brand colours or include a branded t-shirt, this looks professional and will make it easy for people to establish contact points.

Everyone knows event spaces come in all different shapes and sizes and what we can say is that to make your tradeshow efforts worthwhile, you need to have huge ambitions, especially if your budget isn’t! The cost of exhibiting can be high, but the key is making your stand work hard. Small stands can do the job just as well as a large space, it just needs to be done right!

At Sovereign we strive to deliver cost-effective solutions to those looking to exhibit, it doesn’t matter whether you are taking a small space as a first-time exhibitor or whether you’re looking to dominate the auditorium, we can help. We’re even happy to assist with your back-to-back tour of the European shows! Get in touch with our team of experts here.