So, you have finally decided to take part in the exhibition, great decision!
Exhibitions are the perfect occasions to get in touch with a larger audience. In fact, exhibitions provide businesses an opportunity to reach a new audience and promote their services or products. But to make the most out of it, you should know how to plan an exhibition stand.
After all, an exhibition stand represents the brand identity and acts as an ambassador. It’s the physical symbol and embodies your company values amidst a dynamic crowd. That’s why businesses prefer hiring custom exhibition stand builders to give it a professional look.
This article discusses:
- How to plan an exhibition stand
- How to set up an exhibition stand
- What elements and equipment should you add
- Post-event activities that you should do
How to Plan an Exhibition Stand – 9 Points Checklist
The goal of an exhibition stand is to establish a strong presence. Therefore, it should stand out from the crowd, announce your expertise loudly, and proclaim authority. To assert brand dominance, you need to know how to plan an exhibition stand.
Below are some key factors that can help you better plan your exhibition stand.
Set Clear Objectives
Participating in exhibitions is a big investment in terms of time and money. No good will come out of it if you haven’t set your priorities straight. You should set clear goals, work on the objectives, and share intentions with the partaking team.
Most importantly, consider what you want to achieve.
Is it for:
- Brand awareness
- Competition analysis
- Product demonstration
- Direct sales
- Feedback collection
Making your objectives clear will help you plan a great exhibition stand.
For example, if you are just participating for brand awareness, the exhibition stand should revolve around USPs. Your stand design should highlight solutions and how your company is making things easy for people. On the other hand, if you are launching a product, you need to follow another set of rules altogether. In this case, your exhibition stand design should display the word “New” or represent newness.
Think about the Audience
Exhibitions are often target-oriented, and they attract a specific type of audience. So, before you start wondering how to plan an exhibition stand, think about the attendees.
Ask yourself:
- Is it an appropriate exhibition or trade show?
- Can the exhibition in question help you create brand awareness?
- Does your audience like to hang around at such exhibitions?
- What are the possibilities of meeting potential clients at the exhibition?
If the answer to one or more questions is yes, go ahead with exhibition planning. However, don’t forget to hire custom exhibition stand designers to hook your target audience. You can display the corporate face or make your exhibition stand fun according to your target audience.
Focus on stand size and location
A crucial part of exhibition planning is defining your stand size and dimensions. Your team should know how to set up an exhibition stand; otherwise, you’ll fail to engage the audience.
For this, you need to consider:
- Allocated space
- The height of the exhibition stand
- Stand distance from the entrance or key points
This will help you decide what type of exhibition stand is suitable for the event. Moreover, you’ll be able to make the most out of the provided space and location. You can choose the right design, AV elements, and equipment.
Decide the type of exhibition stand
Hopefully, you are aware of different types of exhibition stands and their benefits. Of course, the choice of exhibition stand depends on your brand identity, marketing needs, and provided space. You can choose from:
- Shell schemes graphics
- Traditional banner stands
- Pop-up stands
- Modular display stands
- Bespoke exhibition stands
The choice of exhibition stands also varies with respect to event theme, content needs, and marketing budget.
Make good use of your space
When it comes to bespoke exhibition stand planning, less is more. You should focus on balancing your stand with the right equipment without overcrowding it with items. Instead of filling it with furniture items, get a comfy desk or counter. This way, you’ll have enough space for visitors to hang around and collect their information.
Keep spacing requirements in mind while considering how to plan an exhibition stand. However, don’t forget to consider the fact that your visitor may need a sitting space. In any case, make sure you don’t stop the entry points of your exhibition stand with displays or equipment.
Draw attention towards your stand
Exhibition stand planning is all about knowing how to attract visitors to your exhibition stand. For that, you should ensure that your exhibition stand can catch people’s eyes. It should entice passerby and appeal to their senses through graphics, content, and AV elements. If you are new to this, hire a professional event production company.
Brands tend to hire content creation services for printing and branding to make their stand prominent. You can also host interactive activities or games to draw attention towards your exhibition stand. AV elements such as LED screens, lighting, and audio equipment are also great for this purpose.
Best version of your team
While participating in exhibitions, always represent the best version of your brand and team. Your exhibition stand staff can make a great difference as they’ll be the face of your company. So, make sure the team members you chose for the exhibition know what you want to achieve.
Pick a team for the exhibition stand, which is:
- Knowledgeable
- Hospitable
- Experienced events professionals
Above all, make sure that your team is well familiar with equipment and AV elements. Also, guide them on how they should act and communicate while they are dealing with visitors.
Prepare Memorable Giveaways
It isn’t essential, but there is no harm in offering freebies to visitors. This is a marketing tactic that can bring in more people toward your exhibition stand. However, the trick is to give away items that are memorable and relevant to what you offer. These freebies should remind them of your brand name, product, or services.
Post-event activity and evaluation
Exhibitions are great occasions to meet prospects and potential clients face to face. You should have a plan to follow up on all the scheduled and non-scheduled leads after the exhibition. Once you do this, evaluate your efforts against gained results to measure ROI.
You can evaluate results against objectives and investments to get a better idea of your participation. The results will also provide insights on how to plan an exhibition stand next time.
Final Note
Learning how to plan an exhibition stand can help businesses get the most out of it. As a brand, you should start by setting clear objectives that you want to achieve. The ideal way to plan and design a perfect exhibition stand is after considering your audience. It all depends on how well you utilise the space and draw visitors’ attention using graphics and AV elements.
