Having an effective exhibition stand that stands out from the crowd and attracts your target customers to your team during trade shows and conferences is the top priority for businesses all around the world. At Smart Inc we have years of experience in helping companies like yours design & build amazing exhibition stands, and we’re sharing our top tips below to help you during your next event!

Step 1: Begin planning your stand in plenty of time

To design an exhibition stand that attracts more customers, it’s important to start planning well in advance. By doing so, you’ll have plenty of time to research, brainstorm, and fine-tune your ideas, and you’ll be able to avoid last-minute stress and panic.

Here are 5 golden rule to follow to help you begin planning your stand in plenty of time:

  • Define your goals: Before you start designing your stand, you need to define your goals for the exhibition. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to generate leads, raise brand awareness, or launch a new product? Your goals will influence the design, layout, and messaging of your stand.
  • Research your audience: Who will be attending the exhibition? What are their needs, interests, and pain points? By understanding your audience, you can tailor your stand to their preferences and create a more engaging and memorable experience. This includes understanding demographics, job roles (if you attend a B2B event), what messaging will attract them, and more!
  • Choose your location: The location of your stand can make a big difference in its success. Factors such as foot traffic, visibility and proximity to your competitors are really important to think about – the key is being seen as a unique proposition at your event and having enough eyes on your company! With this, timing & budget are often key. Prime real estate at events can be booked far in advance and often isn’t cheap.
  • Allocate a realistic budget: Designing and building an exhibition stand can be expensive, so it’s important to create a budget and stick to it. Consider all the costs involved, including design fees, materials, labour, and transport. Be realistic about what you can afford and don’t overspend – keeping track of your costs is vital for this step.
  • Choose your design team: Unless you have in-house design expertise, you’ll need to hire a professional design team to create your stand. Research different companies and choose one that has experience in your industry and a track record of success. Work closely with your design team to ensure that your vision is realised.

By beginning your planning process well in advance, you’ll be able to create a stand that stands out from the crowd and attracts more customers to your business.

Step 2: Have a powerful brand identity

Designing an exhibition stand that attracts customers is not just about the physical appearance of the stand. it’s also about having a powerful brand identity!

 Your brand identity is how you express your company’s core values and aesthetics in a way that attracts customers and creates a memorable image – your stand has to reflect this.

It’s crucial to make sure your brand identity is reflected in the design of your stand. This means ensuring consistent branding, messaging, colours, fonts – everything that you would expect an existing customer to see as representing your business.

Another way to create a strong brand identity is to use eye-catching graphics and visuals that showcase your products or services. To achieve this you can use product displays, videos, or interactive elements that engage visitors and help them understand your brand and what you have to offer.

Staffing is the final key to unlocking a great brand identity as your next exhibition. Make sure that the staff that are on hand to help your potential customers at your stand reflect your brand and who you are. They have to be knowledgeable on your company, your ethos and your companies identity.

 

Step 3: Use a highly visual design

We recommend using high-quality visuals, such as images, graphics, and videos where possible. These can be used to showcase your products or services, as well as to create an immersive experience for visitors.

As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to remember that your exhibition stand is a reflection of your brand, so it’s essential to get the design right. By using an on-brand, highly visual design, you can create a stand that attracts more customers and helps your event become a success.

 

Step 4: Research your audience before designing your stand

To attract more customers to your exhibition stand, it is important to understand your audience. Researching your audience before designing your stand can help you tailor your design to their preferences and make it more appealing to them.

It’s important to remember that different exhibitions, trade shows or conferences may attract a different segment of your target audience; and as such means that you can’t treat all events the same. One of the simplest ways to understand who will be attending an event is to speak to the organiser, other companies who have exhibited before, or your sales team if you have previously exhibited.

You also have the option to conduct surveys or focus groups to gather feedback from your potential customers. This can help you understand what they like and don’t like, and what kind of design elements would attract them to your stand.

Additionally, consider researching your competitors and their stands. Look at what they are doing and how they are attracting customers. This can give you ideas for your own stand design and help you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

 

Step 5: Create an engaging experience for potential customers

To attract more customers to your exhibition stand, it is important to create an engaging experience that will draw people over to your stand from across the room. By incorporating technology or interactive elements, you can showcase your products or services in a unique and memorable way.

Use technology or interactive elements to showcase your products or services

Hiring virtual reality experience equipment or incorporating interactive displays can create a buzz around your stand and attract attention from passersby. You can use these technologies to demonstrate your products or services in a way that is interactive and engaging, allowing potential customers to experience them in a more immersive way – and this is particularly effective if your competitors aren’t using tech!

Make sure you have enough space to allow visitors to enter your stand and not feel crowded

Remember, it’s important to ensure that your stand is spacious enough to accommodate visitors comfortably. This will allow them to move around freely and explore your products or services without feeling cramped or crowded. By creating a relaxed and comfortable environment, you can encourage visitors to spend more time at your stand and engage with your brand. 

 

Step 6: Give people a reason to visit your stand!

To attract more customers to your exhibition stand, you need to give them a reason to visit you. With so many stands competing for attention, you need to stand out and offer something unique. Here are some ideas to help you give people a reason to visit your stand:

 

  • Incentives: Offer incentives such as merchandise, discounts, or giveaways to encourage people to visit your stand. This could be in the form of a free trial, a product sample, or a promotional code.
  • Expert Conversations: Provide no-obligation conversations with experts or sales teams to help visitors understand your products or services better. This could be in the form of a consultation, a product demonstration, or a Q&A session.
  • Refreshments: Offer refreshments such as coffee, water, or snacks to make visitors feel welcome and comfortable. This will encourage them to stay longer and engage with your team.

Step 7: Shout about your USPs in your printed messaging

When designing your exhibition stand, it’s important to make sure your printed messaging highlights your unique selling points (USPs). Your USPs are what sets you apart from your competitors, and they are what will attract potential customers to your stand. Here are some tips for effectively showcasing your USPs in your printed messaging:

  • Keep it concise: Your printed messaging should be clear and concise. Use bullet points or tables to highlight your USPs and make them easy to read.
  • Use bold text: Make sure your USPs stand out by using bold text. This will draw the reader’s eye to the most important information.
  • Focus on benefits: Don’t just list your USPs, explain how they benefit your customers. For example, if your USP is that your product is eco-friendly, explain how this benefits the environment and your customers.
  • Be consistent: Make sure your printed messaging is consistent with your branding and messaging. This will help reinforce your USPs and make them more memorable.

By effectively showcasing your USPs in your printed messaging, you can attract more customers to your exhibition stand and stand out from your competitors.

Extra tip: Let people know that you will be exhibiting before the event begins

One of the most important things you can do to attract more customers to your exhibition stand is to let people know that you will be exhibiting before the event begins.

Here are a few ways to let people know that you will be exhibiting:

  • Send out an email blast to your mailing list with details about the event and your booth number.
  • Post about the event on your social media channels, using relevant hashtags and tagging the event organisers.
  • Create a landing page on your website with information about the event and your booth, and promote it through your other marketing channels.
  • Reach out to your existing customers and partners to let them know that you will be exhibiting, and invite them to come and visit your booth.

By letting people know that you will be exhibiting, you can increase the visibility of your brand and attract more visitors to your booth. Make sure to start promoting your presence at the event well in advance, and use a variety of marketing channels to reach as many people as possible.

Our team have a wealth of experience in helping businesses like yours design & build effective exhibitions stands. Contact us today on 01992 410 960 or info@smart-inc.co.uk to find out more.