Submitted by: Guardian Exhibition & Display (https://www.guardiandisplay.co.uk) Post published: 5th August 2019

Don’t let your stand create a bad first impression. They say that first impressions are hugely important and that’s definitely the case at trade shows. For show visitors who have never dealt with your company before, your stand and the people working on it will be their first encounter with your business.

64% of trade show visitors are not customers of exhibiting companies (Source: Exhibit Surveys). We all know that seeing bored and disinterested stand staff is a very real deterrent for visitors. Many visitors won’t even bother to step onto a stand if they perceive stand staff aren’t going to be helpful.

But, have ever thought that your stand might be having the same damaging effect? It could actually be stopping people from making that all important first contact.

A bad ambassador stand has:

Cramped exhibits – can’t see clearly what the stand is all about (no room for visitors!)
Tatty graphics
Graphics that can’t be read or badly placed so they can’t be seen
Poor lighting
A poorly designed layout of exhibits
No in-built storage so coats and boxes are in view
No focal point to attract attention.

A stand with one or more of these traits will unsurprisingly, not be helping your company to look at its best.

A good ambassador stand includes:

Clear graphics and messaging
All graphic text at eye level and above
An open feel
In-built storage – everything is in its place
Distinct stand elements or areas e.g. for seating, for sales presentations
A planned flow to the stand
Good lighting.

These are all elements that we look at when we design a stand and they are things we recommend that you consider too.

Your stand represents your business when you exhibit

When you exhibit, your stand however big or small fully represents your business to the people in the halls. What they see is what they will take away in their mind’s eye if they remember your stand at all. To ensure that your stand is memorable for the right reasons and an excellent ambassador for your business, use the good example points listed above. Allow yourself time to design-in those features to your stand. Working with a specialist event supplier will make the process much easier and the end result a success.

We are exhibitors too

At least twice a year, we move to the other side of the exhibiting fence. We go from being stand designers and builders to being exhibitors. This is a very good thing. On these occasions, we get to test our theories on what makes a successful trade show stand first hand. The advice we offer is always based on facts – things we know that work both for ourselves and for our exhibiting clients.