Modular Design — Don’t: Overdo With Text and Graphics
Many companies think that in order to be effective, they need to throw every bit of information about their company on the display. However, this is absolutely the worst thing you can do. Overdoing the graphics on your banner stand or exhibit panels means that visitors will have to stare at the exhibit for a few minutes before they fully grasp what your display is trying to convey.
If your display has large blocks of text, your visitors’ eyes will likely glaze over before they even read a single word. (ABOVE) Use bullet points or markers when possible and use contrasting colors and fonts to make certain words stand out even more. (BELOW)
Modular Design — Do: Give Your Exhibit Personality or Make it Dimensional
One of the best things about these exhibits is that the pieces fit together in different configurations so that you can actually create multiple displays. No matter what configuration you’re using consider adding lighting, podiums, literature racks and other three-dimensional display elements to create visual interest that will keep guests at your exhibit.
Use visual elements of your brand with dimensional flare. (ABOVE) Find ways to paint your booth design with personality or sculpt out your booth with enticing brand visuals. (BELOW)
Start developing a personality for your brand by asking these questions:
Are you funny? Are you serious? Academic? Masculine? Kid-friendly? These questions will be answered by identifying the audience you’re trying to reach. Will you want to write your content with some wit, or focus on research? Will you want your photography to be loud and colorful or clean and monotone?
Every brand has a personality. One personality isn’t “better” than the other. Once you identify your company’s brand personality you can use that knowledge in all the marketing work you do.
Modular Design — Don’t: Forget Flooring. Strive to Make It Interactive
Often flooring seems to be the forgotten element of your exhibit design. However if you’re standing on it all day long, you might wish that you had paid a bit more attention to it. Flooring does more than just bring together the elements of your booth together — it helps provide a cushion to protect your feet and your back.
Use angular die-cut plush carpets to add dynamism to your space. Mix it in with colors to be consistent with your offering. (ABOVE) Use technology on a portion of floor to add visual interest that compliments story-telling. (BELOW)
"As large-scale multimedia continues to trend, droves of exhibitors are trading hard-walled architecture for LED screens and audiovisual installations. But while walls are getting a high-tech makeover, floors seem stuck in the dark ages – until now."
Travis Stanton, Editor of Exhibitor Magazine, states that sometimes, it might be a good idea to forego traditional booth design altogether, and let your flooring take center stage in your booth, adding a reception desk, product displays, and little else. With countless products on the market, you can add the same eye-catching illumination to what's underfoot via futuristic flooring options that are sure to make your exhibit shine. While more expensive than standard flooring, interactive and illuminated options need not cover your entire booth space. Instead, use these offerings to highlight product displays, pathways, or presentation stages.
Modular Design — Do: Include a Private Meeting Area
Doing this will help you take a few minutes to meet privately with clients, as well as learn more about potential customers away from the prying eyes of competitors. It can be completely closed and elaborate or not. Here are some options for you to explore in the form of conference rooms and lounges.
Modular Design — Don't: Bring More of the Same. Impress with Less
It is tempting to want to show all your wonderful products! If you are pushed by conflicting interests and often must answer to multiple teams who want you to show what they are working on, let them know about the importance of the RULE OF ONE. Find a way to simplify or find one connective tissue that ties all the elements together.
Be furiously picky about what you merchandise. “You can always bring extra product that you think you may want to show clients, but store it in a closet or cabinet until you need it”. This way you don’t have to clutter up your exhibit yet have the product you need just in case. By keeping the space cleaner, you reduce the stress of the viewer and you can better define the focus of what you want them to look at.
Given, that your logo is the anchor element in your exhibit design, instead of repeating a logo you can expand your visuals and create space to use your other visuals – advises designer Amy Kubas. Keep this in mind when you consider how often and how large a logo needs to be. A good rule of thumb is to “use the company logo as a focal point in your normal field of view” shares Andrew Forchas.
Be furiously picky about what you merchandise. “You can always bring extra product that you think you may want to show clients, but store it in a closet or cabinet until you need it”. This way you don’t have to clutter up your exhibit yet have the product you need just in case. By keeping the space cleaner, you reduce the stress of the viewer and you can better define the focus of what you want them to look at.
Given, that your logo is the anchor element in your exhibit design, instead of repeating a logo you can expand your visuals and create space to use your other visuals – advises designer Amy Kubas. Keep this in mind when you consider how often and how large a logo needs to be. A good rule of thumb is to “use the company logo as a focal point in your normal field of view” shares Andrew Forchas.
Modular Design — Do: Create Curiosity
While you don’t want the name and brand of your Company to be a mystery, you can get attention by inciting curiosity about the experience you are providing, the new product you are launching or just the environment of your exhibit.
You can do so by sending a carefully worded invitation providing clues about what you are doing but leaving some details out for prospects to wonder about. For example – “We will be demoing our new product and giving away gift certificates to top rated restaurants in downtown Chicago to the first 10 people to try out the demo.”
You can also create mystery by providing a peek into the experience you have created with partial walls, curtains, windows or sheer material. Prospects can see there is something fun going on but they can’t quite tell what it is.
Euroshop EXAMPLE (ABOVE)
1. Visitors to the Atelier Dambock Messebau GmbH stand were escorted by umbrella-wielding staff, passed through a wall of water before entering the dry inner sanctum.
2. Three bright-pink mailboxes along an exterior exhibit wall were filled with attractive contact cards that were free for the taking at Formfactory GmbH & Co.
3. To convey Dart Design Gruppe GmbH's approach to designing exhibits and retail spaces "from scratch," this oversized pencil appeared to have scrolled the phrase in reverse, making it visible only as it reflected off the stand's mirrored enclosures.
4. Overhead, massive gold "droplets" appeared ready to plop onto mannequins below, all of which were partially covered in the gorgeous, glossy hue — to convery a sense of curious coolness, from mannequin provider 543 Co. Ltd.
5. A hypnotic display for Kinetic Lights by WhiteVoid GmbH featured an installation comprising 54 moving, color-shifting orbs.
Modular Design Don't: Forget Context
Are you exhibiting in Las Vegas? Maybe there is something about your brand that can speak to that. You can either play up the Vegas look by including some neon signs or go completely counter-culture and provide an oasis to escape from that. What is the rest of the competition doing? You want to be sure not to do that. We saw a company do sparkly lanyards in Vegas. Very simple but it was a huge hit with that crowd.
What message are you trying to send at the show? What does your brand stand for? Is there something newsworthy or transformational happening in your company or with the industry? Do you have a theme that follows that messaging or ties into benefits for a product you are launching? This should all be communicated to your designer as they can use that information to create a space that communicates these messages in a unique and memorable way.
Modular Design Do: Make Motion Effective
To draw passersby to your exhibit through movement here are some options:
Use Digital – A monitor with a great video or just a presentation showing your logo, top products and key messaging can create movement and tell a complete story especially when your staffer takes the time to explain the content to visitors
Fabric movement – An exhibit can have hanging fabric that moves with the natural breeze in a show or the air of a fan. Only do this if it makes sense for your brand.
Project your brand – Depending on the lighting at the show you may not be able to clearly project words or a complex message but you can certainly project shapes or a repeating pattern of your logo or a shape associated with your product or theme.
Demo your product – Do you have machinery that could move in a demo periodically. What a great way to create attention! A great demo one of our designers created was showing a clients’ waterproof product functioning under a waterfall. This not only created motion and attention with the water but showcased the benefits of the product very well.
Use Digital – A monitor with a great video or just a presentation showing your logo, top products and key messaging can create movement and tell a complete story especially when your staffer takes the time to explain the content to visitors
Fabric movement – An exhibit can have hanging fabric that moves with the natural breeze in a show or the air of a fan. Only do this if it makes sense for your brand.
Project your brand – Depending on the lighting at the show you may not be able to clearly project words or a complex message but you can certainly project shapes or a repeating pattern of your logo or a shape associated with your product or theme.
Demo your product – Do you have machinery that could move in a demo periodically. What a great way to create attention! A great demo one of our designers created was showing a clients’ waterproof product functioning under a waterfall. This not only created motion and attention with the water but showcased the benefits of the product very well.
Modular Design Don't: Be Boring
Can you create an element of surprise that is not expected in your industry show, yet ties into your company or messaging? Stephanie Pheneger shares that some industrial companies assume they need to use truss hardware for their exhibit because that is what is expected of an industrial company. However, if the objective is to stand out and get a double take, you may want to stay away from what everyone else is doing and convey your message of strength, reliability or innovation without the truss.
(ABOVE) When your competition is bringing in fresh produce to make their presence known, you are bound to stand out when you have a exhibit design stand that establishes a genuine sense of place by highlighting beauty in the non-perfect, all working to generate a unique experience that connects attendes with quality produce.
Another way to stand out is to use crowd gatherers, mascots or unique giveaways. Crowd Gatherers get a bad rap but can be invaluable to communicate your basic messaging to someone walking by your booth. They can be especially helpful if you can have them wear something that ties into your theme. One year our dealer in Spain had staffers wear and give away black rimmed glasses with tape in the middle to highlight how they were trade show nerds who could see things differently. It made people stop and ask and then they would share how these were special glasses that could help you see things differently and encouraged visitors to use them.
Well thought out giveaways can help you stand out and tie into your company or theme. One of our clients sent out golf balls to high-value prospects and then invited them to participate on a hole in one contest for the chance to win a high-value driver. Not only were they able to attract top prospects to their booth, the activity itself attracted attention from people walking by. Also, the messaging tied into their brand message about quality and accuracy in their field.
Modular Design Do: Spin a Story
People remember stories. Why? Because for the last 200,000 years we have been weaving stories. Our brains love it, expects it and our hearts wants to bond with it.
“A story still needs to be simple enough for the design to be bold and intuitive.”
The litmus test of successful storytelling is whether achieves its business aims for your client. The core purpose is to hook your audience in a specific way after encountering ‘the story’ — that could mean booking a cruise holiday, making a technological leap, or simply upgrading from 'Freeium' to 'Premium'. Always remember the ultimate goal throughout the process.
(ABOVE) With the planet’s population projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, agriculture and food production will still have to achieve a massive scale, with help from technology and innovative research. IFT is the event, that brings together innovative companies with individualistic stories of innovation.
OUR STORY BUILDING METHOD THAT REAPED A HUGE PAY BACK
A fun way to hook your audience is to give them an unexpected element and get them curious to find out more.
Telling a story works better if you have a more involved client but, done right, it can create a value long after the end of the show. At the ExhibitorLIVE show, we set out to do just that.
We started with an insight.
Our clients were stressed out and needed someone to take care of all their exhibiting needs so they could relax.
Our internal agency Skyline 360 came up with the theme Experience Trade Show Zen. Our designer was then asked to create an environment that would showcase a show-stopping Zen Garden Experience and would also showcase the full capabilities of Skyline demonstrating that we could take care of the broad range of Exhibiting tasks so they could sit down and relax – Experience Trade Show Zen.
We sent out digital and paper invitations, we created a website, we blogged about the experience we were creating. The draw was an environment with a digital Koi pond surrounded by real plants, larger than life tree graphics, hot tea, and sweets. The entire structure was inspired by nature and created the calm feeling of being in a garden. The clients we welcomed felt understood, they loved the exhibit and we were able to start some great conversations and win Best of Show!
A fun way to hook your audience is to give them an unexpected element and get them curious to find out more.
Telling a story works better if you have a more involved client but, done right, it can create a value long after the end of the show. At the ExhibitorLIVE show, we set out to do just that.
We started with an insight.
Our clients were stressed out and needed someone to take care of all their exhibiting needs so they could relax.
Our internal agency Skyline 360 came up with the theme Experience Trade Show Zen. Our designer was then asked to create an environment that would showcase a show-stopping Zen Garden Experience and would also showcase the full capabilities of Skyline demonstrating that we could take care of the broad range of Exhibiting tasks so they could sit down and relax – Experience Trade Show Zen.
We sent out digital and paper invitations, we created a website, we blogged about the experience we were creating. The draw was an environment with a digital Koi pond surrounded by real plants, larger than life tree graphics, hot tea, and sweets. The entire structure was inspired by nature and created the calm feeling of being in a garden. The clients we welcomed felt understood, they loved the exhibit and we were able to start some great conversations and win Best of Show!