Exhibition Stands

[Gillie]

Having just signed on the dotted line, now got a few months to think about our exhibition stand and what exactly we will need, and despite both of us having done lots of them over the years, ie attending as a visitor, we are both at the moment totally lacking in thoughts for presentation and so forth.

So what catches your attention when you go to an exhibition? Colours? Materials? Screens showing website and or details or presentations? Chance of a free gift? Friendly faces?

Does something different make you want to go see or actually scare you away?

We are facing the 'oncoming' traffic as such and have two open sides so only two walls to play with - so if anyone can give us some tips or suggestions ... yes please!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

A.I.D.A.

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

When you design keep that in mind and refer to it.

What action do you want the reader to take?

Attention can be a shocker or a question
i.e. 50% of self completed tax returns result in overpayment of tax.

or
Average self complete tax return resulted in £500 Overpayment

COULD THIS BE YOU?

We save you money!

Come and grab a leaflet!

I know that is a simple off the cuff thing, but this is the sort of thing you need to be brainstorming.

Are you using graphics? Are you going to put the taxman in Jail? Are you going to use humour?

E.g. (image of taxman being poked with an electric cattle prod. )

WE can't promise to let you cattle prod the taxman

But we CAN stop him hitting YOU where it hurts

Quality tax advice and accounting will result in less tax


That sort of thing

 

[Newcott]

Having just signed on the dotted line, now got a few months to think about our exhibition stand and what exactly we will need, and despite both of us having done lots of them over the years, ie attending as a visitor, we are both at the moment totally lacking in thoughts for presentation and so forth.

So what catches your attention when you go to an exhibition? Colours? Materials? Screens showing website and or details or presentations? Chance of a free gift? Friendly faces?

Does something different make you want to go see or actually scare you away?

We are facing the 'oncoming' traffic as such and have two open sides so only two walls to play with - so if anyone can give us some tips or suggestions ... yes please!

The expo's I tend to go to tend to be Photo/Video related - as a result by defult most have screens/presentations going on. Alot of demo kit (always good getting chance to play with Cameras )

Freebies always grab me - simple things like mints/toffees

Good materials - easy to get if people don't want to engage in conversation, friendly looking people who would rather chat then sales pitch.

Last thing is make sure they know what you do in a glance - your going to be fighting for attention with lots of things going on/people walking in front. I'd need to be able to glance over and within 2 seconds know what you do.

 

[Gillie]

Thanks for that you two ... James, it aint tax related - we are heading to the Business Start Ups exhibition in May at Excel, but yes we have a product that can be sold there and then or at a later date.

And of course both me and the other one will be around with others, and both of us are very chatty friendly people, so don't have worries on the engaging people part.

But yes, humour is a good angle to head for though ...

The BS people are actually doing an editorial on it for us to tie in with our 1st February launch date.

 

[Christine Hough]

One thing that you can really build at an exhibition is an email list of potential clients.

To do this you can offer a free prize draw and to enter it, they fill in a form which also offers a newsletter and an opt in.

Then you need to design an apprpriate email newsletter to keep you in they can use your product, they think about you.

Or you can offer a free info sheet or diary or other email service for which they can sign up.

A clinic can also generate contacts.

 

[Newcott]

Oh on that note a good one is "business card in a jar for a free prize" - quick and easy for tehm to do and not have to worry if they dont want to chat.

 

[Jeff FV]

We did our first trade show (as exhibitors) in the Summer, and it was a great success.

What made it a success?

We had a great products and our stand looked fab (I can take no credit for this)

We took out a quarter page add in the show guide and also in a trade mag. that was previewing the show - a number of people came to us because they had seen our ad (and also on the exhibitor section on the show website.) A lot of people (understandably) do a lot of pre-show research.

And (and I think this is really important) we had a load of postcards printed with a couple of our designs on and contact details etc. What this enabled us to do was as soon as anyone showed any interest in our stand we could say 'would you like a card?' and intiate a conversation - then I had them hooked! I couldn't believe some of our 'neighbours' who'd just sit there and wait for people to stop and look at their products and talk to them - guess what, people didn't stop, they just walked on by! Our stand was only 2 metres wide - blink and you'd miss it - engage people in conversation and they'll stop and look.

Another thing I noticed is that if you had one or two people stopped and talking to you and looking at your products, more would stop and look, creating a real buzz around the stand as people wanted to see why others had stopped at your stand.

I'd never done anything like it before, and was apprehensive before it began, but I absolutely loved it! Really looking forward to our next trade show, Top Drawer, in London in January.

Oh, and one last piece of advice - perhaps the most important piece of advice for anyone exhibiting at a show - comfy shoes!

Hope it goes well

Jeff

 

[Faith28]

Hi Gillie

I've got a similar stand at Toy Fair coming January.

It's quite surreal reading your post - feel like it's me writing it

Anyway - I've got 5m2 stand - corner so only two walls to think of.

I've decided on getting one of those pop systems for one side of the wall with our logo and 'making learning fun' on it. I probably will also includes pictures of some of our cards characters like this :

I will have a table with science card games and a shelf with the PSHE card games as well as a board game. I'll be including freebies with every sale over a certain level and have a literature rack with my folders that continue the theme of the pop up system plus a poster wrapped around one of our high but plane white tables.

I've still got rolls and rolls of the hook and loop sides od velcro for posters to stack neatly over the shelf on one pane and the next one next to it.

All stock and bags will be placed behind the pop system subtly - I've still got to work out a few things.

 

[Dan@Greenshires]

If you are in need of a Pop up stand we currently have offers on our 3mx3m Nomadic Exhibition stands that includes a case which turns into a table top and also comes with lighting. They seem to be around the £800-£1200 price on most the websites I have checked. We are doing them for £499 including printing. If you are interested send me a pm with your email address and I can send you further information.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[MikeJ]

Lots of advice here....

http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=171078

 

[Stephen Berry]

'Clear objectives' would be my first thought - define what you want from the exhibition (is it 'awareness' or 'action' as OWG says) as your stand strategy will be different depending on the objectives you choose.

So many stalls are dull - as others have said, expecting people to come to them (I know that won't be an issue Gillie!). Everyone will have prize draws for business cards, everyone will be handing out freebies, everone will be offering sweets/drinks etc. What are you going to do to make yours the one people are talking about?

One of ours, many years ago, had the objective of 'awareness' - we were new on the block and wanted as many people as possible to hear of us. So we hired the space - no stand - and brought in a chippy to make it for us - a pirate ship (complete with sail etc - all painted in situ by our team on the day before the exhibition). We all dressed as characters from Peter Pan (yes, I did have the green tights), people came on board our ship very readily (maybe just to see what was going on). We have a music licence so had music on quietly - just the ship, not annoying others (and within the limits of our licence) - plenty of no commitment give aways (booklet style), give away cuddly toys of crocodiles for everyone (Peter Pan theme) with business cards attached, prize draw was for giant cuddly crocodiles, we served coffee and rum ..... and more.

The point is - we put in the effort to stand out, be different and people were around us like bees around a honey pot (polite version). For awareness it was good, for contacts it achieved 5x what we had aimed for. If our aim would have been to collect a small number of quality clients it would not have been succesful - with so many people around, we mostly engaged in short conversations and put up with lots of 'tyre-kickers' - objectives drive the strategy!

So ...... within the context of your aims/objectives for the event, can you be radically different and stand out - and when you do giveaways/prizedraws etc, how can they be more interesting than anyone elses?
AND - focus on getting THEIR contact details rather than giving them yours (do that as well, but if you have the contact details, you have the ability to follow up rather than sitting hopefully on the end of a phone).
AND - be determined to enjoy it

 

[Gillie]

Thanks people!

The business card thing won't work though, as most people attending won't have one, however, yes we will have access to mailing lists, we are having a half page editorial for free, and yes we hope to actually sell on the day. However, we will be collecting contact details for those who come and head off - to think about it.

Both me and himself are slightly wacky anyhow, so yes we need to put our heads together to get a slightly different angle to it all.

 

[movietub]

The worse sort of exhibition you can visit is one that is populated entirely by 'stalls' selling you things, but with nothing to actually see.

People are always drawn to the stands which offer something exciting/interesting for free - and as a result are also more likely to look at the products on these stands.

This is why we design so many water features for exhibition stands, nothing draws a crowd like a huge and unexpected water feature/aquarium, people love moving water.

Obviously thats quite a high budget thing, but you need something cool, something with the wow factor that the average person would stop and look at. It's best of it's big enough/noisey enough to attract people from a distance of course.

 

[Naughty Vend]

Depending upon your floor space which is expensive at £300+ psqm up you must make the best use of every surface, look different from every other exhibitor and capture information...

Sweeties = load of tosh, old hat, all you are doing is advertising for Fox's Glacier Mints unless your people are using them to open a dialogue. Many do not and simply stand there nervously waiting to pounce and offer you a sugary treat as you walk off into the distance looking for a bin, eventually drop the thing on the carpet

Business Cards = immediate feeling of invasion and potential to be spammed later on by some annoying git over the phone.

Clothing and Attire = it's not a suit of armour, think about what you'll wear and choose a uniform specific for the day. "Ask Me" etc on the back of a polo will cost less than the leaflets which end on the floor if not given to prospects correctly. Personally suits are a no no for my lot...

LCD Screens = get a video made in an informercial style. Many times you get to a stand and the staff are engaged, usually giving away sweeties or talking to grazers and those pratts that come around covertly promoting their own business in the first few hours of any exhibition. It's business lost if you are not firm but at least the infomercial can tell people what to do, pick up a leaflet or ask for Susy and Jim on the stand whom may be busy but wave at us with the leaflet.

Lights & No Whites = very few people actually take their own lights to an expo, pay for the socket and get on Ebay for some studio lights with gels and colour yourself up a bit. The stage lights can make it look as though there's something going on, use some noise to create excitement... show no white backboards anywhere get the surface used and done right. Sticking a poster up looks awful, you see it so so often and for the sake of a few quid more relative to your stand cost...

No Seat = no chairs for you, you're working and paying £'s a minute to be on the stand but if you have the room on stand have a waiting area for prospects and tell them on a sign "Take a Seat and Relax" Have you ever seen how busy those massage sites are at expos? Use that...

The Actual Stand = do you need a 4 x 3m or would a 6 x 1m give you more frontage for half the price, get it on a corner and get 7m of frontage with two lines of sight. Get your exhibition organiser told as this is a buyers market...

Product, Why You Are There = get the message accross fast and capture data any way you can for follow ups. Give away sample products if applicable with good marketing ethic, get people off your stand as quickly as possible and follow them up quickly because most decisions are not made on the day and the prospect will suffer from information overload at the expo. If you get in fast on the Monday after you should sell your product.

Website = have one or die commercially, promote it at the expo heavily.

 

[Gillie]

Yep chairs a must - screen etc also a must - sweets - ner we aint chatting to kids, - business cards - we dont expect them to have some.

Website - yes that will be all singing and dancing by the end of this year - so yes that will be featured.

We have got on board someone who does out of this world presentations on screens etc, so he has promised us some 'fireworks' in that sphere.

Gimmicks, well yes think I have got that one figured out - different is my forte!

 

[ava_camen]

give freebies that people can really use. not just pamphlets or brochures, real things like pens or whatever anything. it certainly attracts attention

 

[surya]

Hi,

I feel presentation is very important for exhibitions. Attractive colors, latest digital displays, and huge display banner stands will sure grab attention. Be big and bold.

Portable stands are better as you can move them.

Put up double side display stand as you have two open sides. Make best use of available space.

Visitors showing genuine interest can be presented with gift items with the company’s logo and name. It will also add a touch of professionalism.

One of our clients is a global exhibition and event organiser. They organise exhibitions for small businesses as well as big corporates in various industries. They are London based and take care from A to Z. The rates are reasonable too. If you want I can provide their contact details. You can check up. May be it suits you.


Thanks and Regards

Suri

 

[dagr]

... sweets - ner we aint chatting to kids ...

...

Don't underestimate the pull of sweets. We've done many exhibits for the medical profession, and believe it or not, we have never wound up an exhibit with any sweets left. And these are people who really know how unhealthy sweets are.

Sweets aside, having something dynamic (video, working model, etc.) makes a big difference.

 

[Gillie]

Don't underestimate the pull of sweets. We've done many exhibits for the medical profession, and believe it or not, we have never wound up an exhibit with any sweets left. And these are people who really know how unhealthy sweets are.

Sweets aside, having something dynamic (video, working model, etc.) makes a big difference.

Thanks David, problem is dont think the sweets would make it past those manning the stand! Some pretty sweet tooths around!

Ok, yes, have spent the last few days brainstorming and putting some idead to one side to work on over the next few months - well nothing else to do!

So will put them away now for a few weeks and revisit them again at the end of January, see if they still appeal!

 

[Andrew Copeland]

Hi...This is Andrew, Newbie to this forum. I am a business promoter planning to organise trade show events to promote our product. I am in confusion whether to hire or buy exhibition stands for this purpose as I am planning this for first time, not with high budget. Need suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Arthur Simon]

Hi... I am new to the forum. I joined this forum to exchange useful information and tips that can help in our businesses. I deal with exhibition stands.

Gillie, colors and materials are both important. Choose vivid colors and for materials, go for one on which colors don't fade so that you can use them again. Make best use of the space.

Good luck

 

[TheBalloonPrintingCompany]

How bout some bright custom printed balloons with your details or logo on to make your stand noticeable from afar

 

[kessa]

Pretty late to this post but I thought I'd chip in with this....

problem is dont think the sweets would make it past those manning the stand! Some pretty sweet tooths around!

You could use that to your advantage - I imagine (not having done one yet) that Exhibitions could go either way - you could be so rushed off your feet you don't have time to stop, or they could be absolutely dead (in which case, you'd eat all of your sweets)... at which point, I would guess motivation would drop.... soooooo....

Why not keep your spirits and motivation up (and your sweet tooth in check) by saying to yourselves that you can only have a sweet if you make a conversion/sale (i.e. whatever your goal is). It's not all about making the visitors happy - you may as well have some fun too - After all, happy faces and people having a laugh on a stand always look much more appealing and approachable to me

 

[Spapro]

Clearly not sure on your budget but if its your 1st show and your testing the water so to speak I would look at getting some panels printed which can be stuck (with velcro) to the white shell scheme panels and hopefully re-used for other shows once this one has been a success for you.

If you have plenty of budget (£1000 - 1500 for 7m of wall) then the best means of 'skinning' shell schemes I have seen is 'Shell Clad'. Shell clad is made up of roll-up-able panels printed with your graphics which can be printed continuous from left to right as they fix using clips to the metal poles of your shell scheme with no gaps. They look very smart, re-usable and appear very quick/easy to build up and dismantle.

Nice images and a nifty video showing it being put together (not used the company) here:
http://www.freshdisplay.co.uk/exhibitions/shellClad.asp

No idea what this company are like either but their prices look competitive:
http://www.printdesigns.com/80-shell-clad

I think the pop-up displays take up too much space in a small shell scheme but clearly if you only want to spend £500 then they are a viable option.

Offering a free prize draw of some kind can work well - not sure if what your exhibiting lends itself to being given away to one lucky winner from those leaving you their contact details ?
If you are offering a free prize drawer make sure to mention it in the show guide so people know to head to you.

Good luck, exhibitions are a significant investment of time and money so make sure you work hard before and during the show to make a great success of it.

 

[KreativeJuice]

Hi Gillie,

Some really good information and advice on this thread, not really much to add apart from an offer of help with design if you need it.

Kind regards
Karen

 

[Gillie]

Wow, thanks to recent contributors ... the thread is only 11 months old!!

If you go back and read, you will see we did this exhib in May of this year ...

 

[alanjacks]

Wow, thanks to recent contributors ... the thread is only 11 months old!!

If you go back and read, you will see we did this exhib in May of this year ...

Good thread too, lots of on the ball and useful information im sure a lot of people could put to good use.

How did the exhibition go out of curiosity, after taking in the advice given?

 

[Gillie]

We didn't go with sweets or in fact any giveaway - very few did - leafelts galore, lots of business cards to hand out too - we went in black and orange logod up polo shirts - in fact sat in it now - having been out representing BiB today - we had roll up banners and posters as well that covered all of the stand.

We also took several monitors and large screens to run a short looped presentation, plus we had a dongle and laptop to show various the website, plus take entries to our competition, where we gave away one package - which of course meant we collected lots and lots of email addys of various who wanted our package - so very useful means of gaining a database to send offers out to etc after the show.

All in all - a long long two days that we well worth it - roll on next May when we are off to Edinburgh!

 

[Rhodes100]

What you need is a dbanner, absolutely unique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww90nm0aJPo&noredirect=1

 

[KreativeJuice]

Wow, thanks to recent contributors ... the thread is only 11 months old!!

If you go back and read, you will see we did this exhib in May of this year ...

Oops......