Our Top 10 Do's and Don'ts for Designing your Exhibition Stand!

Last week, we told you all about how business-beneficial it is to include exhibitions in your 2017 marketing plans, including the importance of a well-designed stand. 

All very well, you might be thinking, but how do you get started on designing that fabulous stand?  What should you think about, and crucially, what should you avoid?  If only you could find a team of experts who can help…that would be really fantastic, wouldn’t it?

Well, you’re in luck…because we’re that very team!  Read on for ten essential stand-design dos and don’ts, brought to you direct from our many years of hard-earned experience.  You’re welcome.

1. DO…keep information at eye level

The best stands work because they make it easy to absorb information, even as people hurry past. Don’t spend time crafting the perfect blend of punchy words and colourful graphics, only for it to end up hidden behind someone’s legs on exhibition day!

2. DO…hire a graphic designer who understands your business

People will notice images before they pay attention to words, so it’s really worth getting this one right.  Ask plenty of questions beforehand to make sure your designer can properly translate your business needs into striking images.

3. DO…understand that image quality counts

The quality of your images will reflect the quality of your customer. Blurry, offset images will impress nobody, except maybe the type of customer who doesn’t pay any attention whatsoever to detail – and as you probably already know, they’re often the hardest to deal with!

4. DON’T…think of your display as a brochure

People tend to concentrate on reading a brochure, so you can take time crafting stories they’ll relate to.  You won’t have that luxury with a stand – it needs to grab attention immediately, then move people on to their next encounter with you, whether that’s a chat during the exhibition or a follow-up afterwards.  Be short, simple and snappy.

5. DO…keep as generic as possible

Being too specific with your stand means people will have to concentrate to understand it.  Many won’t bother, so explain what you do in a quick, simple and easily-understood message that will speak to as many people as possible.

6. DON’T…allow anything to be printed without checking the proof

We mean anything.  Even if you can prove the printer messed up your perfect stand design, it’s your responsibility if you agreed the proof beforehand – so you carry the cost.  More importantly, you’ll be left with a stand you can’t use…and nobody wants that!

7. DO…understand that colour is important

Colour creates powerful associations.  Could you think about Coke without automatically picturing red and white, for example?  Ensure your stand incorporates bright, bold colours associated with your brand, and people will be more likely to remember you later on.

8. DO…know that scale is everything

What looks fantastic on a computer screen can end up cluttered or lost when transferred onto your stand…so make sure you check everything properly beforehand!

9. DON’T…font it up

In other words, don’t try to impress your audience with too many words!  Be clear, and let your bold colours and striking images do most of the talking.

10. DO…think of future uses for your stand

Of course, you’ll probably be able to make use of your stand at plenty of other events…but how about mounting it to the wall, or displaying it in your reception area when it’s not in use?

If you’d rather not go it alone at your next event, why not have a chat with our friendly team?  We’ll take all the pain out of designing your stand, so you can exhibit your business with confidence!  Simply contact us here.

Why Exhibitions Should be Part of Your Marketing Plans for 2017

Can you believe we’re already in February?  January seemed to whizz by in a grey day-filled haze, with most of the team here at Guardian Display promising to stick to healthy resolutions such as Dry January, or getting gym-fit (though we’re not seeing much evidence of that now the determined ‘new year, new me’ feeling has passed us all by – cakes are firmly back on the office menu!)

We’re sure you’ve made some healthy resolutions for your business too, such as developing your marketing plans and looking for ever better ways to increase the return on your hard-earned investment. So this week we want to talk about what we believe is the very best way for you to do just that…by making an exhibition of yourself!

Face-to-face contact – with people who matter

So why should you be including exhibitions in your marketing plan?  Let’s start with the fact that you’ll be meeting lots of people face-to-face – people with a specific interest in what you do, and who have travelled to an exhibition with the direct intention of finding out more – could you find a more captive and positive audience than that, we wonder?

With 87% of company directors agreeing that it’s far easier (and friendlier!) to communicate with people in person than it is on the telephone, you’ll be able to ditch that cold-calling list with confidence as you spend time with all those potential clients in person, chatting with them over coffee about their specific needs and how your business can help address them.

Let a well-designed stand do the work for you

Of course, with all your smooth, natural charisma on display there’s bound to be floods of people clamouring to talk to you immediately…which is where a customised exhibition stand will work wonders! 

A well-designed stand makes an immediately positive impact, catching people’s eyes and informing them all about your business even if they haven’t got time to stop and chat right then.  In a fast-moving business world where generating sales leads is king, an eye-catching stand that does a whole lot of the work for you is something you can’t afford not to include at your next exhibition.

More people are buying at trade events than ever before

It’s not just our opinion, this one – the Association of Exhibition Organisers have backed us up, with survey results confirming that 91% of buyers go to trade events to buy goods and services.  In fact, 29% of buyers only buy at trade events…so you need to ask yourself, can your company afford to miss out on such a huge slice of potential new business?

When you think about it, it’s easy to see why buyers favour exhibitions so much.  They can easily find out all they need to know under one roof, in the space of just a few hours and some easy conversation. 

Often, of course, buyers will attend an exhibition just to browse or make enquiries…and this is where your stand can play another huge part in the deal-making process, by attracting people who didn’t even know they needed your specific goods or services until they arrived at the exhibition and you were able to make their dreams come true!

So now we’ve convinced you of all the benefits exhibitions promise to bring to your business, our next mission is to tell you all about how we at Guardian Display can help you on your way, by providing you with custom-built, reusable display solutions that will create a stir at your next event…for all the right reasons.

We’ve got many years of experience, a long list of very happy clients, we’re a friendly team and our reputation for service and quality is second to none – so why not contact us and see what we can do for you? 

Visit our website- http://www.guardiandisplay.co.uk/

How to Deliver a Memorable Experience at your next Exhibition

Exhibitions are about engagement and connecting with people. For most people it’s a great way to do business, you will always get those who are just there to get out the office and try and collect as many freebies as possible, but for a large percentage they attend because they have a particular need that needs to be fulfilled.

Exhibitions can be an overwhelming place with hundreds of stands and thousands of people, which is why it’s important that after the aisles have been walked and stand’s visited, it’s your stand that sticks in people's mind.

Maya Angelou the poet and author once said “people will forget the things you say, they will forget the things you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. This is never truer as in relation to exhibitions.  Being attractive to the eye is key, the use of large images and bright colours are a must. The use of technology on stands is now becoming very important when in engaging with visitors, using large-scale screens to run movies or showreels is a good way to communicate your message, humans are naturally drawn towards moving images.

The use of games is a fun way to interact with people, along with a way to retain people on the stand and create a real buzz at the show. These interactive games, in turn, will then make your stand stick in people’s minds when they are back at the office wading through mountains of bags and brochures.

Utilising items like tablet’s and tablet holders can be a simple way for people to fill out surveys and capture people’s data. Getting your message across to people in an easy, quick and concise way is key to etching your company into people’s memory.

Making sure that staff manning the stand are smart, attentive and friendly is of utmost importance, they are representatives of your brand and its key for them to build a connection.

Most of all exhibitions should be fun! If you portray a real human side to your business through your exhibition stand, it’ll be you that people remember.