Exhibition and trade show halls across Europe and the US have seen a bustling year in 2024. Exhibition stand designs have been vibrant, dynamic and as usual the one true consistency is variety!
A successful exhibitor cuts through the noise and demands attention. Whether exhibitors are looking to generate leads, build connections or activate a brand they need to think methodically and design a strategy alongside their stand.
Hitting exhibition goals is rarely achieved by just shouting the loudest, building the tallest wall or lighting a stand up like Picadilly Circus. Maximizing return on investment means thinking tactically and designing a strategy alongside your stand design.
Entrusting your exhibition stand design and build to an experienced contractor like Quadrant2Design is step one in exhibition planning. The team at Quadrant2Design only work with the Prestige Events System to create sustainable exhibition stands that are reusable and reconfigurable. They assign clients a dedicated Design Consultant and Project Manager, and between them they take all the stress away from exhibiting. This leaves clients free to employ some or all of the below tactics to go above and beyond their exhibiting targets.
Event in an Event
On-stand hospitality and events near guarantee drawing a crowd to your stand. Send out early invites and chase RSVPs even if you don’t really need them. Consider what type of event will work best at the exhibition and for your target audience. Coffee mornings work well for one day shows at hard-to-reach venues – catering for early starts. Drinks receptions towards close of show on day one of two-day conferences area always popular.
Try to partner with a complimentary partner for your reception. If you are have a premium offer use a local artisan baker for coffee receptions instead of the generic venue caterer. Or, if sustainability is at the core of your business, partner with a local sparkling wine for a drink’s reception instead of the classic Champagne or Prosecco.
Finally, think about fringe opportunities. If a conference or expo lasts a few days and attendees will be staying in surrounding hotels, consider hosting your event outside the confines of the exhibition venue. Receptions or product launch parties in nearby hotels or bars are often more affordable, fun and better attended. A quality exhibition stand contractor will be able to produce backdrops and displays to match and align with your exhibition presentation.
Giveaways
Dishing out pens, notebooks and stress balls can work but it’s not original and is not going above and beyond. Tote bags are useful and effective but an upgrade to a free rucksack can make you the destination of choice for anyone looking to carry their less effective freebies. Rival giveaways are now safely hidden away in your well-branded, well-placed, highly visible giveaway.
Going sustainable can mean going digital. Instead of giving away something physical try giving away a ticket that via a page on your website is redeemable for products, services or even a shopping or cinema voucher. Try to create a ticket that can be quickly transferred perhaps by near field communication (NFC) and can be stored in a digital wallet like those on Apple or Android devices. The ticket with your branding now sits in a prominent place – alongside the debit and credit cards the prospective client uses daily. This is the 2025 equivalent of getting your business card in a lead’s wallet.
Pre and Post Show Marketing
Marketing and Sales teams should be making plans to promote their appearance well in advance of a trade show. Producing a dedicated event website like those created by yourstand.at can drive traffic to an exhibition stand, advertise in show-events, promote special offers and provide a preview of the stand and its location in the hall.
Proactive pre-show marketing and strategic communications can mean canny exhibitors have a full schedule of appointments at the show. Using applications like Calendly alongside vibrant email footers, well executed social media campaigns and email marketing shots can mean a full schedule of appointments at the show.
The target should be to either make your stand a must-visit, first stop on arriving at an exhibition or have pre-arranged appointments for leads to visit the stand.
Yourstand.at websites turn two-day trade shows into a 10-week marketing campaign. Whether an exhibitor invests in a site or not the concept is applicable to all. Exhibiting can be tiring and time consuming, but teams must use the momentum to their advantage. Post-show follow-up with generated leads and keeping stakeholders updated about your show activities is essential to maximizing return on investment.
Full Attention
Staff need to make time to prepare for the trade show, this means meeting up well ahead of the event to plan roles and tactics. If travel to the event requires a long journey or change in time zone, teams should arrive a few days before, so they are rested and physically ready for long show days.
Full attention means phones off or on silent and other work set to one side. Using an exhibition stand as an office is an expensive mistake. Staff should be present, and their body language should convey that the stand is open for business. A team hunched over laptops or on phones is not a good look. Where calls or work are required during the show use a hospitality space or ask your exhibition stand designer to include a private meetings space in the plans.
Take on the opposition
Every exhibition is different and it’s important that your stand design suits the show-style and stands out for all the right reasons. It’s also vital that your company is not overshadowed by a direct competitor. Sound out what similar businesses are planning using LinkedIn and make sure your presence is more enticing, dominant and inviting. Try to take the opposition in terms of stand height, overhead banners, integrated showcases, and lighting features. Then, take your stand design to the next level with a photo floor and dynamic features like rotating displays and headers.
Conclusion
To outshine rival stands, your stand design must be well-considered, professionally managed, and quality-checked to ensure a pristine presentation. A specialist exhibition stand design and build contractor like Quadrant2Design will give you a solid foundation at an exhibition. From there, you can turbocharge your impact and return on investment with on-stand events, effective pre and post-show marketing, a disciplined and focused team, and a bold ambition to take on the competition.