XBox Exhibition Stand, Gold Coast October 2011

Trade shows and business expos are becoming more popular as ways of marketing directly to qualified prospects within your business’ niche market. Exhibiting at a trade show or exhibition allows your business to contact hundreds and even thousands of potential sales leads within a few short days. However, you do have to compete with the hundreds of other exhibition stands at the trade show and by designing an unusual exhibition stand, you’ll attract more attention.

Here are some ways you can design an unusual exhibition stand.

Create a Theme
Use your imagination and create a theme for your exhibition stand. Instead of simply trying to display your products, or to provide information about your services, invite your potential customers to enter into an experience within your exhibition stand. Using your imagination, you can create a wonderland experience where customers briefly forget they are in an exhibition hall, so entranced will they become with your interactive, themed, stand.

To successfully create the illusion of entering into a new environment, it is much easier to use a “box” exhibition stand, where the floors and walls are part of the exhibition experience, instead of using the set walls and floor provided by the event organisers.

Build in Levels
Levels using a few steps or a ramp create the three-dimensional effect of more space. You can invite people to see your product in a new way, by elevating the people above the product you are displaying. Using different levels of height within your exhibition stand creates an unusual stand, especially when the majority of exhibition stands will be one level and almost one-dimensional in appearance.

Use Lights in an Unusual Way
You do not have to use lights only to highlight or showcase your products. You can use lights to create an atmosphere or an effect within your exhibition stand. Use coloured lights to build colours into your exhibition space and create a unique environment. Use small flashing lights to attract attention to a particular sign or product, but use this device sparingly. Consider all the different ways you can use lighting to create different effects and to build an atmosphere into your exhibition stand that is unique.

Use the Height Space Available
Unless the organisers of the event puts a limit on the height of your exhibition stand, you are limited only the by the height of the ceiling. Consider having a blow up section to your exhibition stand that raises high above the other exhibition stands. This will make your exhibition stand appear to be the main focus when people enter the convention centre or trade show space and everyone will see part of your stand from any part of the room. This attracts attention and people will want to visit such an unusual exhibition stand.

Creating an unusual exhibition stand is not difficult, but it can take the skills of a professional exhibition stand designer to bring all the elements together. Make the most of your limited exhibition space and create an unusual exhibition stand that people will remember.

Jura Coffee - Custom Exhibition Stand

Walking into an exhibition venue can be daunting to the consumer. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of booths and salespeople vying for their attention. It’s hard to know where to begin.

This is why it is very important for your exhibition stand to ‘stand out’ from the rest. No matter how brilliant your product is, if no one sees it, your attendance will have been a waste of time and money.

Exhibition attendees are bombarded from every direction with colours, sounds, moving models, life-size replicas and many more design elements. So, whilst securing the best possible space at the exhibition is one hurdle, the next is designing an eye-catching stand that will attract customers and make your business stand out from the crowd.

The design of your stand is really only limited by your imagination (and finances of course). If you sell bathroom fittings, why not make your stand a mock-up of an elegant bathroom, complete with a mirror, tiles, bath, shower … you name it.

Another option is to display your product in a completely unexpected scenario. Think outside the square! Focus in on something unique about your product…..for example, showing a piece of gym equipment within a mock-up of a passenger car, is not only unexpected but also illustrates that your product is so compact and portable that you can take it anywhere.

Once you have decided on the general theme for your exhibition stand, you will need to employ a specially trained exhibition stand designer. But in order to give your designer the best possible brief, you can experiment with your own ideas and floor plan. Find an area large enough to fit your allotted exhibition space, and mark it with tape or chalk. From here, you can physically move items around and test how easily staff will be able to manoeuvre around the space. It’s no good having a wonderfully eye-catching display that prevents workers from interacting with customers, or showing functionality of your product.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the saying ‘less is more’ rings true for a reason. Before a customer even walks past your particular exhibition stand, they have already been exposed to many other stands and people. By having a clutter-free, relaxing booth you can help the customer avoid being overwhelmed with a multitude of messages.

Whilst your business might sell numerous products, or different versions of a product, you will need to come up with a good compromise between showing customers everything you have on offer, and keeping your limited space clean, uncluttered and simple. It might be a good idea to display only a few options or versions of your products with the rest available upon request. Remember, exhibitors often do not do much actual ‘selling’ at the exhibition; rather they introduce the products to the market and make connections with customers. Following up on any leads generated at the show is crucial, you must ensure that when customers request a particular product you are able to procure it quickly. If it is going to take too long the customer may forget or go elsewhere.

Not only is the appearance of your exhibition stand important, you must consider practicalities too. Keep in mind you will be in for a long day (or days) and a masterpiece of an exhibition stand that requires a scientific degree and hours of assembly, is not the best way for you or your staff to begin the long, gruelling – but potentially rewarding – process of exhibiting your business and products to the world.

Roband Exhibition Stand at Fine Foods, Sept 2011

When most people design an exhibition stand, they think about the large items, such as the exhibition furniture and where and how they intend to display their products and signs. Few people realise the importance of exhibition lighting in attracting attention.

Usually, a trade show or exhibition is held in a convention centre, such as the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The roof space will have long panels of fluorescent lights. This may provide light for people to see inside the space and to generally walk around, but it certainly does not provide highlights or attract attention to your particular exhibition stand.

Relying on the existing lighting within the building is not a smart move.

Professional exhibition stand designers always incorporate several different lights within the structure and design of the exhibition stand. You can use downlights, uplights, and spotlights to create highlights within your exhibition stand and to shine on certain products or signs.

With new technology, it is easy to get small halogen lights that will shine on the exact area you want to attract attention. Exhibition stand lighting can be hidden within the structure or walls of a custom designed exhibition stand, saving space, and creating the illusion that you are not using additional lighting.

You can use coloured films on the top of spotlights to create an ambiance within your stand. Using coloured lights can make your exhibition stand look completely different from its neighbours, so it will be easy to attract the crowd at the trade show. Choose your colours to match your theme or branding, so that the slight shade of colour from the lights simply adds to the experience your exhibition stand offers to people.

Lighting is not only about creating highlights, but it can be about creating shadows. Using lights to create shadows within your exhibition stand adds a third dimension and makes the areas you want to highlight stand out more. You can create interesting effects with flashing lights or lights that move in a defined pattern around your exhibition stand.

Each display case should have individual lighting, so that the products on display are easily seen by the people passing by your exhibition stand. You will also need lights to create a comfortable area where your staff and potential customers can chat and can look at brochures or make sales of your products.

Lighting is essential component of any professional exhibition stand. You need to use lights to attract attention and to highlight your products within your exhibition stand. With new technology, lights have become smaller and easier to use or to hide. You can create a myriad of interesting effects using colour and movement in lights to bring people to your exhibition stand.

Eminence Exhibiiton Stand, Spa & Beauty Show Sydney August 2011

A custom built exhibition stand provides many benefits to the exhibitor above the traditional “booth” style of exhibition stand. The traditional stand uses the walls and flooring provided by the exhibition or trade show organiser. A custom built exhibition stand creates is designed and built from the ground up -  creating the walls, floor, and features within the exhibition stand area. Here are six reasons to consider using a custom exhibition stand for your next exhibition, convention, or trade show.

1 – More Freedom to Design an Effective Stand
When you use a custom exhibition stand which includes options for the walls and floors, you have far more freedom to use creative design techniques in your stand. You can choose the height, shape, and colour of your exhibition stand walls, for example, instead of using the colour of the walls that the exhibition centre provides. You have far more freedom to create a unique exhibition stand when you start with an empty space, rather than set walls.

2 – Create Unique Shapes
When you use a custom exhibition stand, you are not limited to having a square or rectangular shaped exhibition stand. You can create your stand in almost any shape, such as an oval or oblong. This makes you easier to spot amongst the traditional square “shell” style stands. You can even create a series of shapes or sections within your exhibition stand. You can create an exhibition stand that looks like a logo, a product, or has a variety of elements.

3 – Building Themes is Easier
Many exhibitors like to create themes for their exhibition stands, which complement the other marketing and promotional materials. When you create a unique custom exhibition stand, you can create a stand shape, with walls, colours, and furniture that matches your theme.

4 – Floors can be Raised or Multilevel
One of the big advantages of a custom exhibition stand is that you can create floors which can become a big feature in itself. You can raise your exhibition stand within the space, giving your stand a height advantage over other stands. You can even create a multilevel stand, so that some aspects are higher than others, creating three dimensional effects and added interest.

5 – Use New Technology
A custom designed exhibition stand can take advantage of new technology, such as using light-weight metals for framing and fabrics for the walls. This can make your exhibition stand more attractive to passers by and can help you to create a good atmosphere within your allotted area. You can use the latest technology to create something no-one has ever seen before in a trade show. You can use lighting that you can hide within the walls, ceiling, and floors, or your custom built exhibition stand. New technology has made exhibition stands lighter and easier to move, pack, transport, and re-use at the next trade show, so your cost per trade show can be reduced.

6 – Attract Attention
The main reason to use a custom exhibition stand is that it will always attract more attention than the traditional “booth” style stands, especially if the majority of other exhibitors choose to use the standard shell stands. With greater freedom to use colour, lights, heights, and other features that will attract attention, you will be sure to get the most of your exhibition stand spend.

Opting for a custom designed exhibition stand has many advantages and is well worth considering when you’re thinking about your your next trade show. Exhibiting at any trade show is a good investment of your marketing funds, so make the most of your experience by creating a unique custom designed and built exhibition stand that complements your branding and other marketing tools.

Bioline Exhibition Stand, Spa & Beauty Expo, Aug 2011

When you spend money to book an exhibition stand with the goal of growing your business you need to be sure that your stand will actually attract people to your business, otherwise your money will be wasted. It doesn’t matter if thousands of people attend the trade show if no-one actually visits your particular exhibition stand or you end up with no viable leads. To prevent this scenario, you need to make your exhibition stand different from the rest of the exhibition stands.

Create a theme for your exhibition stand. This theme allows you to consistently provide a single message to your potential customers in a memorable way. You want people to remember your stand after the event. You can begin marketing with the theme before the trade show or exhibition, by sending your customers an invitation using the theme. That way, your customers will look out for your stand at the trade show and it will trigger recognition.

Designing your exhibition stand around a theme allows you to create an image that stays in potential customers’ memories long after the event too, enabling your follow up sales and marketing teams to tap into this memory using the same theme. This is the best way to convert leads into real sales following a trade show or exhibition event.

If you really want your exhibition stand to stand out from the crowd, you should consider using a custom designed stand. Custom designing your stand can creatively use your allocated space by building the floors and walls of your exhibition stand, instead of using the provided “booth” style exhibition stand walls and floors.

A custom designed exhibition stand provides you with more opportunities to be creative as you can create multi-level floors, with raised sections to attract more attention to certain areas. You can use shapes, colours, and fabrics to create attractive walls that match your theme. You do not even need walls around every section of your exhibition stand space.

To enhance visibility of your stand, use large, colourful, and professional signs. Huge printers are now being used to print massive banners and images which will ensure that your signage is visible from everywhere in the exhibition centre or trade hall. You can have posters and banners printed in your brand colours using the theme you created for your exhibition stand.

Lighting is an essential feature for any exhibitor who wants to stand out from the crowd. Relying on the lighting that exists within the exhibition or conference centre will be insufficient to highlight the areas of your exhibition stand that you want to attract the attention of people walking past. You will need to include lighting within your creative design of your exhibition stand.

When you design your exhibition stand, make it memorable by using a theme, bright, attractive colours, good branding techniques, unique designs in the stand design, visible and professional signage, and excellent lighting.

Algologie Cube

The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour is the premier centre for the best trade shows and public exhibitions in Sydney. Exhibition Co. often works with exhibitors at the SCEC and knows how to make the most of the venue. Here are the top five tips for people who are preparing an exhibition stand for the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Tip 1 – Use the Height
The SCEC is a very tall building, with extremely high ceilings over the majority of the exhibition halls, especially in Halls 2 to 4 (in the centre). This means that you can use the height as additional space. While you do not want to have passersby strain their necks looking up too high, many exhibitors forget to place signs and features above the traditional height of the walls of a booth. If you use the space available above your exhibition stand, you will attract more people because you will intrigue them with your signage from all points across the hall.

Tip 2 – Create a Unique Booth Design
Whenever you attend an event at the venue, you will find that the majority of exhibitors use the stock standard exhibition booth, with the blue-grey walls which the show organiser provides as a basic package. Anyone who designs a unique exhibition stand that creates its own walls immediately stands out from the crowd.

Tip 3 – Use Additional Lighting
The lights at the SCEC are fluorescent lights in long rows along the ceiling. While this may provide plenty of light for people to see and walk around the exhibition halls, it does not allow the exhibitors to highlight any particular area of their own exhibition stand. When you design your exhibition stand, consider adding lighting to create highlights, shadows, and effects to your exhibition stand. Ask your exhibition company for ideas on how best to use lighting techniques to your advantage.

Tip 4 – Use Colour
The SCEC is a venue that architects designed specifically to have many exhibitors showing their wares. Of necessity, the walls, furnishings, and features are bland and neutral in colour. Ensure your exhibition stand does not blend in with the boring surroundings by using bright, vibrant, and exciting colour schemes.

Tip 5 – Arrive Early
The SCEC opens to exhibitors several hours before any exhibition will start. Arrive as early as possible in the set up time allowed. There is plenty of public parking, but only a few spots for trucks to park with the exhibition stands. Arriving early allows you to have plenty of time to bring in your equipment and set up your exhibition stand to make the most of your design. Once you have set up your stand, you can use any additional time to network with other exhibitors, which will increase your marketability at the exhibition or trade show.

The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is a great centre for holding exhibitions, but you do need to make the most of the space and time you are allocated. The Exhibition Co. can help you to design an exhibition stand guaranteed to stand out in the SCEC.

Algologie Exhibition Stand - Beauty Expo

Exhibition stand design has evolved and people expect a higher degree of professionalism when visiting a trade show or convention. Experienced exhibition stand designers will never neglect lighting as an essential element within any modern exhibition stand.

In the past, most exhibition stands relied on the lighting inherent within the exhibition hall or convention centre where the trade show was. Generic ceiling lighting with bars of fluorescent tubes does not always provide consistent lighting to all sections of the exhibition stand space. Some stands may appear to be in shadow and others will have some sections in shadow.

Modern exhibition stands use lighting creatively as a design feature. Creating highlights and shadows builds a greater three-dimensional effect to the stand. Designers use spotlights, downlights, and directed lights to highlight certain features within the exhibition stand, such as the product you want to display or the signage you want to highlight. Clever designers also use shadows created by lights to add impact and to allow some features of the exhibition stand to ‘hide’ elements that you don’t particularly want the public to see (such as electrical cords or extra stacks of brochures).

With the increased use of fabrics, designers can place lights behind a fabric showpiece to create interesting effects through the fabric. You can even create a fabric box or three-dimensional shape using fabric over light metal rods with a light inside. Imagine how your corporate logo would look as a three-dimensional, lit up image that attracts attention to your exhibition stand.

Designers will use coloured lights to create an ambiance within the exhibition stand. You can use different colours to create an “Alice in Wonderland” effect of changing ambiance or use one colour to create an ambiance that matches your corporate logo and colours. No longer are you limited to simple white lights, shading cards allow you to create the most colours in lighting.

Some designers will use a small section of flashing lights to attract attention to certain areas of the exhibition stand. Mini flashing lights around a sign always make passers by look at the sign, as they catch the flash in their peripheral vision.

You can also create unique lighting effects by layering the lights, so that each area within the exhibition stand has several lights. Only a good exhibition designer will be able to create a layered lighting effect that highlights the products and provides a special ambiance to the exhibition stand.

Exhibition stands can be very drab and boring without the added dimension that spectacular lighting can bring. Lighting not only allows you to highlight particular products within the exhibition stand, but provides you with unlimited opportunities to create a unique and memorable exhibition stand with an ambiance unmatched within the myriad of exhibition stands throughout the trade show or convention centre.

Sony Shoebox - Instore Promotion

In the past decade, technology has changed the way people live in dramatic ways. Nowhere is this more obvious than when you browse any modern exhibition or trade show. Technology has enabled the increasing use of fabrics and lightweight materials in the design of the exhibition stands. Ten years ago, most exhibitors used the existing light available in the convention centre or exhibition hall, but you will find few exhibits without customized lighting these days. Even more spectacular are the innovations allowing greater use of shapes. These three trends in exhibition stand design and building have allowed greater customization and the creation of unique and memorable effects.

Materials
From heavy and cumbersome exhibition stands to lightweight materials, the change in the materials people use in building exhibition stands is dramatic. Exhibitors are discovering the joy of fabric and lightweight metals. Using translucent fabric to display full wall graphics is becoming extremely popular and is an effective way to make the most use of your space, without giving attendees a claustrophobic sensation. If you are transporting your exhibition stand across the country to show in various cities, you will find that metal is difficult to damage and is a cost effective solution for long-term exhibition stands.

Lights
With advances in the size and availability of various types of lighting, savvy exhibitors are using lights within the exhibition stand design. You can choose between halogens, wash lights, spot lights, and gobos to create the right mood, and to create special effects to attract the crowds to your exhibition stand. Many exhibitors are choosing coloured lights to create a complete branding experience within the exhibition stand. Others like to highlight particular products or display stands with judicious lighting arrangements.

Shapes
With the use of fabrics and lighter materials, it is possible to create all sorts of shapes for use within your exhibition stand. In fact, many of the winning stand designs are box designs where the entire exhibition stand creates a shape, such as an oval, within the allocated exhibition space, allowing exhibitors much more freedom than the traditional “booth” design ever could.

Designers can use computer-generated shapes, such as tombstone shapes, wave shapes, or curves to add interest to exhibition stands. You can create almost any shape you can think of to enhance your company’s branding and product recognition.

Using these design trends, you can create an exhibition stand that enhances your company branding and makes an immediate impact on anyone passing the exhibition stand. With an imagination and an expert in the exhibition design industry who knows the latest trends, you can create an exhibition stand that everyone will love and remember.

Wacom Exhibtiion Stand at CeBit, Sydney

Investing your time and money to display your product at a trade show or exhibition can be rewarding both as an experience and financially. If you are going to invest though, you want to make sure you design the best stand you can for your budget and purpose.

The main attributes you want for your stand is that it stands out amongst all your competitors, it has to be appealing, comfortable and most of all functional. You want to display your products and inform your potential customers in the most efficient and eye-catching way possible.

The best way to achieve this is to make a plan of what you’re trying to achieve, then contact your chosen professional exhibition company who will get their designers to draw up an initial floorplan and design from which they should produce drawings and a 3D concept. From this you will be able to see exactly what your stand will look like and where everything will go including flooring, electrical, lighting, storage space and even signage.

A professional exhibition design company will help you to design a functional booth which will allow you, your staff and customers to manoeuver around it easily and which is also an attractive and professional showcase for your products or services.

Depending on your budget, you can have the exhibition stand designed and built from scratch or you can use pre-designed modular booth walls and fixtures. A good exhibition design company will be able to recommend the best booth materials which they will know from experience are sturdy, light weight, easy to assemble and good looking.

Even if using modular components, you can get your exhibition stand designer to come up with something unique by re-structuring some of the pieces to accommodate your products and by replacing some of the wall panels with full colour graphics. A good exhibition stand designer will know the best materials and modular options to use.

The design professional will also know the trade show venue and any special booth requirements the venue may have and be able to adapt your design accordingly.

Your exhibition company should also be able to advise on the best equipmentyou’re your stand including lighting, video equipment and computer hookups… all important considerations when designing your booth. Most of all your product displays need to be prominent, attractive and well lit.

Your exhibition stand should be designed to keep your prospective customers staying around as long as possible without feeling trapped. Exhibition stand designers will know the best colours, lighting tricks, furniture placement and fixtures to create a comfortable atmosphere. If the atmosphere is correct your visitors will take a good look around your stand, take your brochures and listen to your sales presentations. An exhibition stand should be a work of art, but it also needs to be functional.  A well designed exhibit is a powerful business tool.

Siemens Exhibition Stand

Exhibition stand design has come a long way from the modular box shape with some posters on the material walls separating one stand from another. Advances in technology have created a whole new look for exhibition stand designs that will certainly help your business to attract attention at the trade show.

Fabric Designs
With new light-weight, malleable fabrics available, your exhibition stand designer has a wide range of options to make your exhibition stand attractive to passersby. You can mould certain fabrics to create unique shapes that represent almost any thing you could desire to show on your stand. Thin wire constructions can create 3D shapes with fabric overlaid on top.

You can choose any colour from a wide range of computer generated colours for your fabric design. Printers can now create fabrics with a multitude of colours or even your logo design from a computer-generated or digital image.

Sign Designs
New plastics and adhesive materials, plus technological advancements in the printing of signs means that you are no longer limited to designing signs that fit into a modular shape, such as a rectangle. This means you can create amazing signs for your exhibition stand using a variety of shapes, colours, and materials. You can have curved edges around a logo design or create a 3D effect using cutouts and shadow features.

Multimedia Designs
With technological advancements in the multimedia industry, it is very easy to create an exhibition stand that incorporates moving pictures, sounds, lasers, and animated displays of your product. Flat screen and plasma televisions do not take up much of your valuable exhibition stand space, so you can afford to use multimedia designs to create an interactive exhibition stand that your customers will love.

You can incorporate interactive touch screens and computers into your exhibition stand design to allow people to individually interact with your product or discover information about your company.

Lighting Designs
No longer are businesses who book an exhibition stand limited to the lighting within the conference centre or a few downlights. With the new environmental lights that use far less electricity, you can have a multitude of lights within your exhibition stand, using one power point connection.

You can use coloured lenses to create a coloured lighting effect for ambiance, or you can have lights that automatically turn on and off at appropriate times to draw attention to different products within your exhibition stand. Combine your lighting with multimedia effects and you can truly create something stunning.

Technology has made creating an effective exhibition stand much easier and cheaper. Ask your exhibition stand designer about how you can incorporate new technology into your exhibition stand design to attract more attention at the trade show.