When you purchase an exhibition stand space from the trade show organizers, you know you can only use that space. In some cases, an exhibition stand can be as small as 1.5 metres by 3 metres, so you really do have limited space to use. Even if you purchase the largest stand in the exhibition hall, you will need to use every centimeter of your allotted space wisely. Here are some of the things you can consider in your exhibition stand design to make the most of your available space.
Space for Staff
How many staff members will you have manning the stand at any point in time? Each staff member needs plenty of room to sit or to stand to talk to customers comfortably. Customers also need space to talk to your staff members. If space is at a premium, you may want to have fewer staff members manning the stand, even if that means customers have to wait a bit longer for service. A good rule of thumb is to allow at least 80cm2 for each staff member.
Space for Storage
Plan where you will store extra brochures, business cards, order forms, or giveaways. You won’t be able to have all of these items on display (most exhibitors hand out thousands of business cards in a single day at the trade show. Check whether you can store any items anywhere else with the exhibition organizers. An option may be to store a minimum amount of items in the actual stand and have a staff member go to the car or van to restock as needed throughout the exhibition.
Space for Signage
While signs may not take up much space, especially if you hang the signs on the walls of the exhibition stand, you still need to consider the space for signs. There is little point in hanging signs and then covering up the signs with things in front of the signs, so no-one can actually read the signs at the back of the stand. If you use banners or stands for your signage, you need to allocate that space accordingly in your exhibition design.
Space for Surroundings
Creating a type of ambiance in your exhibition stand is important. Sometimes, you may just want space to avoid the stand feeling cluttered and uninviting to customers. It is better to have some ‘empty’ space rather than to give the impression of clutter and mess.
Space for Products
Decide which products you will be promoting at your exhibition stand. If you want to highlight a particular product, you will need space for the product, space around the product so that customers can see the product clearly, and space for the lighting which will highlight the product in your exhibition stand.
Space will always be at a premium when you create your exhibition stand. You need to decide how best to use the space you have and how to avoid making your stand feel cluttered, messy, and unusable for the staff and customers.
Talk with your exhibition designer about the best ways to use the limited space you have in your exhibition stand. You should map out the stand and play with moving elements of the stand around on the map before you commission your signs, furniture, and other exhibition stand products.
Remember the adage that sometimes less is more when you are designing your exhibition stand. Remove the clutter and make every centimeter of your allotted space for your exhibition stand count.
