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When planning for that big show where presence is key, the first thing to figure out is ‘what size of booth space do I need to get noticed?’ Of course having a 10,000 square foot mega-booth will definitely get you noticed, but can you have the same amount of impact in a smaller booth space and maximize your display requirements to better utilize your budget?

The answer is, yes you can. Planning your goals for your show is the most important starting point. It is important not to get too wrapped up in the small details before looking at the big-picture.  We have compiled four important stages that need to happen for you get to the fun design stuff.

1. What Products Are We Trying To Push?
The most important question to ask is what kind of sales are you looking to make at the show? Is there a product that you are promoting that will give you the best results? Showcasing your product at the show, whether you would like a physical demonstration model or using photo representation of your product is key. Answering this question will help you determine the best use of your space.

2. How Many People Will We Need to Work the Show?
You don’t want your space to be overcrowded for your sales team.  The typical rule of thumb is to allow 50 square foot per sales rep on the floor. Discuss with them what display components will help them better sell at the show.  Literature holders, counters, monitor presentations, meeting areas and storage are all items to consider when planning the design for your custom display.

3. Creating your Wish List.
After discussing your sales requirements with your team, it is important to generate a list of must-haves and other items that might be on your ‘wish-list’. For example, how many kiosks, counters and accessories will be needed.  Then comes your ‘wish-list’. Research examples of display configurations that you think would best represent your company; taking note of the elements that you thought made that display a success.  It could be the use of backlighting, the height of the tower, a double-decker to a larger meeting area. This preliminary work needs to be addressed before the designer is able to create renderings for your approval.

4. Choosing a Style that fits with your Company Profile.
When designing the structure, it is important to capture the essence of your company. I’m sure Apple would design a display much different than Coca-Cola would. It’s important to communicate your branding guidelines and corporate culture to the designer in order to create a structure that effectively communicates who you are.  With that being said, there are standard configurations that need to be addressed before beginning the design process. 

Conclusion:
When planning your budget for the show, consult with the sales team to see what type of involvement is feasible for them at a show.  When using a custom display, you might want to source the set-up and dismantle to an exhibit company or show services. Typically it is best to use a company that will care for your display as if it their own. Sending a supervisor from your exhibit house to direct the install for show services or having the exhibit house allocated a qualified team of people to take care of the I&D will not only save you money in repairs, but will also increase the longevity of your graphics and hardware.

Looking for a free way to increase your company’s #tradeshow presence? This Spring, Display Dynamics is giving away an 8′ Magnum Display Kit to one lucky company. Enter here!

So you’ve picked out the display hardware you want to use for your show, now what about the graphics? Your trade show graphics are one of the most important elements to have done right for your show. The question remains, how will my display be memorable and make an impact at the show?

Too many times we have seen big dollars be spent on a display with huge potential, but designed in such a way that it becomes confusing to the target audience. Most have heard the five-second rule, but it is true, you have five seconds to turn a head or that potential lead will vanish.Trade Shows can be overwhelming for the attendee to begin with, let alone having to contend with booth graphics that are hard to understand. We have compiled 10 rules to follow to avoid a ghost town around your booth space.

1. “So what is it you do?”
You may have heard this question at a show, it’s not a bad question because it evokes conversation, but the attendee cannot be left completely in the dark. Your display should have your company name and logo in a predominant location with a catchy slogan that summarizes your company in five words or less. It is important that this information is at eye-level or higher on your display since it is the first piece of information your viewer
will read.

2. TMI (Too Much Information)
It’s tempting to try to cram as much information onto your display as possible; after all you have a large space to fill right? This is not the case. You want your display to clearly communicate a general idea of your business. You can use a brochure to communicate your comprehensive list of products and services that your sales person can use to discuss with the attendee. After all, your viewer will be taking home the brochure to look over, not your display.

3. Branding
Your display should communicate your brand and company culture. You will have better results if your display is coherent with your brochures, your website and your other branding initiatives. 

4. Bigger is Better
Photography plays a large role in the success of your message. For example, when someone is describing a chair to you, it is an image that will appear in your mind about the chair, not the word. In the same sense, you can reduce the amount of text needed by using photography to describe your products and service or evoke an emotional response. Remember that using photography on a large scale will create more impact that using 20 small photographs.

4. Waist Level
Remember how your viewer will be reading the information on your display. Using text, aside from a URL, below waist level becomes difficult. Nobody will want to read small text located by their feet.

5. Type Size Matters
When selecting your type size and style, keep in mind that it needs to be simple and easy to read. Using paragraphs are out of the question, bullet points are much more effective and can be used at a size that can be read 10-20 feet away.

6. Do I need my glasses, or is that photo blurry?
Sometimes the only way to showcase your product is through a photograph, many photos taken by your own digital camera or especially with your will not translate when used in a larger format. Dynamic photos at a good resolution is key, stock photo sites may give you alternatives for your display photos, but hiring a photographer may be a valuable component to your display design.

7. Memorable & Timeliness
Your display graphics are a worthwhile investment; one of the most important questions to ask yourself is how these graphics fit into your long-term marketing initiative.  By ensuring your graphics are generalized enough to engage viewers through multiple shows long-term while communicating enough information is important. Avoid using statements and dates such as “All New for 2012”. The cost for reprinting the update might not be worthwhile. There are other display alternatives for show specific or industry specific graphics.

8. Is that really my logo colour?
It is important that the colours you have chosen for your brand are communicated to the printer. You do not want your blue logo looking purple on your display or your red looking orange. Sending in Pantone information to your printer or supplying a brochure for matching is definitely a good idea. Remember, you can always ask to see test prints to ensure the quality and colour meet your standards.

9. Harmony
When selecting your colour palette for your display, ensure that the colours work well to bring a dynamic edge to your display. When overlaying text, you need to be careful. Sometimes overlaying text on top of a photo can make the text hard to read, in which case your viewer won’t even try to read it. Overlaying text on top of another colour is just as important. For example yellow text on white does not show up very well from afar and red text on a green background is also hard for the eye to adjust to.  

10. Sales Tools
At the end of the day, your sales team needs to use this display as a tool to help them promote the products and sell to your audience. Having too many sales tools, such as a multitude of graphics and diagrams does not make for a dynamic display. You want to ensure that these tools can be used within the display space, but have secondary information on hand such as literature for their sales presentation or a video to help them sell effectively while keeping your graphics as simple as possible.

You can have a fantastic looking display, but remember, if your sales team is not motivated to sell, it is all for nothing. Your display’s job is to create interest, turn a head, encourage people to check out your display, once you have their attention, that is your opening to start conversation.  All your display should do for you is create a question or trigger a conversation in order to start building a relationship. Don’t be afraid to be assertive and also work your aisle way as well as your booth, your booth visitor will tell you if they are interested or not, the least they will do is take a brochure. 

Complete Trade Show Marketing Solutions from
Start to Finish

An effective trade show marketing program is not strictly achieved through the design & fabrication of a brilliant eye-catching exhibit; we believe that a long-term successful trade show experience begins and ends with a sound strategy. At Display Dynamics, we offer a holistic approach to trade show marketing. Before offering you just any random display, we begin by discussing your sales goals or learning from your past show experiences to come up with the most suitable exhibit solution for your team. We do not believe in the mass production and supply of display solutions without careful thought or reason tailored to your specific requirements. With our experience and expertise in the field, we work with your organization to offer an effective approach that is sure to produce quality results. From the preliminary planning phase to the final shipping phase - Display Dynamics has you covered.