By Sabine Gauditz

While we have many ways to connect online, well-designed trade fairs are ideal opportunities to experience know-how and innovation at first hand. Nowhere else can buyers compare as many products in as short a time. A trade fair is a sales platform, communication hub and trend barometer in one. Visitors want the “live” experience and face-to-face interaction. What matters is the emotional impact and appeal to all of their senses.

Planning for success – what do we hope to achieve?

Good preparation is needed to ensure a trade fair is a “wow” experience for exhibitors and visitors alike. Before even thinking about stand design, companies should clearly define their goals. What is our focus and what do we want to achieve at the trade fair? What themes should be reflected in the stand design? Ask yourself these questions in advance: who is our target group and how do we want our company to come across? Are we primarily interested in winning new customers or do we also want to network with potential new employees? Do we want to learn more about our target market’s preferences, present our corporate philosophy or get input on forward-looking topics? A trade fair stand can combine all of these goals in addition to showcasing products.

See and be seen

The look of your stand is crucial to determining whether you get noticed by potential customers. Every visitor to a trade fair is bombarded with visual stimuli. Our brain simply blanks a lot of this so that only a few impactful stands and product presentations still live on in our memory after a long day at the trade fair.

Colour has an impact

Even if you’re leaving the stand concept to a design agency or stand construction company, it’s useful to be aware of the psychological impact of colours and shapes. There’s no doubt that colour can elicit emotions – for instance, red and orange tones are associated with dynamism while blue and green tones have a calming effect. But did you know that this applies to shapes and materials as well? 

A stand in green tones with wooden elements and organic shapes will evoke associations with sustainability, relaxation, health and nature. A blue, green and silver design concept with rectangles and squares, meanwhile, says trustworthy, tech-literate and stable. These are just two examples that illustrate the effect of colours and shapes. Visual communication is a complex and multilayered topic that should be given careful thought. 

Should the colours mainly follow the company’s corporate design or reflect a particular theme? Whatever decision is made – a boring stand that leaves no particular impression will get overlooked. The design must appeal visually, set the stand apart and make a clear statement. The overall concept must be immediately obvious at first glance. 

Let there be light!

Everything may be beautifully presented, but it’s just a waste of money if you don’t light your stand well. Even the best products will be left in the shade without the right illumination. “Just adding a few spotlights” doesn’t cut it – every stand needs a deliberate lighting concept that structures the space, sets accents and creates ambience. 

A stage for your products

The goal of any stand design is to emphasise the unique nature of the products to visitors. While innovations and highlights in particular must be clearly visible at the centre, all other products must also be shown in the best light in order to attract the interest of buyers.

If a stand’s target market is brick-and-mortar retailers, the design should simultaneously give them an idea of how to showcase the items later in their stores to maximise sales. In that scenario, a stand might be designed to look like a concept store. 

Good hosting and entertainment

Even the most creatively designed stand will miss the mark if visitors don’t feel welcome – even if they show up without a prior appointment. Everyone working on your stand should be a “people person” and come across as communicative, hospitable and competent. In our digitalised world, face-to-face interaction can work wonders and is not to be underestimated.

Visitors want to be acknowledged – even if it’s ten minutes from close of business on the last day of the trade fair. A friendly greeting and an informed interaction are fundamental to making a good first impression. For a successful trade fair, make sure the running of your stand is well organised and you roster enough staff, as very few of us are capable of engaging positively with customers, holding fruitful discussions and maintaining a good mood for eight hours straight without a break. No matter how exhausting the day may have already been, you have to keep going until the lights have been switched off and the exhibition grounds emptied – not two hours before. Actors can’t exit the stage five minutes before a show ends – even if sometimes they might wish they could. 

Creative and unique 

Creativity and the courage to try new design ideas, rather than necessarily a big budget, are what are primarily needed to turn your stand into a “point of emotion” in the exhibition hall. Manufacturers of writing utensils, for example, might showcase their products on antiquarian books, artfully folded sheets of paper, paper aeroplanes or paper stacks of varying heights. Maybe there’s a way of enabling customers to get hands-on and unleash their creativity? How about a selfie point featuring a particular colour design or a larger-than-life pencil that creates abstract works of art like a pendulum.

Trade fair visitors are curious and on the lookout for unique products and experiences. That’s why a creative stand design will attract far more attention than lots of products without any staging. 

Exhibiting at a trade fair represents a major investment of time and money. It’s important not to just “wing it”. A stand says a great deal about a company’s creativity, how it values its customers and the corporate culture. For a successful trade fair, businesses need good planning and perfect execution. 

About the author:

Sabine Gauditz is an expert in visual retail marketing. She has been designing and arranging product presentations and retail space environments conducive to sales in various industries since 1986. She founded Arte Perfectum, a visual marketing consulting agency, with Hans Schmidt in 2002. Since then, she has been leading seminars and workshops and offering in-house consulting services.