Content. Introduction. Smart ways to use small spaces to optimum effect. Traffic flow techniques that drive engagement

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2 Content Introduction Smart ways to use small spaces to optimum effect Traffic flow techniques that drive engagement Graphics: How color, font, layout affect comprehension Lighting tips to enhance your booth s curb appeal How multimedia displays draw an audience The power of psychology to sell your brand Design Prep Sheet How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 2

3 Introduction Every trade show exhibit tells a story. It should be simple and focused; easy to understand and experience. This ebook is about how to tell a compelling story in a small space. Based on conversations with leading trade show exhibit designers, it digs into the details and shares insights from experts in the field. You ll learn how they mix design principles with a few handy tricks to push the boundaries and maximize your impact. Exhibit design is the art of communicating effectively within the 3D environment. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 3

4 Small spaces Smart Ways to Use Small Spaces to Optimum Effect The designer s goal is your goal: To transform a small space into an engaging environment that showcases your products and services, attracts and educates your target audience, and reinforces your brand identity. When you have limited space: find your focus and prioritize. Through the alchemy of special effects and state-of-the-art materials, a trade show designer can make a small space appear larger, manipulate lighting to create a mood, and add a splash of color to evoke an emotion. Companies often want too much in their trade show exhibit, but visual clutter muddles your message, says one pro. To make things feel more open, I ask clients to define their most important goal and build a structure around that. Each component you add - video stream, retractable banners, back wall displays, collateral pieces - must support your marketing objectives. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 4

5 Advances in LED lighting make it a snap to add dimension to a limited space through light and shadow. Dramatic uplighting creates edges with fuzzy definition, which makes it harder for the eye to define a small space. Concealed fixtures as small as 1 in diameter can set a tone or highlight points of interest. See a sample A large-scale single graphic spread across a back wall will make a trade show booth appear larger, while a backdrop with multiple pictures and text blocks can distract attention or promote a cramped feeling. Use light, monochromatic colors to open up your space and dark colors if you want to introduce a small, cozy feel. Instead of sending large replicas of the equipment you want to showcase, consider high-quality images, so that visitors can experience the size and details, while you save on space, shipping and drayage. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 5

6 Traffic flow Traffic Flow Techniques that Drive Engagement How visitors flow through your trade show exhibit has a direct impact on whether they engage. Determine your key points of interest and know in advance whether you want people to browse or be guided in a more controlled setting. Linear trade show displays like 10x10s and 10x20s push a lot of interaction out to the aisle. Placing a counter at the edge between you and attendees keeps them in the aisle. Making it easy to enter and move through your trade show exhibit also makes it easier to connect with customers and prospects. Think of the main aisle as a funnel to the reception area and fan out from there. Pull people in with large visual elements, and provide clear sight lines to make it obvious how to get to their area of interest. There is a difference between walking up to a booth and walking IN to a booth. Avoid barriers to entry outside your trade show booth. If a client wants that approach, consider Plexiglas with graphics so that the area is still accessible, or get creative with sheer fabric panels to suggest privacy without walls. See a sample How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 6

7 Create flows that separate visitors who want to sign-up for a raffle from customers and prospects who want to learn more about your products. Set up registration stations at each end of the trade show booth to keep sign-up traffic in the outside aisles, so that your target audience has easy access to product demos and sales reps. Be innovative in the way your sales staff interacts with prospects. Instead of individual demo stations, try a demo bar where visitors can mingle with the reps. Or, set up banquet seating to create a comfortable environment for 1:1 meetings and private demos. See a sample How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 7

8 Graphics How Color, Font, Layout Affect Comprehension Successful trade show graphics should impart intelligent information to both the casual passerby and the person already familiar with your company. The trade show environment can be a busy and polluted one, says one veteran. You only have a few seconds to grab attention. An experienced designer can work with you to make a strong first impression with a message that is compelling enough to attract an audience and clear enough to educate visitors. What works? You know your audience, but do they know you? Detailed attention to the proper use of color, font and layout can make the difference between connecting with your audience and simply showing off a pretty room. Effective signage rises above the visual noise on the trade show floor. Avoid centered text. Skip italics. Highimpact images can say more than a wall of words. See a sample Using the right materials and graphics, and offering accessibility to skilled staff are the ways to engage. Signage should be visible from all sides of the exhibit. Logos should be visible from 25 feet, headlines from 10 How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 8

9 feet. Graphics should have a cohesive look and feel that ties in with your overall brand image. Think of your display structure as a pyramid. Each element reinforces your marketing objectives. Support large-scale graphics and big picture messaging with complementary retractable banners and back walls that excite interest. Highlight product features in a video stream or interactive demo and collateral pieces, then let your reps fill in relevant details to close the deal. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 9

10 Lighting Lighting Tips to Enhance Your Booth s Curb Appeal Don t skimp on lighting. Well-placed illumination can set a mood, add dimension, show off products, and attract visitors all with the flip of a switch. Choose your focal points. It may be a multimedia presentation, lead generation activities, new product display or general brand recognition. Use varied lighting and the architecture of the exhibit to enhance an area of interest rather than overpower it. Lighting can be the secret weapon in a successful trade show display. Softening the light in your display contrasts with the flourescent glare of the trade show hall. It can create a subtle invitation to come in and explore. Use placement, beam spread, color and wattage to paint the mood that will attract your target audience. See a sample Special effects like backlighting or edge lighting intensify the effect of the exhibit s color scheme, and blur the edges of a small trade show How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 10

11 booth. Create shadow effects with track lighting. LED lights are best for illuminating decorative fabric tension displays. See a sample Bolder is not better, but a trade show display that s insufficiently lit will ensure that your branding and message will be muted. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 11

12 Audio/Visual How Multimedia Displays Draw an Audience High-tech audio/visual components (sound systems, LCD and plasma displays, LED video wall systems, projection systems and computers) can have a powerful impact on your trade show display, if used properly. A large-screen demo will simplify complicated concepts, allowing your sales team to focus on follow-up questions from interested prospects. Sound can be drowned out by exhibition hall noise. A desktop demo that hasn t been pre-tested can leave your booth staff with blank screens. A looping demo on a monitor that can only be seen by 2 or 3 people at a time may be more expensive and less effective than a well designed 8x8 graphic with a catchy message. What you don t want is, Wow! That was confusing. Staff your trade show booth with at least one rep who has technical expertise. A/V components can be slick, but glitches are common. If you invest in a high-tech demo on a 42 plasma screen, be sure there is someone available to make it work and troubleshoot as needed. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 12

13 Renting your tech equipment, including pre-configured desktops and laptops, from a single source ensures that all the components are properly configured, set up and tested for compatibility, before you arrive. Onsite servicing should be part of the package. A big-budget live presentation designed to introduce a new product or service can attract a crowd customers, prospects, investors and, even the press to your trade show exhibit and reinforce your brand positioning. Creating a presentation on this scale requires professional staging, quality scripting, screen projection, sound transmission, comfortable seating. If you have an array of products, consider multiple stage events around the exhibit hall. In a large island structure, sound can be effective if it suits your product or service and marketing message. In a smaller space, your sound system will be competing with the ambient noise in the hall or convention center, which is beyond your control. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 13

14 Psychology The Power of Psychology to Sell Your Brand At its best, trade show exhibit design uses principles of cognitive behavior to create a memorable experience. The design should dovetail with the way the brain processes information to influence how we engage and make decisions. A skilled designer is mindful of the subtle power of sensory perception. It is one more tool at your disposal to make a lasting impression. Make it Easy on the Eye The human eye appreciates alignment. It triggers a subliminal sense of harmony. The less mental effort it takes to grasp your message, the more successful it will be. Fancy fonts, small type and big words are more difficult to read in a busy trade show environment. Choose typefaces that are familiar to the eye to facilitate comprehension. See a sample Appeal to the senses in three seconds, or people will keep walking. Music Stimulates Interest Adding background music to your mix can influence a visitor s perception of your brand. Studies show that slower tempos slow the pace of traffic, and classical music prompts a receptive mood. Choose music How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 14

15 that matches your brand personality to increase engagement with your products. Touch Enhances Engagement Involve visitors with hands-on demonstrations and interactive displays to make the experience more memorable. Use comfortable bar stools at demo stations to retain visitors. Dispense giveaways that are smooth or soft to the touch (avoid items with rough surfaces or edges that are uncomfortable to hold). How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 15

16 Prep Design Prep List You ve heard from design professionals whose insights have been shaped by years of working closely with their clients to invent dynamic environments. Before you begin working with your trade show designer, our experts suggest using the following checklist to prepare for a productive first meeting. General What is your primary objective for this trade show, for example, will you be introducing a new product line, brand update, shift in sales strategy? What are your secondary objectives? These will also help shape the conversation so the designer has an overall sense of your needs. Describe your brand personality or image (from your perspective). What message would you like to convey at this event in one sentence? What action do you want people visiting your booth to take? How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 16

17 Who is your target audience? Do they recognize your brand name, logo? What problem do your products/services solve? What need do they fulfill? Identify three competitors. What distinguishes your products/services from theirs? Look and Feel Since making the right statement is critical to your success, it helps to be able to articulate that to your design team. What first impression are you trying to make? What adjectives would best describe the booth design you re looking for (modern, cutting edge, traditional, classic)? What basic components do you need (demo counters, extra storage, private meeting space, audio-visual displays, retractable banners)? Will color choices be dictated by your logo? Are there other colors, symbols, phrases that are associated with your brand that people recognize? Will you be reusing the design at a second trade show? How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 17

18 It can also be useful to describe past trade show experiences that have been successful (or the opposite) and what you found worked well (or flopped). A skilled trade show designer will accentuate the positives when conceptualizing your overall layout to ensure your continued success. When you are ready to tell your story, choose a creative team that knows how to master the delicate balance of function and aesthetics to bring your vision to life. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 18

19 At Bay Area Exhibits, our innovative designers are at your service. Let s talk about your next trade show display. Call: info@baexhibits.com 2013 Bay Area Exhibits, inc. All rights reserved. How Trade Show Designers Create High-Impact Booths / Page 19