Exhibitions and trade shows are prime opportunities to showcase your brand and connect with potential clients. With numerous exhibitors competing for attention, we are always looking for exciting and new ways to help you stand out from the rest.
In this blog, we will be looking at current exhibitor trends and key strategies to ensure you use your stand to create a return on investment and a memorable experience of your brand.
Stand Design
The first thing you need to think about when it comes to planning your stand is how you want to visually present yourselves, first impressions are everything! When exhibiting, it is important to remember that your brand deserves to be seen, here are some of our top tips to achieve this:
Strong Visual Identity - Utilise your brand colours, logo and other resources to create a striking visual presence. Your stand's appearance should be able to clearly communicate your brand's personality and purpose.
Functional layout - Create a layout that is inviting, but still functional. You want to draw people in by placing any activities and entertainment at the front of your stand, but ensure that there is still enough space for not only attendees, but the staff to navigate the stand. Clearly defined areas for product displays, interactive zones and tables can help guide attendees through your stand.
Lighting - Don't underestimate the power of lighting your stand! Whilst the exhibition space may be well lit itself, incorporating additional lighting can make your stand more attractive, add ambience and highlight key areas of your stand.
Experiential
It is not uncommon for exhibitors to host activities at their stand to draw people in. Activities can engage attendees on a deeper level as they immerse visitors into your brand. Whether this is an exciting game for attendees to play, or an entry for an exciting giveaway, the power of "play" is king at exhibitions. We have a wide range of suitable games and activities that are effective for exhibitions, here are our most popular exhibition game hire products:
Crack the Code - We are often told that this looks like something from a Bond film - a sought after prize locked away in a lit acrylic cube, the only thing that comes between you and the prize is the secret code. There is so much potential to have fun with the Crack The Code, whether you're just giving codes out randomly, or revealing clues throughout your stand. Opting for the clues means that you are more likely to have more meaningful conversations with prospective clients and can really get to know them.
Buzz Wire - For this, you must have a steady hand (and a lot of patience!). Follow the metal path with the wand provided, but be careful! If you touch the path, a buzz will sound and your turn will be over. Our buzz wire is an engaging activity that often leaves guests coming back for more, desperate to conquer the buzz wire. The Buzz Wire can be fully branded, conveying your branding and message to those who pass by effortlessly.
Inflatable Snow Globe - If you have a large exhibiting space and want to make a statement, look no further than the Inflatable Snow Globe. Don't let the name fool you, the globes are an effective marketing tool all year round, not just during the festive season.
The Inflatable Snow Globes are fully customisable, use your own designs to create a branded backdrop and skirt to get your name seen. Swap the snow for petals, confetti, or even balls (in your brand colours!) to create a unique photo opportunity for guests, starring your brand. Want something even more engaging than a photo opportunity? Look to our Golden Ball Globes for a fast-paced and exhilarating game - guests have a specified time limit to try and find the golden ball in the globe, but there is only one amongst hundreds of other multicoloured balls!
Gifting
Exhibition gifting is not going anywhere anytime soon, who doesn't love a freebie? Whilst gifting is sticking around, exhibitors are shifting their focus on sustainability when it comes to the products they choose - offering items with more practical uses, or items that have a smaller impact on the environment. When choosing, make sure to consider items that are practical and aligned with your brand.
Liquor bottles - Liquor brand names open up a lot of potential for some fun puns that will get people talking, such as "Let our journey together be-gin!" or "Get in the (your company name) spirit!".
You must take into consideration whether this is appropriate for the attendees of the exhibition, as well as possibly offering alternatives for those who do not drink alcohol.
Power Banks - In this digital age, we all rely on our phones for everything, which is what makes a power bank such a useful gift that you know guests will get use from.
Branded Treats- This is one that we often choose when exhibiting, because they go down a treat!
There are so many options to choose from now, we have even seen individually packaged branded brownies! Whether it's a handy tin of mints or a bag of pick'n'mix, attendees are sure to remember you. If you want to generate traffic to your stand, why not consider a drinks machine, complemented with branded cups? This could be coffee, soft drinks, or why not go all out with a slush machine? Other attendees will make a point to come down and claim their drink after seeing others walking around with them. With branded cups, they'll know exactly where to go to get their beverage!
Personalisation
When it comes to exhibition gifting, going above and beyond pays off. This is why we love to take our gifting to the next level by using personalisation, as it adds the wow factor to our gifts. Check out our personalised jelly bean baubles that we took to the British Bids Conference in 2023!
These created a lot of social media attention for us, as well as a buzz around the exhibition!
If you are looking to do this yourself, it may be a sizable task depending on the size of the exhibition. Make sure to consider the labour and material costs that go into personalising by hand and take this into account, as whilst it is often the cheaper option, it can be quite the process.
We mentioned “the power of play” in this blog, if you would like to read more about using gamification to boost footfall and sales, read our dedicated blog post.
As you can see, the key to a successful exhibition stand doesn’t have to be a big and flashy set-up that costs a lot, it just needs to be well thought out, relevant to your brand and inviting.
Odin Events are providers of all the games and entertainment mentioned in this blog. Get in touch to find out more about the products mentioned!