Here’s a truth most marketing professionals don’t want to admit. They don’t understand Trade Show Marketing. They may be superstars on the web, in print, and every other part of their job, but their exhibition program is a mess. So they blame trade shows. You already know this, and you’ve heard all their excuses.
So, how do you fix it? The resumption of trade shows has brought an influx of new marketing folkswho are eager for information and success. In addition, experienced marketing professionals are now hands-on again because of budget cuts or staffing issues. Guess what… You’re the expert they need — someone who has the resources to train them without bruising their fragile egos.
Professional Trade Show Tips
Start by tapping into Trade Show Tipsin Exhibit Design Search which has almost 100 trade show articles. You can build a My Gallery that includes designs, photos, and articles. Then send them ONE LINK with all those resources. Voila! You become their “go to” person about trade show marketing.
Trade Show Tips is available on all versions ofEDS: Classic’s, unbranded, and branded.
If you had to pick a post-COVID design trend, would you have picked rental exhibits with lightboxes? Probably, but would you have guessed that nearly 80% of our island and inline rental orders have lightboxes?
It Kinda Makes Sense
First, lightboxes aren’t much more expensive than non-backlit solutions. Secondly, our rental inventory is deep in SuperNova and Gravitee frames. These two systems connect seamlessly and assemble without tools. As a result, their competitive prices, design flexibility, and ease-of-use makes them popular choices for designers and exhibitors.
This week, we feature three new Rental Lightbox Designs — (2) 10 x 20’s and (1) 10 x 30.
RE-2123 uses a massive lightbox as a backdrop for three monitor kiosks. Along with two counters with backlighting
RE-2124 is a series of connected lightboxes in a step-pattern. “Stepping” is increasingly popular since it adds visual depth and a creative use of space
RE-3008 is a 10 x 30. We’re seeing more requests for 30 ft. inlines as an alternative to islands. This design is amazing “as is” or as a starting point for customization.
RE-2123 — Large LED Lightbox
Rental Exhibit | RE-2123 Inline Lightbox
Description: Unique products deserve unique exhibit designs. And the RE-2123 doesn’t disappoint. The large SuperNova lightbox with SEG fabric graphics is the perfect backdrop for the three monitor stands. The left, right, and center lightboxes create an immersive environment that compliments the overall theme without distracting from the core focus — the monitor demo stations.
The 20 ft. inline also includes two stunning backlit reception counters with locking storage. The booth assembles quickly and packs flat in a crate for convenient shipping.
RE-2124 — Lightbox Step Design
Rental Exhibit | RE-2124 Inline Lightbox
Description: The stepping creates visual depth and interest while allowing an exhibitor to tell a compelling story through a sequenced graphic presentation. The design includes ample room for a casual meeting space (which can be a challenge in an inline) and the charging table with LED accent lights creates a casual yet business-like setting. The RE-1567 reception counter has attractive backlit graphics and locking storage.
Lights combined with colorful graphics may be the single-most important key to attracting attention on the trade show floor. The RE-2124 turns the table on traditional lightbox designs by “stepping” (5) 4 ft. x 8 ft. individual lightboxes.
RE-3008 — Meeting Space w/ Lightboxes
Rental Exhibit | RE-3008 Inline Lightbox
Description: Versatile 10 x 30 inlines are increasingly becoming an attractive alternative to an island exhibit. The RE-3008 offers ample space for demos and meetings in a booth that’s built for maximum branding and constructive conversations with attendees.
It includes three large lightboxes with SEG fabric graphics with a double-sided lightbox closest to the aisle. There’s also a semi-private meeting area that includes a charging coffee table with LED accent lights and countertop branding. Bookending the meeting space are two genius bars for additional seating.
Let us know if there are rental design ideas you want to
explore.
So you bought or are renting a new trade show exhibit. It is exciting the possibilities in front of you. When you are on the trade show floor you have one chance to capture someone’s attention. The structure is just part of it. The bigger thing?
Trade Show Graphics!
Let’s talk graphic design. What do you think of when you hear someone is a graphic designer? Do you think about logos? Websites? Flyers? Social Media? Here is what I think (I really should say know, but I don’t want to sound arrogant).
Graphic Design is TOO broad of a category. Let’s run a little scenario. You have a “marketing firm”. That marketing firm helps you with campaigns, print campaigns, email campaigns, social media campaigns, maybe some logo design and other fun things like that. Then you decide it is time to update your trade show exhibit. Who do you turn to? Your marketing agency?
Alternatively, it seems like many recent marketing graduates or unemployed graphic designer has created a home based business to offer graphic design services to companies. Be very careful hiring these people without vetting them first. I am all about entrepreneurship, but your trade show graphics will have a HUGE impact on your success at a trade show.
Let me tell you a little secret. DESIGNING FOR TRADE SHOW DISPLAYS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE! We have seen trade show graphics that read like a marketing flyer. We have seen backwall graphics that are so busy with lifestyle or action shots and color that your brain goes, ‘WHHHOOOOOAAAA”, just looking at it.
Graphic Design Tips and Advice
You have 2.5 seconds to catch someone’s eye at a trade show or event. Here are some high level things to consider.
People are NOT going to read all your copy. Your trade show exhibit is not a marketing flyer. Yes, I will say this multiple times.
Putting graphics behind a counter or a table? The graphics are lost.
Trying to align images (depending on the system) across structural seams is VERY difficult for fabric graphics.
Putting messaging on the bottom of your display? No one will see them.
Busy, busy, busy graphics with lots of images, color and text will be ignored (unless that is part of your brand).
Images from a website or print media do not generally enlarge well for trade show exhibits.
A jpeg of your logo may not enlarge well.
We have had numerous interactions with “trade show exhibit graphic designers” over the years. Based on the questions they ask and the designs they create, it’s often pretty clear they do not specialize in trade show graphic design. It is a completely different animal from digital marketing, website, or even print marketing.
If you are designing new graphics for a trade show exhibit, here are a couple of suggestions.
Ask for references from your agency of choice for large format, trade show exhibit design clients.
Check their website. A bullet item that says they do trade show booths or graphics, doesn’t mean they excel at trade show graphics.
Check their website or ask them for examples of previous trade show work.
If most of their work is digital marketing, web design and social media marketing? Find another designer. Your bank account will thank you. Your patience will thank you.
Make sure you have a library of your marketing assets, logo source files, high resolution images etc.
Tried and True Suggestions
Here are some simple, tried and true suggestions for trade show graphic design.
Trade show graphics are meant to be viewed from 6 ft. or more away.
Don’t use strange fonts or fancy fonts.
Put important messages or images, like your logo, up high for visibility.
Use white or empty space. Don’t be afraid of white space.
Reference/use PMS colors to be sure to stay true to your brand.
Less is more. Don’t try to put an entire flyer on your trade show graphic.
If this is for a large exhibit, make sure your graphics have a plan and/or coherency, don’t just place random product images on a wall because the wall is there. Have a plan. Be purposeful with your graphics.
If you need help with trade show graphic design? I recommend starting with your trade show exhibit company. A good partner should have resources or recommendations that they know have experience in large format, trade show exhibit design.
Total Displays can help. Contact us a sales@totaldisplays.com or 952-941-4511 to set up a free design consultation call. Click HERE to see more blog posts from Lori Hanken
As many of you have heard, I’m retiring and calling it a career. It’s been a fantastic 27-year run working in the trade show and events industry for some great companies including Eco-Systems Sustainable and Classic Exhibits. I’m leaving with many great memories and with more friendships than I can count. Our industry has some of the hardest working, creative, and caring people I’ve encountered in my 45-year working career, and I feel blessed to have stumbled into this crazy industry! The past 18 months have been difficult for all of us, but it has brought to light the true collaboration and culture of Classic and Classic Distributor Partners. It was pretty amazing to witness!
Having traveled extensively over the years, I’ve seen the United States through the lens of airports, hotels, convention centers, and businesses, and it’s time to hit the road and see what the country looks like outside of these areas. You never know… I might stop by and regale you with stories about a giant ball of twine or other amazing sights in the US.
Your friendship and support over the years made my decision to retire very difficult, but I will stay involved with the Midwest EDPA Chapter and hopefully attend future EXHIBITORLIVE shows so I look forward to connecting down the road. I’ll say good-bye for now and leave you in the capable hands of Jen, Harold, and Mel.
No, not to the point where I dress up as a Klingon and stroll the aisles of Comic-Con – although I did thoroughly enjoy roaming around with them back when the Star Trek Experience was a Vegas attraction. But I digress…
One of the things I love most about Star Trek is the way it shows us the potential of how much life can change for the better in the next 200 or so years. I mean, traveling at warp speed, scanning devices that heal wounds.
So it got me to thinking: How might trade shows advance in the next two centuries… or will they?
If you look back at the past 200 years, trade shows haven’t evolved all that much. At the core, they’re still long aisles of exhibits with company representatives attempting to draw crowds into their booths.
But the Potential is There for So Much More!
What if trade shows could be truly experiential? Could exhibits one day become mini-Holodeck environments with 3D simulations? I’d sign up for that! Just imagine being able to transport attendees to any place or time (real or imaginary) within the confines of your booth space.
And what about using replicators to create any object attendees request – is that so far removed from the 3D printers we have today? Exhibitors could use them in a booth to generate a physical representation of most any kind of item.
Perhaps one day we can even have teams of androids or holograms to help staff our booths. (That could be a good thing or a bad thing!)
But on a more serious note, I truly hope that the trade shows of the 2300s look wildly different, yet remarkably similar to today’s. I want them to be innovative and out-of-this-world, yet still be focused on creating relationships between buyers and sellers, between people and products.
While the purpose of a trade show exhibit will continue to be on sharing innovation and solutions, I hope the execution of that purpose looks much more Star Trek-ish.
Are Trade Shows a Final Frontier?
I hope so. Because if we fail to innovate and evolve, trade shows will not survive. And as we’ve all learned this past year, that would be a very bad way for the story to end.
Author Bio: With experience as both an exhibitor and show organizer, Marlys Arnold has a unique perspective on trade show exhibiting. She consults with and trains both exhibitors and show managers from across the country and is the author of Exhibit Design That Works and Build a Better Trade Show Image, host of the Trade Show Insights blog/podcast, creator of the ExhibitorEd Success System, and founder of the Exhibit Marketers Café and Exhibit Marketers Academy online learning community. She can be contacted via her website, www.exhibitmarketerscafe.com.
