How to get your exhibition design right

The six second rule

The six second rule

You've got just six seconds to attract visitors to your stand and many people who come to an exhibition won't know who you are or what you do. The graphics and messages need to communicate quickly to help visitors easily identify if you are a company they want to speak to.

• Size matters in a crowded exhibition hall, make sure your logo is as high as possible and visible from a distance
• Bullet point your key services or products
• Ensure your strapline says exactly what it is you do

Impact with text

As people very rarely read any detailed text on an exhibition stand, messages need to be simple, large and clear - in fact on a regular 3m by 2m stand, you may only want about 20 words or fewer.

The following tips may help achieve an effective design and reduce word count.

• Show a consistent USP and benefit on all of your exhibition materials
• Avoid technical jargon
• Avoid text which goes over joins in graphics.
• Show your proposed exhibition designs to peers or friends who don't know your company well then ask them what they think your company does. It might surprise you.

The look and feel

Keep your exhibition stand and materials within the same colour palette as your brand. Remember that information and promotional materials are as important as the exhibition stand itself so make sure all the design styles are kept the same - consistency is key. Asking printers to re-layout existing artwork often doesn't yield the best results. You will also need to think about how and when you will re-use the stand - consider separating information onto different panels so if it changes, you only need to re-print one panel.

Planning

It's easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the design stand and graphic layout but you will also need to:

• Tell your customers / prospects in advance about the exhibition and notify them that you'll be exhibiting. Pass on a link for them if they wish to attend as well.
• Decide what material you are going to hand out. A simple flyer may do the trick, rather than an expensive full colour brochure.
• Follow up warms leads. Think about sending a small personalised gift which could arrive the following morning. Speed is key when turning interest into sales - don't let leads go cold.

It's all in the brief

To ensure consistency and therefore better results, plan the exhibition and the materials as a whole project. And just to help, we've provided a downloadable 'exhibition design brief' which you can download by completing the form above.