No one is perfect. In order to learn, you’ve sometimes got to make mistakes. Unfortunately, when you’re investing in an exhibition space that’s travelling across the country (or the world!) – it can be a very expensive mistake.

In our experience, many exhibition spaces struggle with the same issues and can make the same mistakes, which wastes money, time and can damage brand reputation in the process.

We’ve laid out the most common mistakes when designing an exhibition space – and how you can avoid them.

Branding

The branding of your exhibition space is a bit like the Goldilocks scenario. Too much, or too little – you’ll either not be remembered, or give off a bad impression to visitors.

Your aim when branding your space should be in making sure you can be seen and remembered. Avoid excessive use of your logo or colours, and instead consider how you can emphasise your brand without it feeling intrusive. For example, a bright, backlit logo at the centre of your stand will catch the eye of prospective clients.

Colours

Consider the visual impact, and aim to invite and warmly welcome visitors with recognisable colours, without making it too overwhelming.

Depending on your brand colour palette, it’s sometimes best to focus on using just one or two main colours. So people do not feel overwhelmed or distracted when they arrive at your stand.

Overcrowding your space

It can be easy to want to fill up your space with as many products, features or people as possible. But if there is too much going on, a busy stand can start to look cluttered and be off-putting to prospective clients.

Ensure that people can freely move throughout your space without impacting your ability to talk to prospects who decide they want to learn more. This is especially important if you plan to have a coffee barista or beverage/food on offer for your stand. Consider the natural flow of footfall around and through your space; ensure your design doesn’t have any pinch points.

The messaging

Messaging is key. Your stand may look the part, but if passing attendees are unable to see your hook or your offering, then foot traffic and lead generation will suffer.

Planning your offering before you start building a stand is essential. Your overall message plays a key role in your marketing strategy as well as the design.

Think about what you’d like prospective clients to remember about your company and what you’d like to update existing clients on.

We help clients ensure they’re using all available graphic space to the best of their ability to maximise interest and get their company noticed.

Positioning within the venue

Your design should consider the flow of traffic into the venue hall. Are you near a catering or theatre area? Is the messaging going to be in the eye line of people moving towards these high-traffic areas?

You should consider where the largest flow of traffic will be in relation to your stand, and your stand design should utilise eye-catching features that maximise your positioning

Not considering your target audience

It always comes down to people. Your stand needs to be designed and manufactured to focus on your target audience.

Your market research and conversations with sales and marketing teams will help guide this, but it’s integral to have a clear view of the target audience for your stand before setting out to design it.

Can the event organiser offer any data/insight into the audience attending? Can they offer statistics on the previous year that you can take into consideration?

To gain the attention of your target audience, your space needs to stand out. And that’s where we can help.

Avoid the pitfalls with our help

Making these mistakes can risk wasting your investment and damaging your brand.

Take your first step to better audience experiences with unforgettable exhibition spaces now by booking a free consultation session.