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Impact

The “Extra-terrestrial Impact Theory” suggests that a large extra-terrestrial body hit the earth and caused the extinction of T-Rex and his fellow dinosaurs around 65 million years ago and after more than 160 million years of roaming the planet.

To put that into some context, our ancestors have been around for about six million years, modern humans evolved some 200,000 years ago, and civilisation is about 6000 years old.

So, it’s something of an understatement to say that asteroid, or another foreign body, made quite an impact all those years ago.

Your exhibition stand may not be so earth-shattering. However, you definitely want to make an impact.

Therefore, when planning the design, make sure you place emphasis on the impactful “wow” factor, as well as all the practical elements that will help to deliver your business objectives.

Incentives

From 15th century Latin, the word incentive means “that which moves the mind or stirs the passion”.

There are a variety of incentives you can offer to encourage people to visit your exhibition stand, from competitions to giveaways.

However, it should really be your products or services that moves minds or stirs passion.

Think about new product releases, upgrades, special announcements … putting your customers’ needs and wants to the forefront.

Innovation

Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”.

There are various ways you can lead with innovation at an exhibition. Elements to consider include:

• Design elements with the “wow” factor.
• Means of guiding visitors on their journey through your stand.
• Engagement with your products or services.
• Creative ways of providing hospitality.
• Usage of new technologies.

Your innovation will leave a lasting impression and strongly help to convert prospects into customers.

Installation and Dismantling

According to Tate, the term “installation art” is used to describe large-scale, mixed-media constructions, often designed for a specific place or for a temporary period of time.

It is “a complete unified experience, rather than a display of separate, individual artworks”.

That is also an excellent way to describe a fully-functional, effective, custom exhibition display stand.

Of course, like all works of art, exhibition stands require to be handled with care, especially when being installed and dismantled.

You should ensure your service provider has high standards, perhaps supported by testimonials, when building and removing your stand.

Investment

American multi-billionaire Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. He is said to have only two rules for investing. They are “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No.1”.

The same rules should apply to anyone who is planning to invest in exhibiting at an event. However, few businesses put in place the means of measuring their ROI on exhibitions.

Also see Return on Investment.

Invitations

“Nothing annoys people so much as not receiving invitations,” according to Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest.

It’s not certain that you would annoy your business prospects or existing customers by not inviting them to visit your exhibition stand. However, it would definitely be a missed opportunity.

In fact, by sending out invitations prior to an event, you can greatly improve your return on investment as a result of holding meetings at the venue rather them having to travel to individual business premises.

Island Exhibit

As well as the mainland, there are more than 80 islands in Great Britain that are larger than 5 square kilometres (1.9 square miles).

Lewis and Harris is the largest (some 1.4 times the size of Greater London) and Portsea Island (containing most of Portsmouth) has the most residential addresses.

An island exhibit at a show can be equally impressive. With aisles on all four sides, an island exhibit has the most visibility of any display configuration.

The benefits of an island exhibition stand include:

• Open layout and 360-degree accessibility.
• Easier to incorporate separate areas for meetings, hospitality, demonstrations etc.
• Control of the visitors’ traffic flow.
• Greater height opportunities for rigging and banners (if allowed by the event management rules).

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