Events are a golden opportunity to get your products and services in front of thousands of potential customers.
So when it comes to maximising the impact and overall success of your event attendance, it pays to think about how attendees will interact with your stand. Specifically, how visitors will approach and engage with the contents of your display. Plus the typical time duration that people will spend engaging with your stand.
Similar to measuring analytics for your social media campaigns – exhibition stands also have various success criteria to consider. After all, a stand which doesn’t engage visitors ultimately won’t deliver an ROI.
As leading designers and installers of exhibition stands, the team here at Human Built bring vast experience to the table when it comes to all things events. So here’s what to consider when it comes to understanding how audiences move through exhibition stands.
Developing A Creative Brief For Your Event
There are lots of ways the public could interact with your event display stand. The question is, what types of actions, not to mention reactions do you want to encourage the most?
Whether you want to focus on building brand awareness, launching a new product or networking with like-minded professionals, your stand needs to reflect your goals within its design and overall functionality.
Some of the aspects which can be incorporated into an event stand include:
- Audiovisual elements
- Branding
- Demonstration areas
- Flooring
- Furniture
- Gamification
- Graphics and signage
- Greenery and natural elements
- Interactive displays
- Lighting
- Meeting spaces
- Product displays
- Seating areas
- Social media integration
These are far from exhaustive and we can also explore custom elements too. But, the above list should at least help you consider what’s possible to help you achieve your exhibition or trade show objectives.
Good to know: Human Built offers event planning, project management, exhibition stand design and installation. That means we can run through the types of elements you might need for your event, plus explain the benefits in terms of attendee engagement and interactions.
Exploring Different Event Stand Formats
When it comes to how people are going to move through your stand, your choice of stand and its overall functionality will make a huge impact.
Lots of different event stand types exist, such as modular exhibition stands or custom exhibition stands.
Basic exhibition stands will at least give your brand a presence, especially in terms of visually displaying your branding and any campaign messages. That said, basic stands can lack the required functionality to encourage meaningful interactions or long engagement times. Since time is precious for event attendees, they will look to move through the venue quickly if a stand doesn’t pique their interest.
While custom stands are far from the only format for success, they do offer the maximum flexibility when it comes to the type of elements which can be incorporated. For instance, meeting areas, seating areas or product displays.
Whatever exhibition stand type is right for your event, the aim should always give visitors somewhere to go. By that, we mean incorporating functional elements which encourage conversional actions such as lead generation, increased brand awareness and ultimately sales for your business.
Consider Attendee Objectives To Maximise Event Stand Engagement
If you want to swap fleeting interactions with meaningful interactions at your next event, it’s time to flip your thought process from why you’re attending an event as a business, to why your audience is attending.
Without a doubt, the way people move through exhibitions is very much led by the senses, especially in terms of visual communication. However, there is also a need for attendees to cater to their own objectives in terms of why they have chosen to be there.
Some of the top reasons why people attend events include:
- Brand exposure
- Business opportunities
- Education
- Entertainment
- General curiosity
- Keynote speeches
- Market research
- Networking
- Personal development
- Professional development
- Seminars
- Social interaction
- Workshops
So it makes sense that as an exhibitor, considering the motives and overall interests of attendees can help boost engagement with your stand. Given there’s often lots of competition and a limited amount of time at events, stands that cut straight through the noise are set to benefit the most.
Furthermore, understanding attendee objectives also influences how visitors will move through a stand. For instance, if attendees are looking to network, then your stand should provide the functionality for this. Likewise, if visitors want to attend training or watch a product demonstration, the stand should also cater for this.
It’s not always easy to know what the objectives are for attendees. However, by conducting pre-show research, you can learn more about the audience demographics to ensure your exhibition stand will best align with the audience.
Exhibition Stand Installation Considerations
It’s one thing to look at a plan for an exhibition stand or even the venue as a whole on paper. But on the day, it’s vital that the contents of the display are installed in a way which maximises opportunity for people to both see and interact with your stand.
The more elements a stand has, the more there is to consider. For instance, furniture, audiovisual equipment and other accessories. In any case, the overall construction and arrangement should feel warm and open to encourage people to want to stop by your stand.
As part of the installation process, your team should take a tour of the stand as if they themselves are your target customer. Since we’re looking to curate how people move through your event stand, now is the time to adjust anything which just isn’t working. Whether that’s awkward positioning of furniture or even equipment obscuring your graphics. Always leave time for those final checks and adjustments, so that visitors get the best first impression of your stand.
Exhibition Stand UK FAQs
The Human Built team is here to help you with all your exhibition stand needs. If you don’t see your question below, please get in touch so we can give you tailored advice.
How Much Does An Exhibition Stand Cost?
It’s impossible for us to give a fixed answer to this question, because it depends on the scope and scale of your exhibition stand. That said, we pride ourselves on giving our clients clear and transparent pricing. If you have a budget in mind for your exhibition stand, our team can talk through the available options with you.
How To Design An Exhibition Stand?
The first step is to select an exhibition stand type (i.e. modular, made ready or custom built), as this will give our designers a template to work from. Using industry leading design tools and software, we will design your exhibition stand so that it aligns with your branding guidelines. It’s also key to incorporate any functionality or conversional elements. From a design perspective, the stand should be visually appealing while feeling on-brand. Visualisations will be used to check the design before it is printed and installed to ensure you’re happy with the look and overall impact of your stand.
How To Stand Out At An Exhibition?
Without a doubt, it pays to explore creative formats for your exhibition display if you want your brand to stand out in a packed venue. Rather than looking at what’s been done before, event design should look to engage and inspire attendees with new ideas. Recent developments in the event space have made aspects such as augmented reality and other interactive elements possible. We can definitely discuss the latest technology and design trends for your exhibition when you work with us here at Human Built.
Human Built – Exhibition Stand Design UK
Are you looking to put an exhibition stand together for your business? Whether you’re looking to exhibit for the first time, or improve on previous performance, Human Built are here to help.
We’re based in Birmingham and offer our exhibition stand design, print, logistics and installation services across the UK.
Please drop us a message to let us know about your exhibition requirements and our team will be in touch.
