1. Reflect your brand values in every square inch of your stall

First things first, it is crucial that your trade design and its content is cohesive to your company’s overall marketing message. Put simply, your trade show stand is a living embodiment of your brand and it must reflect that. Positioning your company in a different light to the hundred other trade stands is difficult enough! Make it easier for prospective customers by drenching your stand-in brand colours and design elements so they know exactly who you are.

2. Spoil your prospective customers in experiences

Your brand deserves better than to be remembered by trade show visitors by free pens, travel mugs or tacky plush toys, unless of course, you want to be solely remembered by prospective students at Freshers Fairs. If you’re interested in catching bigger fish, your trade show stand should focus on offering attendees experiences rather than the free branded products.

Opt for product demos or opportunities for customers to play with samples, overthrowing the products you can’t shift in your stock in a goody bag. Likewise, think free wifi or wireless smartphone charging over USB memory sticks with your logo on them. Providing experiences that require visitors to spend longer in your stand gives you an opportunity to engage with them and turn them into customers. Sounds so much more memorable, doesn’t it?

3. Colour speaks all languages

One guaranteed way of standing out amongst your competitors is to research their brand colours and choose something more contrasting and brighter. As long as you follow the rule of thumb and stick to three bright colours, this is a surefire way to create a winning trade show stand.

Using bright colours will make your brand recognisable to visitors, especially when sticking to key colours with the 60-30-10 design rule. Here, you apply a primary colour to 60% of the space, a secondary colour to 30% of the space and your accent colour to 10% of the design. This will help to unify your booth whilst also ensuring the important elements stand out to visitors in the accent colour.

4. Use digital displays to your advantage

Did you know that the human brain responds more intensely to video and graphics than text? Playing short marketing videos on a display in your trade show stand is a great way to attract attention. If your budget doesn’t accommodate for a digital display monitor, why not combine a QR code in your print graphics for your trade gazebo and lead prospective customers to your company’s socials, website, YouTube review or product demo? The possibilities are endless once you combine digital with in-the-moment opportunities.

5. Respect ‘empty’ space

That ‘empty’ space on your trade booth can say a lot more about your brand than your catchy slogan. You want to maximise the space you have but avoid cluttering every inch of your exhibit since this can often leave visitors feeling overwhelmed. You only have one opportunity to be memorable at a trade show and those limited all-important spaces in customers minds are reserved for the brands who know exactly who they are, so keep text concise and punchy.

To reiterate, do not give your prospective customers information overload and shove in as many statistics about your company’s success in your trade show stand as you can. As a rule of thumb, try to keep around 40% of your booth empty and remember, you can always email it over the next day.