5. Stand display
You will have your own ideas about what works best for you and what doesn’t. You can also learn much from other exhibitors, good and bad.
But here are some thoughts that you may think apply universally as the minimum of good professional practice:
– NO clutter! (That includes NO half-drunk cups of coffee, a newspaper or half-eaten sandwich left on display! Or bored support-staff with nothing to do — send them round the exhibition to report back to you with highlights, or to stand at the entrance with an engaging leaflet and direct interested visitors to your stand!)
– *focus* — on what you specialise in and what you offer.
(This also means in passing, no other distractions for you or anyone of your team, such as an amusing conversation with a colleague, neighbour or fanciable next-door exhibitor, the Times crossword or a great book!)
– not too much on display — it can all become ‘meaningless noise’ if you aren’t careful;
– not too little either — it may look as if you aren’t really in business for real;
– eye-friendly and exceptionally well lit displays — don’t forget, you are after your visitors’ ‘eye-share’ first!;
– something to taste, smell, listen to, watch or feel?
You need to appeal to all your visitors’ senses, as relevantly as you can;
– well-labelled displays — don’t let visitors guess what your business is all about;
– themed product displays, grouped intelligently so they
might relate to each other — not just a mish-mash of odd assortments thrown together;
– something for good prospects and general enquirers to take away to remember you by?
6. Make friends with your neighbours.
They are going to be as busy as you are — but they may be your very best accomplices. This is not entirely a selfless act of friendship. You may well have a spare power cable to lend or a spare bit of adhesive tape, and so may they! See 3 above.
But let them know also about what you do and find out what their business is. You will want other non-competing exhibitors to refer visitors to your stand when appropriate, just as you will want to refer others to theirs.
