Do’s and Dont’s of Exhibiting

Do’s

Plan well in advance. Speak to an exhibition stand specialist like ourselves.
Provide a detailed brief with a budget. If you have a target price your stand designer can work towards this budget rather than design something that is out of your reach.
Use a qualified graphic designer who’s familiar with exhibition stands.
Producing artwork for exhibition stands is very different from designing a brochure.
For smaller events use portable exhibition systems but make sure your exhibition stand provider demonstrates exactly how the stand is erected before you get to your event. There are many different systems on the market and we can guide you through the advantages and disadvantages of these systems using our 34+ years of experience.
Make sure your stand will fit the space you have booked. Another reason to use the services of an exhibition stand specialist.
Train your staff on how to run an exhibition stand.
Rotate staff on your exhibition stand. It’s hard on the feet and sometimes soul-destroying in quiet times.
Pretty obvious but get customer details before they leave the stand. Or at least make sure they have your brochure and business card.
Think up ways of getting potential client’s details, like competition or offering a discount for any orders from clients obtained via the exhibition. These days event organisers have data capture systems that allow you to scan your visitor’s badge with a barcode scanner, which then downloads their details to your tablet.
Investigate custom modular exhibition stands.

Don’ts

Assume that your stand dimensions are in meters. A 6×2 stand space could be 6ft x 2ft, big difference to 6m x 2m. Believe me, it’s been done before. Very costly not to mention embarrassing!
Assume your staff and experts at erecting exhibition stands without the proper training.
Keep just one event in mind. Think ahead to other events that the exhibition stand can be used at. Portable exhibition stands can be designed with flexibility in mind. They tend to work out more cost-effective in the long run if you have multiple events to attend.
Try to design graphic content yourself. Use a professional graphic designer. There are plenty of freelance graphic designers out there who used to work for larger advertising agencies. Let’s face it. It’s the same guys doing the work at the end of the day. (Obviously, a large ad agency has many brains to bounce creative ideas of, but not everyone can afford their services)
Forget to book electrical sockets and carpets for your event.
Arrive late to set your exhibition stand up.
Give your exhibition stand designers a false budget.
Beg for your customer’s order. You lose all credibility and cheapen your product.
Pounce on delegates hovering on the perimeter of your exhibition stand. Give them a chance to approach you first.
Rush to pack your exhibition stand away to get first down the wine bar! Pack away carefully. Otherwise, the next time you come to use your stand you’ll find have of it missing and damaged graphic panels.
Design by committee. Set a goal and stick to it. Don’t keep moving the goalposts.
Overbook the stand space. No point in having a large space if you cannot afford to put a good stand on it. You are better off having a smaller stand with a quality build.