If you’re new to exhibiting or not overly familiar with the industry, welcome to our ultimate FAQ guide, answering all the questions you may have about exhibition stands and everything related to the industry.
Sustainability
- Can I reuse my exhibition stand?
If you have multiple shows per year, you can easily reuse your exhibition stand. From portable and pop-up options to structural modular stands, we can design a stand to be reconfigured with ease. Reusability is generally possible for any stand size or configuration.
- How can I make my stand environmentally friendly?
Depending how many times a year you intend to exhibit, you can opt to hire instead of buy, reducing your level of waste by using reusable equipment. You can also deck out your stand with reusable and recyclable elements – this is possible with everything from frame to flooring.
- Can I reuse my stand at different sized shows?
Modular exhibition stands are well suited for reusability, as they can be easily reconfigured to fit onto different sized exhibition stand spaces.
Read our comprehensive guide here which explores the benefits of investing in reusable stands for exhibitions and why they should be crucial to your event strategy.
- Should I have a giveaway?
Whilst giveaways and merchandise are still an ever-popular tool for engaging with your audience at exhibitions and events, it’s not always necessarily the right thing to do. From a sustainability perspective, consider investing in eco-friendly giveaways that offer a distinctive value to the consumer and are likely to be kept, used, and valued. Read more about sustainable giveaways here. With giveaways you also want to be clever about how you do it, you want to attract genuine visitors who are interested in your stand not just the freebies!
Costing
- How much do exhibition stands cost?
This question is similar to ‘how long is a piece of string’, it completely depends on the size of your stand and how complex you want it to be. It’s good to calculate your budget allowance before you get in touch with your stand supplier so you can provide an estimation of what you can afford. For entry level budgets, you may want to consider a pop-up solution that may be more affordable, see our pop up lightboxes that offer a great, price sensitive stand solution.
- How much should I spend on my exhibition stand?
As a rule of thumb, they say you should be prepared to pay x2 times the amount you spent on the space itself – however, the price can still be below or above this price point.
- What are the hidden costs of stand ownership compared to rental?
The main cost that comes with buying compared to rental are the storage fees. It can be quite costly to accommodate your stand in-between shows, so renting does eliminate that additional price.
- What’s the best use of my money?
Before planning your exhibition stand design, it’s so important to plan out your business aims and objectives. W hat you want to achieve from the event will determine what your budget should focus on. Take a look at our planning timeline here to further your budget effectively.
- What’s the best exhibition stand to have on a budget?
WhiteboxGo offers a budget-friendly solution to exhibiting with prices starting from £269 +VAT. You can take a look at them here.
Engagement
- How do I attract visitors to my stand?
Interactive elements are a great way to attract people to your stand, especially if there is a prize or giveaway included. Utilising social media is the most common way to promote your presence during events. Promoting your stand prior and during the exhibition can incite attendees to visit your stand, especially if you demonstrate the benefits of visiting your stand to stand out of the crowd.
- What type of engagement is the best?
Your engagement should reflect what type of relationship you want to create with your audience.
Consider who your audience is and what would appeal to them the most, and what would be the most memorable to stand out from other exhibitions. For example, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) always go down really well with young and modern crowds who are excited by new innovations and industry advancements.
Bayer, a leading company in the pharmaceutical and medical industry, love to integrate VR on their stand to engage with their audience, showcasing the new tech they have in modern medicine.
A great way to connect with your audience and increase engagement is through user generated content, creating a more authentic connection and experience with your target market – this is also great to increase awareness of your brand for individuals who are not at the event!
- Should I have digital engagement?
When it comes to an exhibition or trade show, it is vital that you engage with customers as much as possible. Although your exhibition stand design will draw your customers in, it’s up to you to keep them there, as well as ensuring that they remember your brand after the exhibition is over. For this reason, digital engagement is a great way to entice people to stay on your stand and learn more about your brand. It’s all about creating an experience your audience will remember!
- Should I have physical engagement or digital engagement?
In a post Covid-19 world, digital engagement will most likely be the way forward – games and engagement that require minimal touching or physical interaction. However, it is important to understand that the resurgence of interacting more physically on a global scale post pandemic. Take time to tailor your engagement to what your audience will love and appreciate more and how that fits into the branding of your business.
- What’s the most important thing for an exhibition stand to have?
The three things we feel every exhibition stand should have are:
- Clear branding – it is important your stand reflects your brand and people will be able to associate it with you.
- Lead capture – if you want to collect and save data during the show, via a tablet or iPad is a useful way to do so. Storing data in one place in a digital format reduces the risk of losing data like business cards, that can easily be misplaced or damaged.
- Strong design and team – the look and feel will help pull people in, but it’s your team members who will need to do the rest of the work making a sale or gathering people’s contact details for future marketing. Having a solid, determined, and confident team who are clued up on what you’re selling is key to really making the most out of your stand and full exhibiting experience.
Exhibition Stands Trends
- What makes a good exhibition stand?
What qualifies as a ‘good’ exhibition stand will depend on what your aims and objectives are and the reasoning behind exhibiting. A ‘good’ exhibition stand may not be the same from one business to another. If you want to encourage communication with visitors and have 1-1 discussions, then it will be valuable having a meeting area on your stand that provides some privacy for conversation. If you want to grow your brand awareness, then your stand should successfully communicate your branding and be informative for show visitors.
- What’s the most popular type of exhibition stand?
Our most popular exhibition stand type is the modular solution, a highly adaptable and eco-conscious option which allows you to be versatile for your exhibition presence, whilst having reusable and recyclable properties. As a company focused on sustainability, we highly encourage the use of modular stands!
Types of exhibition stands
- What are modular exhibition stands?
A modular exhibition system is made up of easily connected components that are reconfigurable to fit any size or shape. Modular systems can be reconfigured and reused easily, making them highly sustainable and cost efficient for businesses.
18. What are custom exhibition stands?
Custom exhibition stands are completely bespoke and uniquely designed and built around your brand, products and services.
19. What is a shell scheme stand?
The term ‘shell scheme’ refers to a standard modular exhibition booth that is supplied by exhibition organisers as a low-cost stand solution. They come fully equipped with the structure, flooring and electrics. A shell scheme is a popular choice for first time exhibitors as it’s an affordable way to begin exhibiting.
- What are exhibition stands made of?
The most common exhibition stand frame material is aluminium with wooden custom features.
- What’s the best type of exhibition stand?
The best type of exhibition stand is the one that’s most suited to your business objectives. You should consider hiring a modular system if you intend to exhibit multiple times a year. If you have a high budget and want to make a dramatic impact, a custom stand or custom features may suit you best. However, if its your first time, a shell scheme would help you ease into things. It doesn’t mean you cant achieve the impact you want! Speak to an expert to learn how to best optimise your space.
- What’s the most common exhibition stand size?
An exhibition floor plan will have a variety of stand spaces and a limited number of each size. It highly depends on the show you’re attending and the venue capacity.
Customising your Stand
- What type of exhibition stand should I have?
This will depend on what your business objectives are for the show. Consider what it is you want to achieve and base your exhibition stand to suit your goals.
- Can I have custom features on my stand?
Of course, it’s a great way to make your exhibition stand that bit more eye-catching and tailored to your audience. Again, think about what would make your key audience feel intrigued to draw them into your stand. Also, think about your aims and objectives whilst brainstorming ideas. Funnel all your ideas through this to achieve your results more effectively.
Speak with an expert to see how you can incorporate your brand with custom features to create memorable features of your stand.
- What’s the different types of stand configurations?
Firstly, there’s an island space which has no sides or enclosures, allowing customers to enter into the space with ease. Then you have multiple variations of spaces with different amounts of walls/sides open, as some stands back onto others.
- Are exhibition stands easy to build?
This will completely depend on your type of stand and also, it’s complexity. For example, we offer a range of pop-up lightboxes that are super easy to build in a matter of minutes with no tools necessary. However, advanced structural modular stands aren’t suitable for amateur building. Always discuss your stand to find the best solutions for your brand.
- How big is an exhibition stand?
The entry level for a stand is a shell scheme space. This ranges from 1x3m to 3x4m. But if you’ve chosen a space only area, then the average size starts at 3x3m. However, the more seasoned exhibitors can have significantly larger stands.
- How big should my stand be?
Depending on what your show objectives are, your stand size will vary and your budget will also impact your choice. Do note that bigger doesn’t always mean better. As long as you can optimise the space for your audience, stand size can work for most business objectives!
- Should I book space only or shell scheme?
Shell scheme stands tend to be more expensive to book upfront since everything from carpet and flooring to electricity included. The space available within it is generally smaller, with a max height of 2.5m. A space only stand type is slightly cheaper per m2, but you are booking the space (nothing else is included). You will need to source your full stand. However, you will have a height limit of 4m so more capacity to explore creative stand designs. Think about your objectives when deciding what works for you.
Exhibition Stand Lifecycle
- How do I know if I should rent or buy my exhibition stand?
Hiring an exhibition stand is the ideal solution if you have a space-only exhibition area and want to invest in a show stopping stand and make a big impression. If you only attend a couple of shows a year, hiring is also a much more cost-effective solution, working with a professional team who will deliver, build and dismantle and store your stand features in between shows. Attending more than 5 times a year, you may want to purchase a stand that you will be able to take to each show, with the ability to update graphics, size up or down and include different elements that are suited to different shows.
- Can my exhibition stand be portable?
There are a variety of types of portable exhibition stands, check out our full collection and buy direct here.
- What is the lifespan of an exhibition stand?
It’s difficult to give a definitive answer. It all depends on how you look after your stand and the conditions they’re stored in. However, some of our clients have had their stand for over 5 years and they’re still in perfect condition! Consider the longevity of your stand and how it can be altered depending on your business’ branding. For example, having interchangeable graphics is a great way to update you branding when you need it.
- How can I evaluate the best use of space?
We recommend our clients use heat mapper sensors on their stand. They can then see where people have lingered most on their stand. This will indicate what section or feature of the stand attracted and maintained the most attention. From this, you can continue to improve your exhibition strategy.
Stand Design
- What is involved in the exhibition stand design process?
Firstly, the most important factor of the design process is understanding the brand in question. Undergo a full brand evaluation, decide on key features of your stand, what you want to achieve and what you want to communicate. A good starting point is going over your corporate branding guidelines and thinking about how you intend to bring them to life. We can then sketch out your design and create a 3D colour rendered version of your stand design to see what it will look like in a real exhibition setting.
- Can I use my own design for an exhibition stand?
Yes, if you have an in-house designer or creative team that’s great, or even if you have a vision of what you want, you can create an initial design for us to build on and develop for you. It’s essential you work with people that work around your needs; working with an experienced, cooperative team can provide the best service possible (contact us today!)
- What’s the value of having a stand designed, built, and managed?
Having your stand designed, built and managed by industry professionals may mean a higher investment than doing everything in-house, but you will have a full team to lean on for support and guidance from start to finish. This gives you more time to hone your strategy for the big day and take away the stress, offering you a great exhibition experience.
Lead generation and capture
- Who is my target audience?
Your target audience are the key people your product or service is aimed at and who you will want to attract at the show. Think about who they are and what they would want from you as a brand. Implement features on your stand that you know will engage well with this particular audience.
- How do I collect marketing data on my stand?
There are a few ways you can collect data – one way is through on-stand activity like a game or giveaway. You can ask visitors to submit their name and contact details via an iPad before or after the engagement. Or you could implement a QR code that the visitor needs to scan and provide their contact details in exchange for a brochure or free sample etc.
- Who should man my stand?
Your sales team will be important people to have working on your stand to generate lead enquiries, make sales and inform people about the business, products or services you are promoting. However, it’s good to mix up your stand manpower with individuals who specialise in different areas of your business who can contribute other valuable information.
- What should my stand have on to achieve lead generation?
Read our 21 Exhibition Lead Generation Ideas to maximise your presence and ROI!
- What’s the best way to capture lead data?
Incorporate a digital lead capture system. Whether it is the organisers’ of the show or whether it’s a third party system. Scanners can be fiddly. We recommend an App-based system such as Akkroo where it makes sense. The App also enables you to follow up within minutes of your discussion with a personalised email.
Logistics
- Can I play music on my stand?
Playing music can be a great way to attract visitors to your stand. However, you need to ensure you have the correct licensing in place to do so legally. You will need the SG4 license and a performing right license, find out more here.
- Will my exhibition stand need lighting?
Lighting can be a great way to highlight areas on your stand. If you have products you want to draw attention to, integrate LED back lighting in your product display area. Alternatively, you can optimise your space like using backlit lightboxes, making your stand pop that bit more with bright LED lighting.
- What’s the best way to store exhibition stands in-between shows?
Storing your exhibition equipment can be expensive and a bit of a hassle to manage. We have a 5,000ft2 warehouse facility at our head office in Wimbledon which is available to all our clients where we safely store their equipment. We also have a service called Exhibit Force where clients can manage their equipment in an easy and organised way.
- Should I build my own exhibition stand or pay someone to do it?
It depends on how complex your exhibition stand is. We offer a top of the range self-build, pop-up stand solution called the Whitebox – find out more here. You can build this stand in a matter of minutes with no tools necessary. However, if you’re using a more structural solution, you should have professionals build and manage the stand safely.
Exhibiting internationally
- Can I take my exhibition stand international?
We can send your exhibition stand internationally, through packaging it down to a pallet size and shipped worldwide!
- What if I’m exhibiting overseas?
We have a network of partners all over the world that offer the same system hardware for rental. This means we can arrange local hardware to save on shipping and reduce your carbon footprint.
Brand awareness
- What pre/post show activity should I do to get the most out of my stand?
As discussed, social media is a great way to promote your show presence. Posting ‘sneak peeks’ of your stand can generate interest. During the show. post your stand location and an image of the team, encourages people to visit. After the show, a blog post summing up your experience is great content for your website or your newsletter.
- What should I have on my stand to increase brand awareness?
Branding is key to increasing brand awareness, so ensure you have informative and brand focused elements around the stand. Read our post on reinforcing your brand for your stand presence.
- Should I have a private meeting area on my stand?
Private or semi-private meeting rooms are great if you want to offer consultations or have 1-1 conversations on your stand. It provides a more intimate and confidential setting to chat with your visitors.
Haven’t covered your question? Get in touch and a member of our friendly team will be happy to offer our knowledge, advice and support. Or if you are interested in using our exhibition services get in touch and we’d love to talk about your upcoming project(s)!
