Choosing the best location for your stand at an exhibition can make the difference between a successful event and one that fails to meet your goals.
The selection of the best spot for your budget is key to ensuring maximum exposure of your brand and broadcasting your message through visibility, accessibility and impact.
In this article, I’ll cover some essential tips on selecting the prime spot in any venue to get maximum visibility and make sure you don’t miss out on potential customers.
1. Invest the Time When Choosing Your Plot
You should always check the floor plan thoroughly before booking your stand so that you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. This should be a given, but it is surprising how often choosing a location is rushed or done last minute. Do this early, take your time, and consider my tips.
2. Best Spot for Your Budget
If you are a big brand with a massive budget then it’s easy. Pick the biggest stand in the middle of the hall and hang some large branding shouting out you are there for all to see. For most, this is a non-starter so you must choose the best spot in the hall your budget allows. What is your budget? What locations can you afford? Is there a possibility of going for a smaller floor space but spending more on the stand for a higher impact? The results you get are determined by the location and the impact you make at that location.
3. High-traffic areas
When choosing the location for your stand, you want to ensure that you are in a high-traffic area where people can see and visit your stand, no matter your budget.
In the UK we drive on the left side of the road so it’s natural for us to stick to the left. As with the roads, I believe the same is true when visitors walk through the entrance to go left. So a good spot for a stand is straight ahead of the entrance and to the left side of the entrance.
Another high-traffic area is next to a Seminar Theatre. Featured content from industry experts attracts large audiences which means lots of traffic for your stand if it’s proudly presenting your offering next to it.
Stands next to a catering area are good too. Everybody has to eat or at least grab a coffee. Now having your own coffee or refreshments on your stand is a discussion for another day but having space next to a café area with break-out seating means you can present to them as they are taking a break. Imagine a large video wall presenting to 100-plus people per hour, that’s 1000 people who know a bit about what you do and they haven’t even met you. Hopefully, the content will draw them in to find out more. That said, you need to have this type of promotional asset.
4. Good View
Make sure that whatever location you choose has a good view from your stand so that you can watch people walking by and look to grab their attention. Stands that are in blind spots mean you will not get eye contact for very long and you won’t see their reactions to your offering.
5. Ask Your Stand Builder
If you’re attending a new venue and unsure about the layout, don’t be afraid to ask your stand builder for advice on where the best spots are. Hopefully, they’ve attended the venue before and can pass on their insights. I know that when I work with our clients, we have often helped them to select their location and are happy to help when we can.
6. Proximity
When choosing your location, you should take into account the other exhibitors around you and how your booth will fit in with the rest of the show. Brands that are either big or complimentary to your offering are useful to be beside. Whereas controversial or competing offerings should be avoided. When selecting your location, take your time to access who would be near you and what impact that may have. Sometimes though this is unavoidable when others choose after you.
7. Big Enough but not too big
Our goal is to maximise the return on our investment, so the temptation may be to choose as small a square meterage as possible. As a warning, you need to ensure you have enough space to comfortably showcase your offering effectively. This includes a meet and greet area that is big enough so people don’t feel cramped or you limit the numbers around your stand. You need to always take into account the size of your stand when choosing the best spot. That said, you don’t want to choose too big a space either. Optimise the space and stand impact to get the best mix. Speak to your stand builder for their opinion.
Conclusion
Choosing the best location for your stand at an exhibition does matter. There are many factors to consider, so you must invest the time to make the best choice based on your budget. Get this wrong and no one sees you and what you’re offering. But get it right and you will maximise your company’s exposure and its offering. Your stand’s visibility, accessibility and impact will ultimately determine whether the exhibition is a success or not. If you need a second opinion, ask your stand builder.
