When promoting at an exhibition or industry fair, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Let your signage do the talking for you, with our handy exhibition signage guide:
What is exhibition signage?
Exhibitions can be an ideal scenario for companies to gain extra clients and get their name out there, but they are busy affairs, with multiple stands and brands selling similar products and services. So how do you stand out at an exhibition? The answer lies within your exhibition signage.
Why great exhibition signage is important
Exhibitions, fairs and trade shows offer businesses a chance to showcase what it is they do and how well they do it, something which is particularly useful for new businesses, startups or anyone rebuilding their brand and trying to increase visibility within an industry.
Because of their effectiveness, and usually hyper focussed clientele, exhibitions also tend to be saturated with your competitors, all trying to achieve the same goals as you. You need to do everything you can to make those passing your stand opt for you over the competition, much in the same way you would on the high street, but with an audience that already knows what they are looking for and may already be familiar with the industry(and some of the businesses within it) as a whole.
Carefully-considered exhibition signage that displays thoughtfully-planned marketing messaging could be the key that sets you apart from the competition. Here’s to make sure your signs do just that.
How to stand out with exhibitions signs
Keep it simple and to the point
We know that there’s a lot of information you want to get across to potential clients, but keep most of that for when you are talking to them. The signage is there to do two things – let people know what you do and to entice them to come and learn more. If you clutter the signs with too much information or make them too busy with an excess of colour and design, the eye will simply drift off of them and the potential customer will move on to the next sign/stand.
This is where planning in advance comes in handy. Once you have booked your stall space, start planning your exhibit signs. Start by thinking about the key information you want to get across. What is the goal you want to achieve by appearing at this exhibit? You can then tailor your exhibition signs towards this objective. The best marketing message will be short and to the point. Remember how little time people spend looking at a sign (1.5-3 seconds, on average) and you’ll understand the need for a concise message.
Use colour and design choices cleverly – and carefully!
Colour can be a wonderful (and simple!) way to draw the eye. There’s even psychological reasoning behind it. Exhibit halls are the one place you want to attract attention, so use colour ‘in as bold an impactful a manner as you can.
When it comes to experimenting with your usual design choices, you can think of it as an opportunity to exhibit your branding ‘turned up’ a little, rather than going for something that is at odds with your usual choice of colour and design. Not only will this keep the cost down – you can use current branded items on the stand instead of getting absolutely everything reprinted just for this event – it will help to build on what you already have, and create a sense of cohesiveness across all the platforms that your branding appears.
This is especially important if you are using visuals from the event on your social media or digital platforms: it would look strange if a brand that has classic styling with monochrome colouring suddenly went for comic sans and primary colouring. That is unless it is a part of a specific campaign that requires such style choices, such as a campaign for school children (arguably the only place where comic sans should ever be used, if at all…)
This may all seem like branding 101, which essentially, it is. The key here is not to reinvent the wheel, but to use the opportunity an exhibition affords as a platform to really show who you are in a meaningful, eye-catching way.
Consider the event as well as your own business
Think of the event itself for cues on what to include. While you would have only picked the exhibition to feature in if it is pertinent to your business, the kind of event it is can also affect what kind of exhibition signage you opt for.
If it is a wedding fair and you are a stationery company, you don’t want a generic banner that lists every product you sell, relevant or not. Instead, you should keep it focused on the clientele at that particular exhibition. Equally important is to consider if there is anything within your branding or product line that could clash with the event or client. If you sell cards or other graphic stationery, then leaving fun or comedic imagery would be pertinent at a funeral business exhibition, for example.
Quality speaks for itself
A picture is worth a thousand words, as the adage goes, and there is nowhere this is more true than on your exhibition signs. People judge a company within seconds of seeing a sign, and you want that first impression to be one of professionalism and intrigue, something that is simply not possible if your images are pixelated beyond recognition or your text is unreadable at a distance.
This goes too for the quality of your banners and signage – good signage doesn’t cost the earth, but you don’t want to appear to be a business that scrimps on making a good impression. Plus, to be viewable from across the room or through a crowd of people, you need your signage to be big and bold, and low quality materials and designs stand out for all the wrong reasons in this kind of setting.
Types of exhibition signage
Now that you know what kind of signage you need, let’s explore how you will display them. Here are a few examples of the forms exhibition signage can take, but it is by no means a complete list. There’s such a wide scope for creativity with what you can cover in your branding to get attention!
Banners and pop-up signs
Banners and pop-up signs are the bread and butter of exhibition signage and are likely the first thing that comes to mind when planning your stand. They can take many forms, from the simple horizontal banner that can be attached by ties at each end to printed vinyl signage that hangs above your allocated area, or pop-up vertical banners that detail what it is you do.
While your main sign may well just be a simple version of your usual business fascia signage, you can use supplementary signs like pop-up banners to display the information and products particular to this exhibit and target audience.
Stands
Depending on your business type, most exhibition spaces will include a stand of some kind. Stands can range from a table covered with your brand graphics which your spokespeople will stand behind, to complex bespoke product stands to display what you are selling.
Removable Vinyl Graphics
Vinyl graphics can be a great way to brand and differentiate your area, especially if they are removable, as you can place them anywhere within your space without the worry of damaging the surface below. They can adhere to walls or dividers, tabletops or stands, or even the floor – separating your space from those around you or serving as a way of directing people to your team.
Wayfinding signs
If the exhibition is in a large area, you may want to consider some form of wayfinding sign, to direct those out of eyeshot on how to get to your stand. Plus if there is a car park you could even put up temporary signs there to let people know that you are inside. This also goes for anywhere on the exterior of the building holding the exhibition, especially near the entrance. Another fun option for this could be a sandwich board that someone could wear and walk around the exhibition with, to draw attention to your brand and your stand.
It’s important to note that for this, and all other forms of exhibition signage, you’ll need to get clarity from the organisers about what is and isn’t permitted. This is usually clearly communicated early on, but be sure to run your plans by the powers that be once you’ve decided on your approach, to avoid any nasty surprises in the form of a stern floor manager demanding you remove some of your carefully-planned graphics.
Cut through the hubbub of a busy exhibition floor with outstanding signage that sets you apart from your competitors. Medash has been creating successful exhibition signage and trade show banners for decades and knows a thing or two about what works. Get in touch today to start creating the perfect exhibition signage for your next show.