by Jessica Caggegi, on 7/11/19 3:41 PM
Isn’t it interesting that sometimes a smaller size stand may appear busier than a larger booth? How there is a common misconception that more space means you’ll have greater success.
Is this by pure chance or are there more specifics behind it. I believe it isn’t chance, it comes down to a clear vision and clear set goals. It essentially shows that the company has really understood their purpose at the event and narrowed down the specifics of their booth space and in this case size!
Understanding your Trade Show Goals
Every brand attends an exhibition with a purpose. Understanding that purpose and setting your goals prior to choosing your stand space will help you determine exactly how big you need to go.
Understanding what you would like to happen on the display space is crucial to choosing your size.
In setting these goals you will need to think about the following;
- Launching a New Product
- Launching a New Brand
- Company Re brand
- Generating Leads and Engaging with Prospective Clients
- Private Client Meetings
- Live Product Demonstrations etc
Once your goals have been clearly defined, narrow it down to specifics such as; what products you want to display (if any), their size and how many of each. Are you launching a new product and wanting to make it the hero of the stand?
What else will you require on the booth, items such as tables, chairs, display kiosks, storage rooms, AV display anything else taking up floor space.
Generally, all the above will tend to take up around 50% of your available floor space.
What Size Stand do you Need
Create a CLEAR image in your mind of your stands floor space. For example, if you are thinking 6m x 6m, multiply 6 by 6 and it will equate to 36sqm. You now have 36sqm of space to work with.
A handy tip I found was drawing a grid of the stand size on a piece of blank paper and using a square to represent 1m x 1m of space. This will help you map out items on the floor space accurately and give you an idea of how much floor space you have for actual visitors and foot traffic.
You want attendees to feel welcomed and inspired to enter your space! Cramped areas or crowd volume can turn visitors off and stop natural foot traffic and the flow of the stand.
When mapping out your stand size it is always best to put yourself into the shoes of your visitor. This allows you to visualise the practical space needed and you will then be able to find that display size “sweet spot” of what you require.
What is your Type
There are generally Four ‘Types’ of trade show booth options to consider.
Linear Inline Booth
These booths only have ONE open side to the front. They are enclosed between stands and normally have a 2.4m height restriction. They are quite limiting with available space and typically come in the following size options; 3m x 3m, 6m x 3m and potentially 9m x 3m.
Corner
Corner booths normally follow the same guidelines as Linear Inline Booths however; they can appear larger and more open to the eye as they have TWO open sides; generally one front and one side. Corner booths tend to go quite fast for this very reason.
Peninsula Display
These booths are open on THREE sides and will flush up against a wall or another stand. They are normally 6m x 6m or larger and are given a lot more flexibility with height restrictions and rigging.
Island Display
These booths are designed to stand alone and portray exactly what they are called, an ‘Island’. They are often open and accessible to enter from all FOUR sides and tend to begin at 6m x 6m or much larger. It allows you to go high (generally around 4m) and rig from the ceilings, allowing you to be able to use the ENTIRE cubic metre of space purchased.
Know your Budget
Not every exhibition will charge the same price for space. What a 6m x 3m space costs for one show may completely differ at the next. Purchasing the correct booth space and size can have a huge impact on your budget, and the success and return on your investment within the show. So, ensuring you keep this in mind will help you along the way especially if you have an existing custom stand that needs a specific size and configuration.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Understanding that Size Doesn’t always Matter
Stand size isn’t a one size fits all solution and it most certainly shouldn’t be expected that if you are a smaller company, you take a smaller booth and vice versa. It is about what it going to work for you and your specific goals.
If you are a smaller company, you may be trying to increase your brand awareness or maybe it’s your second year attending, and you want to make a big impact with a big presentation.
If you are a larger company, you may have a big demonstration or product reveal to showcase or you may have found that a larger stand didn’t work in the past and you want to try a scaled down version. Either way you need to ensure you have the appropriate space to set out what it is you intended to do.
One crucial factor is to ensure your booth isn’t bigger than your staff or presentations. It is not cost effective and can have a negative effect on your return at the expo.
You don’t want a small stand which looks cramped and doesn’t allow any room for visitors to enter the space, nor do you want a large stand that looks empty and you simply have nothing to fill the space.
Floor space is something that takes up a large part of your overall budget, so you want to ensure that you are using it to the best of your abilities and using every CUBIC metre.
If you need some help in trying to figure out exactly what size stand you should choose and mapping out your displays on paper, we’re here to help you get started contact us at letschat@events720.com or follow the link below to ‘Contact Us’