Is the Aesthetic of Shell-Scheme Stands Important?

When you organise an expo, there are so many things to consider. When you engage with an exhibition supplier you have a long list of items that you want to ensure that they can do. You want to know that they can supply enough AV equipment, can they help sell furniture and graphics so that your exhibitors will be happy with their exhibition space. But how often do you stop and consider what the shell-scheme stand that the supplier is offering looks like? Will it fit with the aesthetic of your overall event? Will your exhibitors be happy with how the stand looks in its basic form?

A quick Google search shows you what most of the shell-scheme stands on offer from exhibition suppliers look like. They all look very similar; aluminium frame, either white walls or Corinthian style. Occasionally, when budgets are incredibly tight, the best option is a pop-up graphic exhibition stand. Even these options are all similar. So how important it is what your shell-scheme stands look like if they all look the same?

 Well, you’ll be pleased to know that not all shell-scheme stands look the same, and it is worth investigating different options to find one that best suits your exhibition aesthetic, and your exhibitors image.

It can be easy to disregard what your exhibitors think, but the fact of the matter is that how the shell-scheme stand at your expo looks is incredibly important. Your exhibitor’s opinion of the stands is also incredibly important. The stand affects them just as much as it affects you. Consider the following to understand the importance of the style of your exhibition stands.

Branding is crucial for sales

You might not have considered that your exhibition is effectively a branding exercise, but it is. Just like any other business, your exhibitors are your consumers and the products that you offer at your exhibition are what you are selling. That means that your exhibition effectively represents your brand. If you have terrible product offerings, then your brand image will suffer, and exhibitors and attendees will struggle to trust that your exhibitions are worth attending.

Whether you like it or not, appearance is important in sales. Your choice of expo products that you are offering will confine your exhibitors to a particular appearance. As an organiser, you are responsible for defining the brand of the exhibitors, while trying to maintain your own brand. This is a large responsibility, but as an organiser this is a responsibility that you need to bear. Your exhibitors have a common goal when choosing to exhibit with you, 88% of exhibitors are attending your expo to raise their brand awareness. If the stands that you choose to offer don’t help elevate their brand image, they won’t exhibit with you again in the future, which impacts your sales results and ultimately your brand image.

Your brand image is important for building your credibility. Credibility ensures that your expo is worth attending, both as an exhibitor and as an attendee. The exhibition supplier that you choose may only offer one style of shell-scheme stand. It is important to consider how this will look in the overall aesthetic of your expo. If on-trend stand design is your brief, then the standard aluminium frame shell scheme stands aren’t the right stands to have at your expo. There are alternatives, you just need to speak to other exhibition suppliers and research what they are. Finding the style of stand that will suit your overall expo aesthetic will go along way to building brand credibility.

Practicality vs aesthetically pleasing

This is a common issue that arises in exhibitions, most often with custom exhibition stands, but increasingly with whole exhibitions. If you want to branch out from the stock standard aluminium frame shell-schemes, ensure that the stand you are choosing is practical. There are several reasons why this is an important balance to get right.

The first is cost. If the stands aren’t practical, they may take twice the usual time to be installed before your expo. This is a significant cost to you that you will either have to accept. Your exhibitors will not be thrilled about the prospect of paying double just because the installation of such a stand takes so long if you attempt to pass this cost on, even if the stand looks amazing. There are times where it is worth paying more for a custom product to be created for your exhibition, but just assess whether the cost is for the product itself, or if other incidentals related to practicality are driving up the price.

The second issue to consider is how practical your current option is. Can you do better for your exhibitors? How easily can they organise graphics for their stand? It is worth reviewing what other options may be available for your exhibitors to consider. Offering stands that look dated and aren’t very practical will mean that your exhibitors will refuse to exhibit with you again. Again, this costs you money and future success at your event.

Attracting attendees

Whether you would like to admit it or not, attendees care about appearance. The appearance of your exhibition and the layout of the floor-plan. The appearance of the shell-scheme stands and the exhibitor’s spaces. All of it is super important to the attendee who wants to buy from your exhibitors.

We cannot stress this enough, without attendees and exhibitors, you do not have an exhibition. Exhibitors are your primary consumers, and attendees are your secondary consumers. The style of shell-schemes offered at your event can either entice attendees, or it could bore them. 92% of attendees want to attend your event to see the latest products or learn about the latest information. Is the shell-scheme stand you offer to exhibitors assisting them to really highlight new products? Offering the same stands at your event year in, year out constricts the attention of attendees. It inhibits the ability for creativity and the real purpose of your exhibition to shine through.

You may never have thought far reaching effects on your exhibition from the humble shell-scheme stand. Many organisers do not understand the way that visual communication can interact with the overall success of their events. It really does matter what the shell-scheme stands at your event look like, and luckily you can find a style that suits your event and will support the brand image for yourself and your exhibitors.

If you need to discuss a new style of shell-scheme stand for your next event, let us help you - letschat@events720.com