Is a trend a gimmick or a game changer? Exhibit Experience’s Exhibit Rental 2019 Trend Guide offers valuable insights into the validity of trends on the trade show floor. With over two decades of experience delivering thousands of booths worldwide, we are experts in identifying trends that will become game changers and trends that are simply gimmicks. Often times, there is no need for either or assessment, trends provide vital clues to human perception and if applied correctly they can make an impact on the trade show floor. Below are some examples of trade show trends and how you can best apply them to your next exhibit rental!
Isn’t it Baffling?!
Baffled ceilings are artificially created ceilings in booths larger than 20 x 20. They consist of a banner or hanging sign and interior shaped signs rigged from above. Do not go too crazy with this trend. While it does increase the brand awareness by having an enclosed microenvironment, it does not make a significant difference or worse, if your marketing department goes rogue, and tries to design on the ceiling, you could distract your client during a presentation. When a client is in your booth, they should only be looking in a natural line of sight, not overhead. Overhead is perfect for long range signage, which is allowable in booths over 20 x 20 in size.
Texture or Sculpture
Textures around logos and on walls create depth and interact with lighting in remarkable ways, whereas sculpture of exhibit elements can create depth and play on light, but can be too abstract. When you are erecting archways and ceilings, the goal is to keep attendees in the booth. Structures with texture or textures around logos are captivating when they are lit, however, be very careful, again, that the overhead design is not too distracting from what is happening in the booth. A good rule of thumb would be to add texture to the outside of a sculpture, to create the same effect of drawing people into the booth as long-range signage, but the interior of the structure would be smooth with plain lighting to keep the focus point on your short and mid-range graphics and salespeople in front of your team.
Behold the Threshold
Threshold designs or gateways are another very popular trend in exhibit rental displays. Modular custom entrances, barn doors, swinging carnival turnstyles, there are dozens of ways to announce entry into an exhibit but not all of them will be hits on the floor. One industry standard that has been proven again and again, is the actual door or physical barrier to your booth rule. You really cannot have a physical barrier to the main entrance to your booth. For conference rooms, absolutely, and there is also a rule regarding fire procedures, absolutely as well, however for your show purposes, any barrier to your booth means lost sales. Capture the imagination and brand your threshold, but do not build a barrier.
If these walls could talk….
We customize graphics as part of all of our trade show services, however, we can advise on custom wallpapers and create them for other structures in your booth as well. A marketing department can tell a compelling narrative on these walls, whether in the back side or the front. Your walls really can talk, if you have the right thing to say! What is not helpful in creating custom walls and graphics is the super busy company picture wall. It was a trend some years ago, but on a trade show floor, when there are a million people walking around, no one is going to look at the millions of workers or employees your company represents that have been put on a collage on the side wall of your booth. Alternatively, if inside your exhibit, you represent a charity or foundation work, a wall of work that offers insight into your corporate charitable giving, is very effective.
Contact Exhibit Experience design and marketing department for more insight on this years top trends in exhibit rental design, and book your next exhibit with Exhibit Experience!
