Its as important ‘where you stand’ as ‘how you stand’!!
The number of visitors your stand generates can depend on something as simple as where your stand is located at an exhibition. Take the well used estate agent adage ‘the three most important things when buying or selling a home are ‘location, location, location’. This same rule of thumb applies to your exhibition space, which is, to all intents and purposes, the home of your company for the duration of the show.
Booking your space early gives you more of a choice, and there are a number of worthwhile considerations when looking at your potential site:
Pay a visit to the venue during another show to check out the environment in a real situation. Various factors can be identified and quantified that are not normally indicated in the pre show details. Traffic areas are the perfect example, there will be certain ‘dead’ areas where customers are less likely to pass through, also high volume areas near to the entrance which will generate higher levels of traffic. However, stands directly opposite the entrance may suffer as visitors often walk past to get into the main body of the show.
Late space booking may mean you are ‘relegated’ to the overspill areas if demand is high, these have less passing custom and are often ignored by visitors.
Visitors to the bigger shows will often miss certain areas due to the sheer size of the exhibition. Stand positions on the outskirts or the above mentioned overspill areas will suffer first.
However a stand position on the outskirts can be advantageous if it is near to customer services like refreshment or toilet areas which will get proportionally traffic levels – but bear in mind the potential for congestion around these areas which may be detrimental – be close enough to the passing traffic but far enough away from the congestion.
Whether you have ‘Space Only’ or ‘Shell Scheme’ a corner position offers the appeal of a more open, inviting space that will draw customers in.
Visibility is key, and due to the size, shape and layout of the venue, some stands have more than others. Try to find a space where people can see your stand clearly; facing the ends of aisles or at the bottom of stairs, for example. Avoid booking a space that is orientated away from these aspects.
Position your stand near your company’s major competitors, this will draw potential customers who fit into your target market. If they are looking at, or have been invited by, you rivals, they will certainly look at you.
This rule applies where there may be exhibitors with products which have relevance to your own. Proximity to companies who fit into the same niche as you can be beneficial, for example, positioning an I.T. products stand next to an office equipment display.
Conversely, make sure that your potential neighbours are not unsuited to your selling environment, for example, if you are selling books, a stand next door featuring live shows or music would not be beneficial.
If your company has several different divisions, explore the possibility and commercial viability of operating multiple smaller stands located strategically.
At Nutcracker Exhibitions we have staff that not only build stands, but have worked on and managed stands in their previous lives! We are well qualified to help out with booking space and have worked with the organisers at a lot of shows. |
