Graphics and signage on your exhibition stand or trade show booth can be as important as the stand itself when it comes to grabbing attention. It is your most powerful marketing tool aside from your staff. It will tell your visitors who you are, what you do and once you have their attention, it can tell them your business goals, mission statements and really show what you are about.
The secret is to keep it simple. Don’t throw too much information out there, otherwise no-one will read it. People are fundamentally lazy! They want to be fed information without having to work too hard for it.
Your main signage should be your logo and company name – maybe a tag-line on the logo but that’s it. You want to be readily identifiable and hopefully memorable. The easier to remember, the better, Think of the big company names such as Sony, Microsoft, Coca Cola, Nike etc. Most are simple one colour, no gimmicks logos. Your logo should be visible from as many areas of the exhibition hall or trade hall as possible. It should be bold and simple.
Once you have the attention of your visitors, then you can get a little more in depth with the information you put into your signage. Think about when you flick through a book or magazine. What will make you stop and look closer? It’s usually pictures that grab your attention first – or an interesting headline. Then think how far you read before flicking again or stopping to learn more. It’s really only a few words.
The same instinct works with visitors at exhibitions or trade shows. They are bombarded with information all around. Only something grabbing their attention or interest will make them stop and look. Pictures, whether photos or illustrations, are always a good idea as they are easier to process than text. If you do use text, keep information to a minimum. Make sure words are easily legible – use a common font such as ‘Arial’ or ‘Helvetica’. Don’t use something fancy which people can’t read. Keep things at eye level as much as possible and try and make sure text is legible from a couple of metres away.
Basically, use your signage as an attention grabbing tool. Hopefully once a visitor takes an interest in your stand, you will have your staff there ready to fill them in on the finer aspects of who you are and what you can do for them. Also, if your staff are busy at that moment, have some brochures on hand. Put all the extra information into something they can pick up and read in their own time.
