Getting a big impact from a small trade show footprint

For brands with small exhibits, it can be easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a trade-show floor. But with the right design tricks, even the smallest floor plan can make a big impression. Four tips on how to make it big by going small:

1. Separate the Space. Vonage packed plenty of action into its CES exhibit while still maintaining an open look. The key was dedicating a separate structure on the footprint to meeting space. The result: Most of the activity of the 20-by-50-foot exhibit centered around a circular info desk in the center, where attendees could meet with product specialists; and the brand left plenty of space around the desk for visitors to congregate. But to avoid clutter and give the space a clean look—even when there was plenty of traffic—Vonage built a two-story high structure with two adjoining rooms, enclosed in orange glass (the brand’s signature color).

Plus, the separated space allowed the brand to connect with potential customers in a small environment without taking away from the design of the exhibit.

2. Use Pods. Andrew Corp., a voice, video, and data communications solutions provider, is exhibiting at roughly 20 trade shows this year; its exhibit sizes range from 10 by 10 to 50 by 50 (Agency: Sparks, Philadelphia). The firm’s challenge was creating an attractive exhibit without overstuffing its smaller space. So the exhibit is a collection of modules, or product “pods.” There’s a main module where visitors entering the exhibit can get an overview of the company and its products and services. Inside, smaller modules provide more in-depth perspectives on each product and service. The pods put the focus on the products in small, separated environments (allowing attendees more room to move around), and they also allow the company the flexibility to redesign for a different size space at each trade show.

3. Go Sleek. As a small start-up company, hip-implant manufacturer C5 Medical Werks had a lot to prove at this year’s Medical Design & Manufacturing show in New York City. “We really needed something that was going to make a very bold statement,” says Tim Haen, the company’s director-sales and marketing. Without the resources of other, larger companies on the show floor, the brand opted for a 10-by-20 footprint. To make the exhibit stand out to attendees—and competitors—the brand chose a sleek, European-style design. A series of small pedestals around the perimeter of the space helped ensure C5’s products were given a clean, eye-catching presentation—something typical product racks or shelving units couldn’t have done. “It really made each product look like a work of art,” Haen says.

4. Maximize the Vertical. The SD Card Association, the trade group of manufacturers whose products use secure digital memory cards, incorporated a presentation area, four demonstration zones, and 12 tables for member organizations into an exhibit that was significantly smaller than the big boys at CES. The difference-maker? Effective use of vertical product displays. Larger products immediately went on a vertical backdrop to maximize space.

In addition, SDCA used a large wall in the back of the booth to show off more than 300 products, keeping just a few samples of each product within attendees’ reach in the demonstration area. “While we showcased two or three phones in the demonstration area, we might have had 25 phones on the wall display,” says James Taylor, SDCA’s marketing chief. “We had to be careful, because with so many different products and manufacturers, we wanted to treat them as equally as possible.”