Trade shows

Trade shows present an organization’s products and services. They are targeted at a specialized audience of purchasers and industry competitors. A few do engage the general public, but often hold a special early viewing for industry members only.

With numerous industries hosting events and a single venue having the capacity for hundreds of thousands of booths, trade shows are the most common type for exhibition stand design. Trade show stand designs focus on promoting client’s brand, hence it is critical to redesignthe exhibition stand regularly in order to keep pace with changes in the company. Trade show design is fast-paced: it has the shortest deadlines of any type of exhibition display in terms of design time, construction time, and life span. The process can be as short as two months for both design and build on a large-scale project. As deadlines are finite and predetermined, swift decisions need to be made, even if it means changing the design; if it’s not ready in time, then there is no reason to have it.

The life span of these exhibition stands depend on the client and the industry. A typical design can last between one and five years and its duration on the trade show floor is limited from there to five days either annually or several times a year in different locations. Exhibition stands need to be adaptable and durable enough to be used at various shows, and appeal to different audiences. In contrast to museums, trade shows are market-driven, so the designs need to communicate the message to the audience very quickly and bluntly, and the amount of content is generally low.

Decisions and presentations must be made quickly in order to keep up with fast-paced schedules. Clients are generally not involved in the design process, so it is critical for designers to understand and follow the brief.