At expos, the choices are almost unlimited – there can be businesses from a myriad of industries all trying their best to achieve one goal: to get the attention of potential customers. This can be difficult to achieve amongst all the competition, however, one thing is perfectly clear – you’re much less likely to garner any serious interest from potential customers if your only signage is a piece of cardboard with your business name scrawled across it in permanent marker. Ok, this might be an extreme example, but we believe that effective signage at an expo is the secret to success. If you’re considering attending an expo in the future, read on for some suggestions on what and what not to do when it comes to your signage.
- Keep it simple
Expos are generally chaotic, there are hundreds of booths lined up and sometimes thousands of people navigating their way through the expo maze. So, we recommend keeping things relatively simple to avoid adding to the mayhem and inundating potential customers with information. If a person looks at your booth only to be met with layer upon layer of signage and posters, then their already overwhelmed eyes will inevitably wander elsewhere. Your signage should provide people with just enough information so they know what your business is and invite them to learn more about your services or products. After all, the average person will only glance at your sign for a few seconds, so they won’t be able to take in the important details if they’re buried in paragraphs of information or drowned out by an elaborate design. Not many people will stick around to try and decipher what your stall is about if it’s not immediately evident (unless you’re standing there handing out free cake or something, in that case, you’ll probably be the most popular one there).
- Use colour skilfully
Colour can be a fantastic way to draw the attention of someone walking by. When planning your signage, we recommend sticking to the colours in your branding colour palette. Using colours that are ‘off-brand’ will make your stall look chaotic and busy. Instead, use brand colours to draw attention to key information and areas in your stand. You also want to avoid confusing any customers with an existing interest in your services or products, who may not recognise your business because of the lack of cohesion with your brand.
- Plan, plan, plan
After you’ve arranged your stall, we recommend planning where you intend on installing your signage. Envisioning what your stall will look like once it’s all set up will help you to avoid over or underdoing it. Marketing your business in an appealing way will require you to find a balance between empty space, signage, colour and décor, a task that becomes infinitely easier if you allow yourself the time to plan as opposed to scrambling at the last minute. We also recommend reading the fine print and ensuring you’re familiar with any rules or guidelines the expo has in place. Be familiar with what you can and can’t have, as well as the dimensions of your stall so you can order the correct size signage. You should also arrange take-home material such as price lists, informational brochures, and business cards, so that people can follow up with you later if they want to learn more about your business. This is particularly important when you are attending an expo to market your services, as opposed to selling your product on the day.
- Use high quality images & signs
You don’t want people to think that you took photos for your stand on your flip Motorola RAZR, as trendy as they were once upon a time. Make sure you’re using high quality images or risk looking unprofessional. It’s not difficult to take a high-quality photo these days, so people tend to have high expectations in this respect. You also need to ensure that any writing you have is legible and large enough to be visible from a distance. If you want your signage to be particularly effective, consider having a graphic designer design your signage and liaise with a professional printer on your behalf to ensure that you have the best possible end result. This is also a good way to ensure that your logo and brand will be incorporated effectively.
Final suggestions…
Expos can be an expensive, taxing process for any business to participate in, so you should do your best to make the experience worthwhile and to reach the largest number of potential customers possible. While we’re all encouraged not to judge a book by its cover, people tend to do just that when they are limited in time and are overwhelmed by choice, so they’ll have to prioritise where they’ll direct their attention somehow (we’re telling you, free cake…). Jokes aside, if you want any further suggestions on effective expo signage, then please reach out to our expert