How to Stand Out at an Exhibition

Top tips for standing out at an exhibition 

The approach for in-person events is entirely different to digital, or even hybrid exhibitions. When you’re meeting people in real life, and taking up space within an exhibition hall, you have a lot more creative freedom in your exhibition stand design and overall event management.  

But, at the same time, there are a lot of other brands and businesses that can do the same – so how can you make yourself stand out? 

 

Be seen 

The first, and arguably most important, rule of being at an exhibition, is to be seen. Whatever else you do to help you stand out hinges on your exhibition booth being visible to attendees in the first place. 

Fortunately, there are a range of techniques you can use to make your exhibition booth more noticeable. For example, you can: 

• Pick your spot with care: if possible, try and pick a visible spot for your exhibition stand that will attract attention and draw in visitors. This could be near the entrance, or on the corner of a high-traffic area. 

• Use lighting: whilst the exhibition hall will have a base standard of lighting, you might want to consider adding additional lighting to draw attention to your booth. For example, you could use neon signs or colourful lights as part of your exhibition booth design. 

• Raise your booth: lifting your exhibition booth using raised flooring could help you be more visible in a crowded room. But, make sure it’s not too high to still be accessible for attendees. 
• Use technology: technology can help to elevate your exhibition stand design. For example, using screens to display movable or interactive graphics could help to attract more attention to your booth. 

Visibility is key – and you can always ask for help from your venue. At Exhibition Centre Liverpool, we have a fantastic range of Production Services that can support you at your event. 

Top tip: get creative with your exhibition stand design! Play with colour, font, and large design items that will help to make your booth more eye-catching for attendees. 

 

Pay attention to layout 

Putting the work into being seen is all for nothing if the layout of your exhibition stand doesn’t make sense – and it could even work against you. That’s why we recommend that, before the big day, you test out your exhibition stand design. This will help you spot barriers that could prevent visitors from accessing the booth, or find areas that make it harder for everyone to move around. 

Keep your booth layout fairly free-flowing, and don’t clutter your space with large items that could block people from visiting (or create a bottleneck). 

 

Be approachable 

Just as you invest in the tangible items for your exhibition booth design, you also need to invest in the people you choose to staff it. This is especially true when you consider that the goal of your exhibition is to meet new people and encourage them to engage with your content, products, or services – so they need to be social. 

Not only do the wonderful people who work at your booth need to actively engage with attendees as they visit the booth (or the areas around it), they also need to be approachable so that visitors are more willing to come up and get the conversation started. 

This means you need people who can be personable and chatty, and have excellent communication skills. Your booth staff also need to be knowledgeable about your business or brand so that they can answer questions and show off your products or services properly. 

Top tip: working an exhibition booth is hard work, so make sure you recognise and reward the people doing it. 

Try to avoid staff going too aggressively into a sales pitch at an exhibition. Whilst it is obviously an opportunity to generate revenue, you should look at it more holistically – you’re there to promote your brand and build your reputation, which can generate future leads. 

 

Bring freebies 

Everybody loves a freebie. And it often doesn’t matter what it is. But, if you want your exhibition booth to stand out, then you should put some thought into which freebies will be well-received by attendees and help them remember your brand over others. Alongside fun freebies like stickers, try to pick something functional that people can reuse (that still has your logo or name on). Some ideas you could choose include: 

• Tote bags. 

• Reusable water bottles or travel mugs. 

• Pens and notebooks. 
• T-shirts, hoodies or hats. 

Not only are reusable gifts a constant reminder of your brand, but they’re also the more sustainable option. Another choice would be to have biscuits or snacks that are packaged or decorated with your brand. These will produce less waste than single-use items, and be a tasty talking point for your visitors. 

Learn more about Sustainability at Exhibition Centre Liverpool to see what else you can do to reduce waste and make your exhibition more environmentally-friendly. 

Top tip: you can never go wrong with having a variety of sweets at your stand. We recommend having a variety to choose from, and try to include some plant-based or vegan options to reach a wider network of people. 

 

Run a competition 

On top of offering freebies, one way to stand out at an exhibition is to run a competition. For example, if you choose to have a game (see more below), the person at the top of the leaderboard could automatically win a bigger prize – like a merch bundle, discounted service, or even a cash prize.  

Alternatively, you could run a competition where people sign-up to be entered into a random prize draw. This is a great starting point to attract people to the booth in the first place, where they can then engage with your booth staff and products. 

Top tip: having attendees sign-up using their email address allows you to collect data/send out follow-up material to keep them engaged with your brand. Just make sure they know about this option. 

 

Create a social media moment 

Social media can be an incredible place for people to share exciting events with friends and followers – which gets more people engaged and interested in your brand. Whilst social media sits clearly within the digital realm, there are ways to use it to stand out at an in-person event. 

One way to do this is to create an ‘instagrammable moment’ as part of your exhibition stand design. This could be through: 

• Creating a fun backdrop or an interesting seating area.  

• Making an interactive display. 
• Bringing a mascot. 

You want something that is easily recognisable that can be turned into a photo spot, as this will get people talking about your stand and help distinguish you from the rest of the exhibition. 

Top tip: people want to take photos and have fun. To stand out at a busy exhibition, offer them a great photo op that can be shared online – then you can take it a step further and interact with them in the digital sphere too! 

 

Use gamification 

You want any attendees to remember you fondly, so try to make your exhibition stand fun by including games or interactive elements. These could include simple games like throwing something at a target and prize wheels all the way up to arcade games and dance machines. 

You could also make great use of VR or AR technology to help your booth stand out, especially if you only have a small space. Using virtual reality headsets can allow you to offer more interactive games, which you could then hook up to screens so others can watch as they play. 

Gamification works because games are a great conversation starter, which creates opportunities for your staff to build a rapport with visitors and show off your brand. They are also an instant attraction for attendees; exhibitions can be tiring, and people want to have fun during their experience. 

Top tip: have your game front and centre in your exhibition booth design to capture the most attention. 

 

Promote your stand 

Somewhat more obvious, nevertheless promoting your stand is a tried and tested way to make you stand out from the crowd at an in-person event. Below, we’ve picked out some of the main ways you can promote your exhibition stand. 

• The classics work for a reason – business cards are a key part of making sure people remember your booth, so make sure you have plenty to hand. 

• Start early with social media. Engage with posts, join the hashtag and do what you can to generate a buzz around your booth before the exhibition that will encourage people to visit whilst they’re attending. 

• Send follow-up emails after people have signed up to attend, and include relevant details about your booth (location in the venue, how to get there, and useful tips). 
• Share blogs, include adverts across relevant social media sources or print media to make sure people know you’re at an exhibition. 

Top tip: a lot of people will plan their day ahead of the exhibition, so make sure you leave plenty of time to get on the radar. 

 

Contact existing clients 

Whether you’re a well-established brand, or brand new to the exhibition scene, make sure you give yourself the best chance of success by inviting existing customers and those who already know your brand to any exhibitions you show at. 

Existing clients can help to build engagement with your booth by sharing their experiences on social media, or spreading the word about you to other attendees at the event. 

Top tip: existing clients and customers are amazing brand ambassadors, so make sure to make them feel special if they visit you at the exhibition. 

 

Do something different 

At its core, standing out is about being different to those around you. So, one of the best pieces of advice we have is to get creative and don’t be afraid to try something new to attract attention to your exhibition stand. 

You don’t need to stick to the obvious either. Whilst individual branding, colour, exhibition booth design, and attention-grabbing decorations are all valid and useful techniques to distinguish yourself, why not try something a little more left field? 

For example, why not make your booth a point of calm in a fairly hectic environment? There are a lot of people at exhibitions, from vendors to attendees to staff, which can make it pretty overwhelming. Instead of adding to this atmosphere, you could consider taking it back a notch and creating a calm, relaxing space for visitors. This offers them a chance to take a breath from the main concourse, and can allow your staff to chat and connect with people. 

Or, have you considered hosting an activity at your booth? Like gamification, organising an in-person activity allows people to start conversations more naturally and relax and have fun in your space. Your activity could be anything; from a simple craft that fits with your brand, to inviting attendees to write or draw on a display within your booth, pick something calm that has tangible results that people can see and share. 

 

Choose Exhibition Centre Liverpool for your next exhibition 

We think about events a little differently to others, so standing out is something we’re used to here at Exhibition Centre Liverpool. With our Social Value Impact Plan, and an emphasis on Accessibility and Inclusivity, we want to lead the way to a more diverse, inclusive exhibition landscape. 

 

If this is something you’re interested in, get in touch today to see how we can help you host your next exhibition. 

 

Running a Sustainable Exhibition: What You Need to Know | Creative Exhibitions: Exploring Innovative Uses of Exhibition Spaces | A Guide to Putting on Accessible Exhibitions