A successful trade show requires careful planning and thought. When you attract new clients, you want to make important professional connections.

There is a lot of competition. You need your booth to stand out from the crowd. You want your display to be eye-catching and different. But you also want your message to be clear and easily understood. Deciding on creative booth design and trade show graphics can be a bit overwhelming. But we have some ideas.

Here are 5 tips for designing a beautiful trade show display.

Make an impact
Booth design

When you’re thinking about graphics for your display, keep in mind all the visitors who will be walking by your booth. As soon as they take a look at your booth, you want your display to make an impact.

There will be a lot of competition for their attention, so capturing their interest is crucial. Your display needs to project an immediate image of your unique brand, and it needs to be highly visible even at a distance.

If you can’t get visitors’ attention, they’re at the next booth. So you must make a quick, lasting impression. Think of a billboard on a freeway. The intention is to make an impact in an instant.

You should approach your trade show design the same way. If you have too many words or images or if they are not easily visible, the message gets lost.

Keep it simple
You may be tempted to try to show everything about your business in your design, but you shouldn’t. In this situation, less is more. If your design is too busy, your message won’t stand out. Instead of cramming too much information into your display, think about the most specific message you want to convey to your audience.

In an instant, you want to be recognized and get the attention of visitors. Filling every inch with graphics confuses the eye and will make your booth look cluttered and less effective. Some people believe that using all capital letters in their trade show graphics will attract the audience. But it is better to use a mix of upper and lower case letters.

It looks more natural, and is easier to read at a distance. Make sure your design reflects a consistent theme across your banners, posters and other materials. It reflects professionalism. If you’ve forwarded emails or mailers, those graphics should sync as well. Brand awareness and familiarity help you stand out from the rest.

Add whitespace.
Don’t forget to include plenty of white space in your trade show graphics. What’s not on your display is almost as important as what is on it. A good display should have plenty of white space. This gives your display an uncluttered look that allows your audience to read your information and understand your intended message.

Your design should have about 40% free space. You only have a moment to grab your visitor’s attention. Don’t waste this opportunity by cluttering up your display. Respect the space.

A successful display isn’t overloaded with bells and whistles. Instead, it has a clean design that grabs people’s attention.

Know your audience.
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Make sure you research the area where the trade show is held. You want to know the demographics of the audience and how you can market to that specific audience. You want your brand to speak directly to this audience and help drive traffic to your display. Humanizing your display is also important.

Having a social media marketing strategy is a must. This is a great way to advertise your booth and engage with those who will be attending the event. If attendees are from outside the area, you can engage them with useful information about the area or the best places for dinner or drinks.

You want your display to be accessible and not intimidating to your guests. Have options like pamphlets, flyers, or videos to appeal to different personas. Some people will want to engage with you, so make sure friendly staff are available and ready to answer questions and discuss your product.

People love free stuff, and they love to win something. Contests and promotions can also help drive people to your display. But if you’re doing this, visitors are required to provide their information and email address. This is a great way to get contact information while engaging your visitors.

Booth Location and Architecture
Location matters, of course. Some locations offer prominent display locations for an additional charge. These usually sell out very quickly, and some have prime spots, so you’ll need to plan ahead. And it can be a key negotiating point for your deal.

If you plan to attend the trade show for years to come, a prime location may be offered in return. In addition to location, you should consider your architecture. If possible, your images should complement the existing architecture of the venue. This creates a synergistic effect.