Trade shows are a great way to get your products and services noticed. An overwhelming 92% of trade show attendees go to trade shows to see new products and services from their favorite brands. But this is only one element of a successful trade show.

Your trade show booth is also a big part of the equation. Well-executed trade show exhibits are the key to proper engagement. Having the right exhibition design is a surefire way to get noticed. 

Are you looking for ways to create successful trade show displays? Then keep reading below for the hottest exhibition design trends of 2023.

Creative LED Lighting Displays

LED lights are all the rage today in exhibition design. Not only are they long-lasting and affordable, but they also emit less heat and use less energy overall. According to the Department of Energy, the average LED lighting display uses 75% less energy and lasts 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

LEDs are an appealing option for brands looking to reduce their carbon footprint. They are also cost-effective options for small business trade show displays to stand out.

Add to that list the wide variety of different LED lighting options now available. Some innovative LED designs for trade show exhibits include:

• LED Tunnels
• LED Flooring
• Immersive LED displays
• Curved and Transparent LEDs

LED tunnels and LED flooring are terrific ways to lead attendees into special events or expo displays within your trade show booth. Immersive LED displays can be integrated into your exhibition design to provide a multisensory experience. While curved and transparent LEDs allow you to create see-through video or photo walls that are sure to wow passersby and draw them to your booth.

LEDs can dramatically change the appearance of your trade show booth. They can be configured to pulse to music and dim or brighten on command. You can even modify LED light displays with custom color options and images to match your brand.

New Advancements in Technology

Advancements in technology are changing the way many expo displays operate. AR and VR technology have already laid their claim on experiential marketing. But technology options such as 3-D technology, holograms, and digital twinning are gaining momentum in 2023 and beyond.

Holograms and 3-D technology are taking center stage in exhibition design. They allow trade show exhibits to show detailed displays and animations of products in motion. They also let booth visitors get up close and personal with the schematics and moving parts in exquisite and eye-popping detail for one-of-a-kind trade show displays.

Digital twin technology is already being used in healthcare to create virtual representations of patients using data to better facilitate care. This same technology can also be used for exhibition design for constructing lifelike and real-time interactive avatars or creating simulations of new products that trade show attendees can interact with.

More Organic Exhibition Design

Gone are the days of trade show displays that look like cold and sterile office buildings. Instead, trade show attendees are favoring booths that offer an organic exhibition design. This means incorporating more natural elements into display solutions.

For example, having a greenery wall (either real or artificial) can increase the approachability of trade show exhibits. This can put attendees at ease when coming up to view your booth. A greenery wall adds an interesting level of texture to your booth and also works well as a focal point for more eco-friendly companies.

It is still possible to include technology along with natural elements like plants and trees.

Comfortable Lounge Areas

The average trade show attendee spends 8.3 hours viewing trade show displays. So, it makes sense that your exhibition design should also have comfortable lounge areas built in. This will make it more enticing to visitors.

Having couches and other seating options gives attendees a place to take a load off and recharge during the course of their day. You can even offer an assortment of drinks and snacks. While they are sitting in your lounge area, they can also read up on your products and services and explore your booth at their leisure.

It also gives you a chance to come over and talk to them in a relaxed setting. This feels like a casual conversation and less of a sales pitch. The end result will be a more receptive potential client.

Dynamic Signage Options

Having the proper signage is essential for helping your booth stand out for all the right reasons. Traditional banners with flat lettering are a thing of the past. Modern exhibition design heavily favors dynamic signage options.

This includes channel-lit logos and signage with fun and colorful multi-dimensional elements. These types of signs catch the eye and command the attention of trade show guests. Bold signage also helps to differentiate your booth from other trade show exhibits.

With professionally designed signage your company’s logo, brand name, and artwork can really shine. You can complement signage along with other elements such as company murals, timelines, and history walls for added effect.

Inviting and Open-Concept Expo Displays

Contemporary exhibition design trends call for less boxed-in feeling trade show displays. Many trade show companies are now thinking outside of the box to offer attendees an open and airy feel. This can include suspending signage and other elements from the ceiling.

Open-concept exhibition design allows booth visitors to roam freely without feeling like they’re bumping into display walls or other trade show guests. Having more room to move around takes away the sense of claustrophobia that can come from standard walled-in expo displays.

Instead of bland and industrial-looking materials making up these displays, they contain more homey and inviting elements. Wood paneling, decorative facades, and floral accents make trade show displays much more personable and welcoming to booth visitors.

Make Your Exhibition Design Dreams a Reality with Nimlok Kentucky

Your exhibition design is a vital part of your trade show booth’s aesthetic. It’s also a reflection of your brand. Creating the trade show display of your dreams means choosing the right company to help make those dreams a reality.

Nimlok Kentucky is your full-service for custom displays, corporate branded interiors, and trade show exhibits. Some clients of note include Norton Healthcare, Delta Dental, Parker, and Sazerac. Put our experienced and creative team to work for you to make your next trade show a success.

Contact us to get started on your unique trade show and experiential design needs today.

As much as 35% of a company’s annual advertising budget is allocated to trade show expenditures. Planning an eye-catching trade show display can help you stand out from competing brands. You can start generating brand awareness, customers, and professional partnerships to grow your business.

Use these seven trade show display tips to plan a wow-worthy display this year. Applying these tips will ensure you make the most of your trade show budget.

Read on to learn more!

Understand Your Audience

You must first learn who your clients are and what they want before you can build an engaging experience for them. The value of knowing your audience and personalizing their experience is unmatched. This background information is necessary to make a successful design.

Being able to tailor the experience to event attendees will improve the popularity of your experiential displays. Researching your target audience will help you understand what they want from an experience. You’ll want to learn about their interests, attitudes, and habits so that you can personalize the experience to their preferences.

Using features such as lighting, sound, and touch, you can create an experience that engages them on several sensory levels. Do this to produce a memorable and compelling experience that generates buzz and drives sales.

Knowing your potential customer base increases your chances of creating a meaningful experience.

Tap Into All of the Senses

Multisensory encounters are beneficial because they engage several senses. This makes the experience more immersive and memorable. When numerous senses are engaged at the same time, a greater emotional connection with the experience is formed.

A more favorable and meaningful experience will help you retain the participant’s attention. The goal of experiential design is to engage clients on various sensory levels. This includes utilizing components like sound, scent, and touch in your displays and experiences to create a multi-sensory experience that immerses clients in your business.

Use Experiential Design at Festivals and Events

Our team does a lot of work on brand activations that showcase new ways to interact with customers. From product demonstrations to interactive displays, we have had great success drawing in a new client base at large events, such as the Kentucky Derby.

Allow event-goers to sample your products, take photos on branded backdrops, and make purchases in real-time. Investing in good experiential design will ensure your customers have a great experience, and help you grow your client base and boost brand visibility.

Make It Viral

Social media is a great tool for raising brand exposure and attracting new customers in today’s digital world. When you are planning an experiential element within an event, you need to think about how it will be shared online.

Not all sensory experiences are able to be shared online. Although virtual reality machines are great and draw in a crowd, there isn’t typically a photo or video that users can take away. Perhaps you want to build out photo booths or other elements that work in tandem with a VR station.

Nimlok Kentucky advocates building shareable and Instagram-able events. These events encourage people to share their experiences on social media, continuing your reach and impact.

Great visual murals are able to be photographed and shared. This is just one example of how to add experiential design into your space or next event.

Use Experiential Design to Attract More Customers

Nimlok Kentucky helps organizations in creating engaging and lasting experiences for their customers by adhering to experiential design standards.

Whether you’re planning a trade show display, a pop-up shop, or an interactive event, experiential graphics can help you attract more customers. Contact our team at Nimlok Kentucky, to make your brand stand out.

As much as 35% of a company’s annual advertising budget is allocated to trade show expenditures. Planning an eye-catching trade show display can help you stand out from competing brands. You can start generating brand awareness, customers, and professional partnerships to grow your business.

Use these seven trade show display tips to plan a wow-worthy display this year. Applying these tips will ensure you make the most of your trade show budget.

Read on to learn more!

1. Maintain Brand Consistency

It can take seven impressions for people to begin recognizing your brand. Gaining brand awareness and recognition will help you linger in someone’s mind. A distinct color could boost brand recognition by up to 80%.

When planning your custom trade show display, make sure to maintain brand consistency. Follow your company’s brand guidelines, which should include your:

• Values
• Mission statement
• Vision statement
• Voice
• Tone
• Personality
• Logo styles
• Imagery styles
• Font styles

Follow your guidelines when developing all marketing materials, including your trade show display. Otherwise, consumers might confuse your brand for another. You’ll fail to make an impression if your branding is lackluster or outdated, too.

Presenting your brand consistently across all marketing platforms (on and offline) can boost revenue by up to 23%.

Try to use your brand’s brightest color when preparing for your trade show. Bright colors can help you catch any passerby’s eye. You can also use bright colors to accentuate certain elements or messages within your display.

Avoid using one or two colors, which can make your display appear bland. Too many colors, on the other hand, can feel overwhelming. Instead, try using your:

• Primary color for 60% of the space
• Secondary color for 30% of the space
• An accent color for 10% of the space (important text, graphics, and elements)

When choosing colors for your trade show materials, consider your audience. Consider what each color signifies or what emotions they can trigger.

Tell Your Story

Your brand’s story can help you stand apart from competing businesses. It can also make your brand memorable. People will have an easier time associating your brand’s visual components (logo, colors, etc.) with a story.

Try to develop a story that encourages customers to take action. Consider:

• Why the founder created the company in the first place
• The problem they want to solve
• Why customers should trust you
• The experience/expertise you offer
• Why the company does what it does
• Why customers should choose your products/services

Find ways to conceptualize your brand’s reason for existing through an engaging visual story.

2. Focus on the Message

While applying these trade show display tips, try to keep one core theme in mind. Choosing a theme ahead of time can help ensure consistent messaging. Communicating too many messages at once, on the other hand, can overwhelm visitors.

Conflicting messages could affect your ability to generate leads and accomplish marketing goals.

Consider your unique selling proposition (USP) when communicating your message. Highlighting your USP can help your brand and booth stand out at a trade show. Make sure your USP distinguishes you from other brands.

Consider:

• The problem your customers face
• How you solve that problem better than competitors
• What makes your product unique

Focus on that core message when developing graphics for your booth and other print marketing materials.

Use Negative Space

Maximize your display space without cluttering the area. Putting too many elements within a tight space can overwhelm visitors. Using negative space to your advantage can help you draw the visitor’s gaze to specific elements.

Negative space will give your exhibit balance while creating a more visually appealing display. When preparing your booth, consider the proportions.

To avoid clutter, reserve about 40% of the area for empty space.

If your exhibit includes multiple demonstration zones, add more space between them to distinguish each area. Consider using contrasting colors to signify separate zones.

3. Incorporate Products

Incorporate your products throughout the display in fun, engaging ways to draw customers. Choose two or three different ways to showcase your products.

For example, you can create a real-to-life environment. A company that sells kitchen hardware might create a mini kitchen within their booth. Then, customers can test out the products while imagining themselves in their own homes.

Finding creative ways to incorporate your product throughout the booth will help you engage customers. Your products and brand will become more memorable, too.

4. Light It Right

Use different lighting techniques to enhance the visibility of your marketing materials and products. For example:

• Spotlights (for a dramatic effect)
• Hanging lights (to illuminate the booth)
• Accent lighting (to add texture to graphics)
• Backlighting (to create atmospheres and give a different touch to the space)
• Ambient lighting (to create depth or set a mood)
• Strobe and gobo lights (for visual effects)

Lighting can be subtle or dramatic based on your goals.

5. Stimulate Conversation

Design a meeting area that stimulates conversation with guests.

Choose unique furniture, portable tables, and display cases. Consider using illuminated LED furniture to help develop an aesthetic.

If you want to match the mood of a meeting area, use options you’d find in a boardroom. For a cozy environment and casual conversation, use laid-back furnishings.

6. Plan Interactive Activities

Hosting interactive product demonstrations can help you draw and keep a visitor’s attention. As you draw more visitors, you’ll generate more leads.

Make sure your display booth shows and tells people about your product. Allow people to try out your product to spark interest.

For example, perhaps you sell a soda maker. Allow guests to create their own, customized drinks. Use branded disposable cups with your logo on them.

As your exhibit guests walk around, others will see your logo. They might decide to visit your exhibit as a result!

7. Hire Professionals

If you’re struggling to apply these trade show display tips on your own, hire a professional team. Working with an experienced agency can save you valuable time and money. You can leverage their experience and expertise to make more informed decisions regarding your display.

Look for a company that offers trade show and experiential design services to ensure you stand apart from competitors.

Create an Eye-Catching Trade Show Display Today

Creating a unique trade show display can help you accomplish your marketing goals with ease. You can make the most of your budget as you generate more leads. Customize your next display using these seven simple tips today!

Want to start working on your custom trade show display with an experienced team? We’re pumped to help!

Contact us today to get started.

Here’s what you need to know about engaging in experiential projects.

Stories are what connect your brand to your customers and your employees. A good story will enable your customers to gain knowledge about your company through visual engagement or experiential graphics. At Nimlok Kentucky, we are expert storytellers. We will take your space and turn it into a visual voice through graphics, production, and installation to create a memorable experience for anyone that interacts with your brand.

Experiential design delivers a message, and it shapes the way your brand is perceived. Experiential graphics can educate, entertain, and delight! Sounds great, right, but you might be wondering how to get started on a project like this. We know it can be overwhelming. Luckily for you, we’re the experts! Let us walk you through how you might best use experiential graphics or your business needs, and you may even discover some projects you didn’t even realize you needed! We’ll tell you about the benefits of using experiential graphics, and we’ll share some best practices.

What Are Experiential Projects?

Experiential graphics are so many things! It’s any project that evokes emotion from your customers and/or employees. These projects make branding more fun and memorable. They use big, bold, custom designs to help you look professional and stand out from the crowd. They create excitement, provide information, educate, or recognize individuals. Simply stated, experiential graphics create moments for those that interact with them, whether that’s from a history wall in your lobby or an Instagrammable moment at your event.

Benefits of Experiential Projects

Wondering why you should invest in experiential graphics? There are many advantages to using experiential graphics to elevate your branding. Here are some of the most exciting:

Increased Brand Awareness

You can make an impactful, long-lasting impression on customers with experiential projects. That will help improve your brand awareness.

It will help customers associate a fun and memorable experience with your product, service, or project display. When done right, customers will want to learn more about you and reach out to your business.

Enhancing the Customer Experience

Immersing visitors in a unique and engaging environment can create an unforgettable experience for your customers, boosting engagement with your brand.

Creating a shareable moment will increase your word-of-mouth referrals and keep your brand top of mind. Customers will remember that “cool thing” they saw and tell others about it!

Build Lasting Relationships

Experiential projects will give you the opportunity to create deeper and more meaningful interactions with prospects, as well as customers, building a stronger relationship. When people feel connected with a brand or experience, they are more loyal customers.

How to Use Experiential Projects

Now that you understand the benefits, you’re probably wondering how to use them in your office or reception space. Here are some ideas:

Corporate Branded Interiors

Spaces within your company walls can be highly motivating, encouraging, and informational. Share your company history and important events with a History Wall or Timeline. You can quickly and easily highlight your proudest accomplishments and where your company is headed in the future. Or engage and educate your employees, customers, and potential employees with your core values and mission statement.

Recognition and Team Spirit

Donor walls and Athletic recognition bring a sense of pride and team spirit to spaces. From school hallways and common areas to team locker rooms, create an environment that will get people excited, and in the moment.

Events and Venues

Capture memories and create a buzz with an Instagrammable backwall! Or make a unique branded display more memorable by allowing guests to take photos and share them online with friends.

Setting up an interactive photo booth with an Instagrammable background is a creative, fun way to make your brand shareable. Need a 10’ backlit, dimensional horseshoe? We’ve already done it! Some of our favorite projects have started with a napkin sketch and someone saying “wouldn’t it be cool if…”

Tips for Making the Most of an Experiential Project

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your experiential project.

• Plan ahead, custom projects don’t happen overnight
• Know your budget, even a range will help us deliver the best available options
• Research first so you know what your customers value
• Schedule an event to show off your finished project and encourage sharing

Experiential Projects: Invaluable Business Opportunities

Experiential projects offer businesses a chance to create a unique and unforgettable experience for their employees or customers. It’s the perfect way for your brand to stand out.

Perfecting your experiential project takes planning and creativity. But it’s worth the effort. Adding an experiential design project doesn’t have to be complicated, explore our seven-step guide to designing and installing your vision for experiential design so you can see how easy it is.

Don’t forget to browse our experiential gallery. We have the experience to help turn your ideas into reality and make you stand out.

BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE.

You have a BIG idea for a space in your offices, or an upcoming event, but it’s overwhelming to think about how to get it done. No worries, with our 7 step guide to designing and installing Experiential Graphics we’ll walk you step-by-step how to bring your idea to life. We specialize in big, bold branding. Timelines and history walls, dimensional wall graphics, signage and Instagrammable moments, we can help you stand out and tell your most important stories. Some of our favorite projects have started with a napkin sketch and “wouldn’t it be cool if…”

Let’s talk about your vision and let us do the rest!