How to Light Your Trade Show Exhibit (And Make It Stand Out)

The way you light your exhibit can push visitors away – or entice them to come take a closer look. Follow these display lighting tips and it will be the latter.

Nimlok Kentucky, Exhibit, Event & Trade Show Display Storage Warehouse

Are you a small business that is looking to have a display at a trade show? Are you looking for ways to make this stand out?

If you answered yes to these questions, this article is for you.

The competition in trade shows can be daunting for a small business. Because of this, businesses spend $24 billionon trade show displays.

Luckily, there are many opportunities for a small business to thrive at these. One way is to have stellar display lighting.

Do you want to know what types of lighting are good for these trade show exhibits? This guide discusses some of the biggest things that you need to keep in mind.

Consider Your Brand

The first thing you are going to need to think about is your brand. Do you have brand recognition? Is your logo a big part of your company’s identity?

Whether you answered yes or no to these questions, you could use this trade show to gain more brand recognition. Part of that is ensuring that whatever you display goes well with your company logo.

This is where lighting comes into play. You have a few options to make lighting work for your company logo.

The first option is using a backlit rotating header to light up the company logo itself. It can fulfill multiple purposes providing light for your display plus making people pay attention to your company logo.

Another option you have is to have a big banner with your company logo in the center of your display. Then, use a spotlight or an overhead light to make your logo sign bright.

If you want to get a little more creative, you can add some company colors to your lighting.

For example, let’s say your logo is known for being black and yellow. One thing you can do here is shine yellow lights onto your company logo. If yellow is the secondary color on your logo, this can help make the logo stand out more.

Think about how you want your logo to be displayed and how many lighting resources you want to dedicate to this.

Lighting Colors

Another thing you may want to think about is what color you want your lights to be. You have the option of getting a little more creative than the standard white color.

There are two things that you need to consider here. The first is how using a different color impacts the visibility of your display. For this, you will want to make sure that the colors do not clash.

For example, say that your display is mostly filled with things colored in black. In that situation, you will not want to have a darker color provide light to your display. So, avoid colors like gray and purple here and stick to colors that contrast with that better, such as white and yellow.

Then, you need to consider what you want people to feel when they see your trade show display. The reason for this is that studies have shown that certain colors bring out emotional reactions in people.

For example, the color blue is commonly known as a calm and peaceful color. Then, green is known for nature and the outdoors. Red is known for passion and love, while white is known as a more neutral color.

Depending on what you are trying to get out of your display, one of these colors may be perfect for it. The lighting can make this stand out even more and draw more emotional attention to that point.

For these reasons, it is vital to have a marketing strategy with lighting for displays.

Types of Lights

Finally, you need to consider what type of lighting you want to have. You may want to have some lights on your countertop to make it more noticeable from a distance. Or, you could want to have edge-lit graphics to make your displays appear more modern.

You may have a unique theme for your booth and go with something more specific. In that situation, you could attempt to have colorful lights surround your display to help people get into the theme.

If you really want your display to shine bright, you do have the option of using a spotlight. However, this is only recommended for larger displays and those that need to be seen from a further distance. This type of lighting is powerful so people could feel blinded if it is too close to the display.

For those with lower ceilings, having overhead lighting could be something that works for you. Then, those that have a display shaped like a table or a desk may use lighting that is the equivalent of a lamp. With that option, you can have lighting for that specific area but do not have to worry about getting in the way of other displays.

Getting Help With Display Lighting

These are some of the biggest things that you need to think about when it comes to display lighting. You need to think about what your brand is, what you stand for, and if enough people recognize your brand logo. If the goal is to get more brand recognition, use this as an opportunity to promote your brand logo.

Then, think about what colors you want your lights to be. Also, consider what emotional reaction you want from people and the types of lights you need.

To get inspired, take a look at our Display Solutions.