“Everything starts with design”

The Insider's Guideto Booth Design

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“Everything starts with design”. Designing a tradeshow booth can be a daunting task, and perhaps

counter-intuitively, one that that often gets put on the backburner until the very last minute.

However, in taking this approach, you may be missing a key chance to fully integrate sales,

relationship and brand building opportunities at trade events. In addition, putting off booth

design may actually increase the total cost of a trade show.

Designers who are experts in spatial branding and business-conducive environments, can create a

space that immediately conveys your brand message and ultimately results in a successful show.

Working with a professional design team pays off in implementing your event objectives and your

company’s vision. It can also go a long way toward helping you meet your tradeshow budget.

After all, as virtually every business person knows, last minute changes always cost more than

those given sufficient lead-time.

Good booth design, even with a professional team, doesn't just happen, however. Like everything

from product development to marketing, success is in the process and everything starts with

design. Finding a good design team and trusted trade show expert is a good first step, but

contributing positively to the design process is a close second.

This guide offers advice from the designer’s perspective that will ultimately improve the design

process and result in a better, more profitable show experience.

"Good booth

design, even with a

professional team,

doesn't just happen.

Like everything from

product development

to marketing, success

is in the process and

everything starts

with design."

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Getting StartedKnowing where and when to begin the process is essential to its success. Any design process

works best when good briefings and a realistic time line combine to give designers the time and

information needed to create an effective end product.

The trade show booth design process is really no different. Engaging a designer in early in the

process can help you make certain that your branding objectives, messages, traffic flow and

product presentations all fit your vision and budget. The design of your trade show exhibit is the

vehicle that will help drive event success.

"While we can produce and build a design in a number of weeks, a longer timeline allows for

enough input to fully understand a company's goals and personality," says Donald O'Roark, a

senior designer at The Rogers Company. "We can also better anticipate opportunities and prob-

lems and adjust according. It just gives clients more options."

“Engaging a designer

early in the process

can help you make

certain that your

branding objectives,

messages, tra�c �ow

and product

presentations all �t

your vision and

budget."

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Bringing in a booth design team early in the process can help determine everything from the

space that you need to how best to display your products or services. The information that you

provide helps ensure that the design will ultimately help you achieve your goals for a show.

Starting early in the process allows you and your design team the time needed to really think

things through, play with traffic flow, try different concepts, fine tune the messages and, most

importantly, brand your space.

"Although it's sometimes difficult, it's ideal to talk to a design team before a booth space is

chosen," says Sukki Jahnke, an account executive at The Rogers Company. "A design team can talk

to you about what you want to achieve and make recommendations on booth space or position

that's more informed and effective."

"A design team can talk

to you about what you

want to achieve and

make recommenda-

tions on booth space or

position that's more

informed and e�ec-

tive."

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Another important element to bring to the table is branding guidelines. This is valuable in saving

time at later stages but also ensures that designers are building your booth to continue the story

of your company and not clashing with it. Along the same lines, it is helpful, if possible to bring a

design team to company headquarters. This helps to determine the company's personality in

everything from architecture to office atmosphere. It also is essential in determining the size and

nature of products to be displayed at a show.

Your show goals are another key element to beginning the design process. For every company,

product category, and industry, this will be different. Are you launching a new product and using

the show to create awareness of the product? Is it a selling show or are you there primarily to

collect leads? Is branding your most important goal, or are you there to to further build

relationships with key customers? How much business is done at a booth as opposed to casual

contact? Will sales people have long extended conversations or short chats? These questions

and their answers are important to creating the right environment for a successful show.

Design teams will take this basic information and come back with design concepts including

graphic placement, lighting and product presentation. Many times clients know what they’d like

but can’t visualize it. It’s only by seeing initial concepts that things start to coalesce and make

sense. The feedback you provide from the initial designs is crucial to creating a final design that’s

a winner.

" Many times clients

know what they’d like

but can’t visualize it.

It’s only by seeing

initial concepts that

things start to

coalesce and make

sense. "

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Evaluating Design Elements The presentation of design ideas is a critical step in creating a booth. This is where an exchange of

ideas and opinions shapes the look of the final design. Design teams have experience translating

an image on paper to the actual booth and can help guide you during this evaluation.

Lighting, for example, is an underestimated design element that can be difficult to visualize and is

therefore sometimes overlooked in the design criteria. Utilized correctly, lighting can draw atten-

tion to products, logos, and signage and it can also be used to created dynamic design elements

such as a subtle change in color or create a glowing effect with fabric elements. Lighting does

cost money. However, by using high impact lighting, companies can potentially save money in

both shipping costs given that lighting tends to create more out of less and set-up costs since

lighting should take less time to setup than walls and other physical elements. Consider some

amount of lighting when evaluating designs – the extra cost will pay off in making your brand

pop on the show floor.

" Lighting is an

underestimated

design element that

can be di�cult to

visualize and is there-

fore sometimes over-

looked in the design

criteria. "

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Another often underestimated design element is the one you don't see. Empty space in a

booth is often as important as the walls, furniture, and seating. An open booth environment

helps to create an open feeling that invites people inside. Moreover, open spaces keep people

from feeling "fenced in". Also, what may appear to be vast empty spaces on paper, could

actually be necessary for good traffic flow, meeting areas and visual accessibility to product

displays or live presentations.

"Typically, people need 4 to 5 feet of space to comfortably pass each other," says Paul Jablonski,

a senior project manager at The Rogers Company. "Filling up space or tightening it to add

more products can sacrifice comfort and freedom of movement. That can mean fewer people

coming into a booth and spending less time there because they're uncomfortable."

In addition to these practical considerations, space can often be a dramatic design element in

and of itself. Displaying an overabundance products or literature can have the effect of

cluttering a space and creating a visually less dramatic space from the aisle.

But rules about space are made to be broken. An open booth design isn't always appropriate.

When product design needs to be carefully protected, for example, a booth with hidden 'inside'

elements or a completely “walled” perimeter protects intellectual property and can also create

intrigue which is another draw to the booth. An enclosed booth space can also present great

opportunities for dynamic branding, which can be accomplished in a cost effective manner

using fabric walls, powerful graphics and lighting.

" What may appear to

be vast empty spaces

on paper, could

actually be necessary

for good tra�c �ow,

meeting areas and

visual accessibility to

product displays or

live presentations."

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Moving outside the branding box is another step that can help create a more effective booth

design. Design standards and color schemes are important, but building on these themes

rather than using only corporate colors can greatly enhance the look and feel of your booth.

Designers often choose colors that complement corporate colors and even add artistic touches

to create an environment that is inviting and one that reflects the excitement behind your

brand.

Booth signage and graphics is another arena that often requires a switch in thinking. While

product brochures may give the pertinent details of your product or service, they may not

always translate well into visual elements or graphics that must attract attention from 300 feet

away on a 300,000 square foot floor. And more is required than just a big hanging sign with

your company logo on it.

"It's much better to show a story rather than tell it," says Jahnke. "For example, customer

quotes and photographs can explain your message more quickly in a way that relates to show

attendees rather than facts and figures about your products. It's much better to express how

your product can benefit attendees in large signage."

"It's much better to

show a story rather

than tell it…"

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Integrating Design and Sta�When all is said and done, blending the booth design elements together with your sales team at

the show is essential. A booth staff that is informed about the booth's form and function will

ultimately be more comfortable in the space. A design team can provide vital clues into some of

the design’s functionality. For example, the layout and style of the booth may attract visitors into

your booth but having qualified staff in each section will help your team integrate with

functionality of the exhibit.

Designers may also give insight into how audiences will gather for presentations and where traffic

will flow afterward. For example, some booths have regularly scheduled presentations that will

gather an audience in waves. An audience area may be open to avoid "trapping" attendees inside,

but still guide them through to other areas of the booth. Great design doesn’t just draw people to

your booth, it helps extend the time they spend in it.

"Great design

doesn’t just draw

people to your

booth, it helps

extend the time

they spend in it."

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Smart Design – Smart BusinessBudgets are tight and tradeshows are certainly a large expenditure for many companies. But,

large or small, companies can benefit and realize a better ROI by getting involved early and often

with a skilled and proactive design team. The results can be significant: better branding, better

product display, ease of setup and dismantle, reduced weight and better overall impact. Informing

a design team of your marketing and trade show goals, strategies and branding initiatives will

help to create an exhibit that will be more than just a display but rather a “destination” point for

that show.

In the end, a smart design process isn't a luxury: it is simply a way of creating the most efficient

and effective business environment to achieve the goals of the company it represents. That's not

just smart design – it's also smart business.

" In the end, a smart

design process isn't a

luxury: it is simply a

way of creating the

most e�cient and

e�ective business

environment to

achieve the goals

of the company

it represents."

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About RogersFor over 65 years The Rogers Company has been an award winning designer and manufacturer of

branded environments for tradeshow exhibits, corporate events, lobbies, showrooms and retail

environments - essentially any place where communicating your brand is vital. In addition to its

3D marketing services The Rogers Company is also a full service trade show and event implemen-

tation partner providing turnkey services and support for its corporate clients throughout the

country.

With its complete design staff, skilled craftsmen and construction facilities, Rogers can custom

build a wide range of branded environments to suit any need. Through its strategic partner

network the company also provides a wide range of portable and modular display solutions,

support and logistics for international tradeshows and an extensive rental inventory of both

custom and portable display products

Additionally through its strategic partner network, Rogers provides Eventelligence™, a technology

infrastructure service for event registration, event mapping and way-finding systems, lead

retrieval, lead tracking, fulfillment services and various RFID solutions for focused tradeshows and

events.

For more information on The Rogers Company please visit www.therogersco.com

or call us at 1-800-544-3880.