Key #1: “Seize the Moment”
Three to six seconds. That’s how long it takes for someone to walk past your booth. A well-designed booth will actually help attendees “pre-qualify” themselves by doing three essential things quickly: capture the attention of appropriate prospects, set the tone for future interactions, and signal to others not to stop.

Key #2: “Know What You Want”
Before design can begin, you must identify your goals for the show, establish what success will mean, select your target audience, and define your message or theme.

Is your primary goal increasing market share? Introducing new products? Extending product awareness? Does success mean exposure to the most people? Or just to those who match your best prospect profile?

Key #3: “Design With The End in Mind”
Everything in your booth must reflect the message you have chosen. Your theme could be about a product, your company’s profile, or a specific benefit to your clients.

Let’s say your theme is “Working With Us Is Like Taking A Vacation”. This will drive a number of decisions besides your graphical design - ranging from clothing to lighting to giveaways and even possibly the equipment in your booth. Develop a plan with your vendor based on your goals, target audience, type of show, and budget. It is far better to have one simple, well-developed theme than a hodge-podge of splashy effects.

Key #4: “Don’t Confuse Booth Design With Anything Else!”
Your booth is not a brochure. Don’t include too many details and don’t overdo fancy fonts or effects. It’s also not an advertisement. Don’t design to “sell” – trade shows are rarely about closing deals on the spot.

Your booth’s job is to start a dialog between you and appropriate prospects. Or to inform current customers about new ways you can serve them.

Key #5: “Look with Your Customer’s Eyes”
You need to understand how a display is “read” – much like a webpage – starting at the upper left and then across to the right and downwards in a Z-like fashion. Approaching prospects look for clues about whether to stop. Give them a “headline” in the top third of your display area, with your name, major brand, or tagline.

They will then look for product or service category and major benefits. Finally, they may want to see “trust indicators” such as industry credentials, a client list, or testimonials.

Keep all text and important pictures above the sight line, use photos recognizable at a distance, and size your lettering about an inch for every three feet it must be read.

Don’t use too many words, and better to use a few perfect photographs than too many. The best way to balance all these requirements is to use an artist experienced with large format design.

Use these keys to design your booth – and you will attract the right prospects to meet your show goals!