Benefits Of A Meeting Area On Your Next Exhibition Stand

A booth with a table and chairs in front of a white wall.

If you’re investing in a large exhibition stand, your stand design needs to incorporate a space that will be suitable for meetings. This could either be a partitioned area or even a room, or just somewhere with seating and possibly a table as well. However, you need to be careful about where you place your meeting space. If it’s situated at the front of your stand, the furniture can act as a physical barrier that will subconsciously put people off getting close to find out more. There are a number of reasons why providing a formal or informal meeting area on your stand will be beneficial.

It looks like you mean business

You’re at the exhibition or trade show in order to do business, so why not show that’s your intention by having a dedicated area in which to conduct it? It will demonstrate to decision makers visiting the show that your staff are the right people to speak to and will make them more likely to stop and talk, or make an appointment to come back at a better time.

It’s quieter

Exhibition halls are very noisy! They’re generally housed in large buildings with high ceilings which, combined with the thousands of people milling around and talking business, can create quite a din. If you can create a space that’s slightly away from the crowds, soundproofed by furniture and partitions, you’ll have more of a haven in which to talk properly. And your potential client will appreciate it.

It offers privacy

When you’re talking to prospects, both of you will value the privacy a meeting area provides. It’s highly likely that many of your competitors will be attending the same show, so if you’re talking with someone while you’re standing in a crowd of people, you never know who might overhear your conversation. By providing an area in which to talk more privately, you can be confident that your meeting will remain confidential.

 

Comfort

The one thing you can guarantee about trade shows and exhibitions is that they’re tiring! If you’ve provided a meeting area where visitors can sit down and take the weight off their feet, your potential clients will really appreciate it! They’re much more likely to listen to what you’re saying rather than thinking about how much their feet hurt or how much they’re looking forward to their next cup of tea. So make sure they’re comfortable and also offer them something to drink.
 

It looks good

Having a meeting area will make your stand look more attractive. The danger with exhibition stands is that you try to make them do too much, and they could end up looking cluttered. Having a meeting area that only has chairs and possibly a small table will help it look more spacious and business-like, reflecting well on your brand. If you’d like to see how other companies have integrated meeting spaces into their exhibition stands, have a look through our gallery.

How To Incentivise Trade Show Staff

A group of people standing in front of a booth.
When you’re exhibiting at a trade show, you need to make every second count. You will be competing for attention against dozens of rival companies, and even if you’ve created an amazing exhibition stand that’s brought people over to have a look, your staff still need to engage potential customers or you’ll have wasted your investment. You must know from walking around trade shows yourself how unwelcoming stands can feel when there are bored members of staff sitting at the back hunched over their phones or a couple of people gossiping rather than engaging visitors. Even the glossiest of leaflets or best promotional gifts are likely to remain untouched on the table in front of them. You’re much more drawn to stands where staff are smiling and making eye contact, which is why it’s so important to keep your team incentivised to engage with delegates and maximise the opportunities. We’ve put together a few handy tips:

Prizes

Utilise the spirit of competition by offering a prize as an incentive to any member of the team who reaches a certain target, such as making the most sales, engaging with the most people or securing the hottest lead. As long as you have a way of tracking their success, you can encourage them to do better. The incentives on offer don’t even have to cost your company a huge amount of money. It may well be that the promise of, say, a day off work or a Monday morning lie-in is more appealing to busy members of staff than a cash bonus or expensive gift.

Relaxation

Being ‘on duty’ at trade shows can be physically as well as mentally tiring, so helping your team relax during the day will give them the opportunity to stretch out tired muscles and return feeling re-energised. Look out to see if there is a company at the show offering chair massages – if so, hire them to massage your team. Alternatively, see if there’s a mobile massage therapist in the local area and get them to come in to give treatments. If your trade show is being held over a few days and requires overnight stays, then help your team relax in the evening with activities that aren’t just eating in the hotel restaurant and drinking in the hotel bar. If there is an escape room experience nearby, for instance, it could be a fun way for everyone to let off steam. Check out the area for comedy clubs too – after a night of belly laughing (hopefully), they’ll be much more relaxed and raring to go on the stand the next day.

Keep the energy levels up in the down times

There are inevitably going to be times during the trade show when things slow down (usually just after lunch) and there are fewer delegates around. These are the times when you need to introduce a bit of fun in to proceedings to help raise the energy levels in your team. In turn, this will have a positive knock-on effect on any delegates who turn up for a chat. So the afternoon slump is a good time to offer spot prizes to encourage the team to go out and talk to people and hopefully turn low energy into great leads!

A great exhibition stand!

Well we would say that wouldn’t we, but surroundings do affect how people feel, so if you want to incentivise your staff to do well, design an innovative stand they’ll be happy to call ‘home’ for the duration of the show. Contact us to find out more.

Top Tips For Exhibiting Abroad

Large "I amsterdam" sign outside, with buildings and cloudy sky in the background.
The world as we know it is getting smaller and smaller. Not literally of course, but these days we are able to reach and communicate with global audiences much quicker and easier than we could ever before. There are less barriers and that means, if your product or service has universal appeal, the world really is your oyster. Lots of companies with customers further afield, be it across Europe, the States, Asia or the Middle East, choose to exhibit in world fairs to make direct contact with their target audiences. We’ve helped clients pitch up at exhibition halls all over the world, from Cannes to California, Denmark to Dubai, and there are huge benefits in doing so. You get a far better understanding of a foreign market if you’ve got sales troops on the ground in that country; and knowing your market is everything. But making the decision to exhibit abroad is easier said than done. It can be expensive and there’s lots to consider; far more than if you were exhibiting here in the UK. With over 40 years’ experience travelling the world with our clients; we’ve learned some handy tricks along the way. Here are our top five tips for when exhibiting at world fairs; we hope you find them useful…

1. Adapt

One size certainly does not fit all. What works for you in one country may not work in another. You have to research and know your market inside out and adapt your exhibition stand and marketing material to suit. The Brits are a funny bunch, a rare breed if you will. Just because you’ve had a cracking show in London, doesn’t mean you can rock up to a European trade show in Berlin or Brussels with the same stand and same giveaways and reap the same success. For example, certain colours mean different things in different countries. The Irish see green as a symbol of luck, however, in China, green should be used with caution as it symbolised unfaithfulness (for a man who wears a green hat in China is said to have a cheating wife). You don’t want to cause any offence while you’re there or put people off your product – you want them to flock to your stand and love what you’re selling. Do your research and be confident your presence will stand out for all the right reasons.

2. Plan Ahead

It goes without saying that organising an exhibition outside of the country is going to require more thought and planning. Do not underestimate the time it will take to complete adequate research, decide whether you will stick with a UK exhibition contractor or source one in the country of the show and sort all of the extra bookings, not to mention design a stand perfect for that particular market and get it there, wherever it may be, on time. Be sure to book your hotel rooms early as not to miss out. During the build up and duration of any trade show, hotels close to the venue are likely to get booked up quickly. Don’t leave it to the last minute – you don’t want to be staying miles away from the exhibition hall; you want to be able to take a leisurely stroll with a coffee in hand, or short taxi ride. Less stress, more success. The same goes for flights. The earlier the better. The sooner you book, the cheaper they’ll be too. And allow extra travel time for your goods and team to arrive safely. The further you’re travelling the more chance there is of encountering delays. Could be a cancelled ferry crossing or problems with the Euro Tunnel – give your stand and your team some wriggle room. Don’t be late to your own party because the show will go on, with or without you.

3. Know Your Surroundings

Don’t be so naïve to think that because you’ve organised a dozen successful shows in the UK, that exhibiting abroad will be a breeze. You need to fully submerge yourself in the country and culture you’ve chosen to ascend on. What is the currency? What is the time difference? What is the native language? Will you need to hire some interpreters to help out on the stand? On a more practical level, there will be different power requirements so make sure you bring adaptors if necessary!

4. Get Familiar With The Rules And Regulations

A slightly more mundane but oh so important point. Getting your head around health and safety requirements in UK can be mind-boggling so you can imagine how much thought and concentration will be needed to make sure you’re doing everything by the book in another country. For example, in some countries, certain materials are banned, and in America, you are required to use certain contractors for work carried out in the exhibition hall – you can’t just turn up with your own men. There can be lots of red tape. That’s not to say it won’t be worth it in the end – it could be game changing – you just need to be aware of these differences and make sure you’re playing by the rules. A good and experienced exhibition stand contractor will be familiar with the rules and regs in different countries and will have contacts abroad to make the experience less stressful. Where you can, put your trust in these experts.

5. Remember Your Passport

It sounds patronising but we’ve seen it happen on countless occasions. Make sure everyone travelling checks that their passports are valid (some countries require you to have a certain length of time remaining on a passport before it expires) and securely in their bags. With so much preparation and money spent on exhibiting abroad, you don’t want to hinder your chances of having the show of a lifetime because of a silly (and very easily-made) mistake. Gaffer tape it to your body if you need to, just don’t leave it on your bedside table!

We Came, We Saw, We Confexed

A group of people walking around a trade show.
If you read our last blog or was fortunate enough to have visited the show itself, you’ll know MxL had its very own exhibition stand at International Confex this year. The trade show, which is the place to network and find inspiration for anyone in the events industry, took place at London’s Olympia at the end of February. It was a big commitment for us, both financially and in terms of time, but boy was it worth it. First and foremost, we got to meet some amazing people. We had a real mix of visitors to the stand, from MDs and International Marketing Managers to Visual Merchandisers and Event Planners. It was great to get out of the office and put names to faces and hopefully help some of these people with future projects. So a sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to visit the stand and came and say hello, both fresh and familiar faces – it was a genuine pleasure to meet you all and I hope you gained a better feel and understanding for what we’re all about. We certainly enjoyed the experience. And while we’re dishing out thank-yous, we’d like to extend our gratitude to Mash Media, organisers of Confex 2019 who did a fantastic job of making our exhibition experience a very smooth and pleasant one and to all of our fellow exhibitors – we got to learn about so many interesting and exciting products and will definitely be making a few calls to extend our supplier list. To say the pressure was on for us is an understatement. We took the decision to put ourselves in the spotlight for a change, rather than our clients. It was imperative we got the look and feel of our stand right and that our presence at Confex reflected perfectly what MxL can offer. After careful (and sometimes heated) deliberation, we decided to opt for a truly unique stand design that showcased our capabilities. It was fresh, modern, eye-catching and incorporated lots of modern technology. Of course, it was characterised by our famous corporate colours: black and bright yellow and we hope visitors agree with us when we say it stood out in the exhibition hall. With the likelihood of exhibition design incorporating more and more technology in the future, we decided to use AV screens with funky moving imagery to grab attention and a collection of ipad displays to give visitors the opportunity to get interactive. It wasn’t all just about the look though; we know too well that an exhibition stand also has to be practical. That’s why we built in lots of handy storage to keep our brochures (a limited supply as we’re trying hard to help the environment and push our e-brochure at the moment) and giveaways (we chose eco-friendly Keep Cups this year). Now we can’t claim that is was the visual allure of our stand alone that got people to visit us, it may have had something to do with the sweet treats we were offering. The irresistible smell of warm popcorn was used to entice visitors (a perfectly fair tactic we’d definitely recommend and be using ourselves again in the future) but we hope it was the knowledge and experience of our team and the quality of our stand that people remember. To ensure we could follow-up properly with everyone after the show, we used a clever Handiscan device (provided by our neighbours at the show, Live buzz) that captured visitors’ data. It meant we could remain organised whilst getting caught up in the buzz of the event. We now look forward to catching up with anyone who was interested in hearing from us and hope we can help them out with any bespoke projects they have lined up. Confex certainly provided a super-charged start to the year (we were so busy we actually ran out of business cards!), now roll on 2019 and we hope to see even more of you at the show in 2020!

Five Top Tips To Maximise The Impact Of Your Exhibition Stand

A booth with plants and a tv.
When you take a stand at an exhibition or trade show, the idea is to reach as many potential buyers or suppliers as possible. Growing your business organically can be a slow process, so the idea of investing in an exhibition is to make more contacts in one or two days than you ever would in the normal course of events. And given that even the smaller exhibitions can attract hundreds of people, and the large ones can attract thousands, that’s a lot of potential business! Maximising your impact in order to get a much better return on your investment is key to your success, and that involves more than just making sure your best decision-makers and salespeople talk to as many people as possible at the event. Your exhibition stand is an important factor in the success of the event, which is why you need to make a big splash in order to stand out from the crowd. A unique, design-led stand not only attracts more footfall, but it also attracts the right people, making it more likely that you’ll get to talk to good prospects. Here are our Five Top Tips for planning a stand-out exhibition stand! Keep it simple In a sea of promotional goodies, leaflets and displays cramming as many products as possible onto shelves, a bright, minimalist, design-led stand can make a huge difference. Make it comfortable If you want people to linger long enough to hear everything you have to tell them, make yours a comfortable stand. Trudging around exhibitions and trade shows is very tiring and people will be grateful for the opportunity to take the weight off their feet for a while. Add lighting Clever lighting is always attractive and will make your stand even more eye-catching when used effectively to highlight displays Rise above the crowd Most exhibition halls have very tall ceilings, so why not try and get above the competition by raising the height of your stand. That way, you’re more likely to be visible to people as soon as they get into the hall and they can make a beeline for you! Bespoke 3D signs We can make all sorts of 3D signs in all kinds of shapes and patterns with our CNC cutting tools, ensuring a huge brand impact. Check out our video on our CNC routing service to see how it works and what it can do. Contact us to find out how we can help you by designing, building and installing your exhibition stand so you make maximum impact!

LATEST VIDEO: MxL Design And Build Of Bespoke Exhibition Stand

A trade show booth with a red and white color scheme.

MxL recently installed a bespoke exhibition stand for Virgin Incentives at Employee Benefits Live.  From the initial creative design through to the complete install, we took care of the whole process.

Watch our video here:

Do you require a new bespoke exhibition stand design for your next event?  Feel free to get in touch with us on 01992 642 642 or email info@mxlltd.evmk.dev

How To Attract Visitors To Your Stand

Exhibition booth with colorful decorations, posters, and a grassy area.
If you’ve ever been to an exhibition or trade show as a visitor, you’ll know how confusing it can seem when you first walk into the hall. On arrival, you’re greeted by row upon row of exhibition stands, posters, pop-up banners and people – so many people! – all vying for your attention. If you decided to visit the show just to see what’s around and find out about any new products or services you might be interested in, it’s really difficult to know where to begin because there’s too much choice. So you wander around the hall seeing if anything catches your attention. If you put yourself in the position of a visitor to the exhibition or trade show, it’s much easier to see why you need to do something that’ll attract their attention. You’ve probably got meetings booked with leads you’ve already found, but the main purpose of investing so much time and effort into exhibiting is to introduce your brand to an entirely new audience. There are a number of tried and tested ways to attract people to your stand, whatever your budget: Gimmicks – many companies have something on their stand that they know will appeal to people on a personal level, from an intelligent robot engaging them in conversation to games, competitions, free cupcakes, and branded sweets. Freebies – you could try giving branded promotional goodies to anyone who visits the stand – hopefully, they’ll take them back to the office and use them in some way, ensuring your brand and website details are in front of them for some time to come. A good idea is to have two levels of freebie – more cost-effective ones that can be handed out to whoever wants them, and a few more expensive goodies to give to potential leads after you’ve had a chance to talk to them and assess their level of interest. Talks and presentations – every exhibition and every trade show will have a central stage area where organisers invite guest speakers to talk about their area of expertise. It is a great way to create leads, so contact the organisers to offer yourself or a senior member of your staff to speak at one of their programmes. Product launches – trade shows are the perfect opportunity to launch new products and services. In addition to showcasing them at the show, why not organise a special launch party and invite clients and leads to join you. Be prepared to make a short speech and hand round a few glasses of wine or fizz and maybe a few canapés to encourage people to come along and stay to find out more. Create an outstanding stand – if you have the budget, create a bespoke exhibition stand that will clearly signpost your presence and draw much more attention from potential leads. You need to design it so it will attract leads. Any decision makers at the exhibition looking for new suppliers, or customers looking for a good deal. If you would like to create an exhibition stand that will attract the right kind of visitors to generate quality leads for your business, contact us to find out how we can help.

Exhibition Stand Design Trends 2019

Ucc is one of .
Attracting people to your stand at exhibitions has always been something you have to work at. Exhibitions and trade shows are hugely competitive and many attract thousands of visitors. Companies that take a small, generic stand and just turn up on the day are far less likely to draw attention than a business that has invested time and money, both in publicising its attendance in advance and by creating an eye-catching stand that’ll attract passing traffic at the event itself. With all the time and money a business needs to invest to ensure that its a success at an exhibition or trade show, it’s no surprise that companies are willing to try out new ways to attract maximum attention. Here are some of the latest exhibition trends we think will be effective in 2019. Virtual Reality (VR) If you’re marketing a product that’s too big to bring to an exhibition, or if you’d like to give potential customers an immersive experience that’ll be fun or encourage an emotional connection with your brand, VR is the way forward! However, if you are going to use VR, make sure you provide people with a safe space, so they don’t feel like they’re going to trip over anything or bump into people while they’re absorbed in your virtual world! Selfie opportunities Do you have an unusual or a fun product? Why not create a space or artwork on your stand that will attract people who want to take selfies? The more imaginative the better as it’ll result in lots of photos being posted on social media, thereby generating much greater brand awareness. Unusual materials There’s no reason why an exhibition stand has to be made from normal panels. You can be as creative as you like, whether you want to go eco by using recycled materials, go rustic with raw wood effect, or go loud by creating your stand with graphic light boxes! A comfortable space Being a visitor at exhibitions and trade shows can be very tiring. There’s a lot of walking and talking to be done and if you’re talking to a prospect you’ve got to bear in mind that they may be focusing more on their sore feet, aching back or the need for a nice cuppa than they are on your sales pitch. So give them somewhere comfortable to sit while you chat; not only will they be more likely to pay attention to you, they’ll also be happier to talk for longer, making it more likely they’ll place an order.   If you are exhibiting in 2019 and would like to stand out from the crowd, talk to us about how we can design and build a stand for your company that does just that.

Why Visit MxL At Confex 2019?

A large convention hall with many people in it.
If you’re in the events industry, chances are you know all about Confex …and if you don’t, you need to! It’s the UK’s largest trade show for event professionals, service providers, thought leaders and buyers; a place to generate business, be inspired and connect with industry peers from across the country. Whether you’re responsible for organising events, exhibitions, conferences, meetings or product launches, Confex is the place to be and be seen. The next one will be held at London’s Olympia between 26th and 27th February. It’s an event we always visit but this year, we’ll be attending with a stand of our own to showcase our talents.  More information on this exhibition can be found here… If you’ve already got your tickets or you’re debating whether to put it in the diary, here are a few reasons why you should come and see us on stand L15C.  

Meet Our Friendly Staff

Sure, we’re always at the other end of the telephone or computer but there’s nothing quite like a face-to-face chat. For the duration of the show, MxL’s team will be out in force, representing the business on the stand. Our Directors, Project Managers and Designers will be at your beck and call, ready and eager to discuss your next exciting project. Come and pick their brains, test their knowledge and put a face to a name.  

Talk Shop With The Experts

There’s no denying it’s an enjoyable day out but let’s face it, you’ll be there to talk business. You want to know what these exhibitors can do for you; what they can bring to your next event. Well this is the perfect opportunity to discuss your next bespoke project with us, be it an exhibition, road show, conference or retail display. Even if you need some promotional merchandise for an upcoming event, we can help. Give us your brief there and then and we’ll do our best to accommodate. Events are our passion and we love nothing more than working with our clients to make their visions a reality. If you’re stuck for ideas, concerned about budgets or aren’t quite sure if you can achieve what you want with the space you’ve got, talk to us. When it comes to exhibitions and events, we really do know best so feel free to ask for a sit-down with one of our team and we’ll be happy to assist, and hopefully inspire.  

View Our Past Projects

If you come and visit our stand, you’ll be able to see some of the projects we’ve been working hard on. From high-tech exhibition stands to travelling road shows, we’ll be showcasing a plethora of projects, sure to wow. In this industry, it’s difficult to try before you buy, but this is the closest you’ll get to it. See for yourself what we’re capable of and if you’re impressed, talk to us about any projects or bespoke events you have in the pipe line – with absolutely no obligation.  

Check Our Quality

MxL prides itself on offering unparalleled quality but at Confex, you’ll be able to witness first-hand what kind of finish we offer our customers. Our stand has been dreamed up by our talented Designers and will be manufactured in-house by our team of experienced Carpenters, Painters and CNC operators. Get up-close up and personal – you’ll be sure to want the same magic touch sprinkled all over your next bespoke display.  

See What Else Confex Has To Offer

It’s the show for event organisers so if you’ve got something lined up, you won’t leave disappointed. The aisles will be brimming with all the suppliers you could possibly need for a successful event. From fancy venues and caterers to stand builders and photographers, take the opportunity to network and make connections. And when you need a break from trawling the stands, take a seat at one of the many seminars planned. You’ll hear from expert speakers on a range of topics so you’ll be inspired and armed with all the know-how when planning your next event.  

We Look Forward To Seeing You There!

LATEST VIDEO: MxL Event Build For Herbalife Nutrition

A group of people standing in front of a carnival booth.
MxL recently installed a bespoke event for Herbalife Nutrition that took place in Paris. All of the bespoke items were fun, unique and interactive for their enthusiastic visitors (and there were plenty of visitors at this event!). View our video here to see the overall process: Do you have a bespoke event coming up that you may need help with?  If so, make sure to visit our events page here and get in touch to discuss your requirements.