When we design trade fair stands, what is of primary importance to us is our customer’s trust. That they have the confidence to say: ”I want you to choose the colour of my stand so that it will attract the target group I have in mind,” rather than ”I want to have pink walls because I like pink”.
In the ideal situation, our customer would say something along the lines: ”Our target group is 10 to 12 year-old girls, and our product is the latest Barbie in the market”. Based on this brief, we can tell them that we will design a pink and glittery stand, because that is likely to be what best attracts their target group.
With this approach, the color of your stand will be decided through consideration of what will actually support your business, rather than be a display of someone’s individual preferences.
We have long experience in the trade fair industry, and we have gathered a considerable pool of knowledge of different target segments’ preferences around the world. We know that if we wish to attract Americans, we should use big constructions and massive logos. We know that red is the color of happiness and success in China, whereas white symbolizes death. We know that in Brazil it is a bad idea to have any stand constructions painted, because the paint will not be dry in time due to the hot and humid weather.
In addition, we know what kind of stairs should be constructed to your two-storey stand; what kind of lighting will bring out the best of your stand; and what the different print options will look like on your chosen wall surface. When our customer is willing to trust our expertise, we can use all of our background information and experience to guide the stand design work.
Mapping the customer’s needs and objectives is the first and, really, also the most important step when designing trade fair stands. For this reason, it is important to know how to ask the right questions – we do, and we definitely will.
This post has been originally posted in Finnish 25.8.2014. Translation by Annemari Kettunen.