Coming up with new unique ideas for trade booth designs can be difficult for both veterans and newcomers alike. Take it from us, there’s nothing more frustrating than staring at an old design not having any idea how to improve it. “Move this wall here, move that stage there. That won’t work!” Sometimes it takes a little more than time and deep thought.
In an attempt to curb the frustration, we put together a few tips to get your creative juices flowing so your next ideas end up being your best yet.
1. Often times the most crowded booths are the ones that are completely innovative and unique. They didn’t get that way by working within strict guidelines.
Write down any and all ideas that you have, no matter how outlandish you think that they are. Kick the editor that lives inside your brain out and ideas will start flowing.
2 Look at prior booth’s you have designed. What did you like the most or the least? Write these down, listing all the pros and cons. Examine mistakes you have made in the past and ways to fix them in an attempt to tunnel around your current creative block.
3. Scope out the competition. Look at what they did well and what they made a mess of. It’s sometimes hard to find time to wander during a busy show but keep this in mind when you stroll to the bathroom or for that 6th cup of coffee. If the shows over, hit their website or social media for past projects. Often creative inspiration and heavy motivation can be developed through your competitive drive to be the best.
4. Start from the ground up. A few basic graph paper sketches take very little time. If you are given certain parameters to follow as far as size, colors, logos to be used, etc. begin with a very basic booth design and work from there, adding to it as inspiration hits you.
5. Take a few minutes and look at other types of stages and sets. Do you love plays and movies? Take a look at how they are designed and how you could incorporate them into the booth you are designing.
Take a walk through the closest shopping mall and look at store windows. They are doing similar things; advertising and promotion along a theme in order to sell a product.
6. Consult with a professional. A trade booth design firm will have the expertise and a seemingly endless stream of ideas that will make your booth stand out from the crowd. Plus it will give you time to work on the parts of your business that you do best.
These are just 6 simple ideas to overcome trade show booth design mental blocks. There are tons more. What works well for one company could be completely wrong for another. Having experienced frustration from exhibitors trying to break the mold with their designs, we find bringing ideas back to the root of your brand is the perfect place to start over. From the ground up, that’s how trade shows exhibits are designed, built, managed and sustain success.
