Six handy tips to maximise the life of your exhibition graphics

  It’s a known fact: you’ve got a mere matter of seconds to grab visitors’ attention at trade shows. You may wonder, as you study the plans for your chosen exhibition, what the best attention-grabbing method could possibly be?

The answer is simple.  Invest in a stand that features one of the highest-impact components available.  In short, we’re talking about graphics.

We know from experience that exhibition stand graphics matter. A lot.

Correctly displayed and bespoke-designed to reflect your brand at its best, your graphics are guaranteed to work extremely hard at your event, generating mesmerising impact that will see you stand out amongst your competitors for all the right reasons.

So it goes to follow that scrimped investment in poor quality, lazy graphics won’t cut the mustard – which is something we’re sure you already know.  That’s why you did the right thing and commissioned a designer, decided on a key brand message and then, voila!  You’re in proud possession of a set of compelling graphics that attract interest every time they’re used.

Congratulations on getting those graphic panels just right.  Now you need to focus on taking proper care of them. 

In doing so, not only will you protect and maximise your hard-earned investment by removing the need for regular replacements…but if you take good care of your graphics, your graphics will take care of you (cheesy maybe, but also very true!)

So how exactly do you take good care of those graphics? 

1. Roll with care

Always roll flexible panels with the graphics facing outwards.  Why?  If you do this often enough, the panels will develop a ‘memory’ that will pull them naturally onto your stand frame. 

If you roll the panels with the graphics facing inwards, the opposite will happen.  The panels will do everything they can to avoid the frame, and your graphics won’t attach properly.

2. Avoid footprints

Place your graphics directly onto your stand frame the moment they’re taken out of their case.  Not laying them out on a potentially dirty floor first will keep them clean – and avoid said footprints!

3. Roll with care – Part Two! 

When it comes to packing your panels away, roll each one individually, placing them inside one another in your storage case. 

Yes, it’s probably quicker to lay them all out and roll them up together, but you’ll save more time by not having to separate them later on.

4. Remove your graphic panels in an orderly fashion. 

Reverse order, to be precise.  Doing this will mean that when you use those graphics again, they’ll be nicely packed in the right order for you to re-attach quickly and easily.

5. Keep your graphics clean!

An obvious tip, but one we’ve witnessed many companies ignoring. 

The graphic panels we produce here at Guardian Exhibition & Display are laminated, meaning there’s no excuse not to keep them clean when it’s such a quick and easy task. 

A handy pack of baby wipes or some glass cleaner will do the job perfectly – and while we’re on the subject of cleanliness, don’t cover your expensive display in Blu-Tack or Post-It notes!

6. Case in point

Keep your graphics safely stored inside their case between events.  If you have different panels for different shows, labelling the cases will save you time (not to mention potential embarrassment!)

So there you have it.  Mostly effortless methods to keep those graphics working as hard as you do at your next event – and beyond!

Can we help you with anything graphic-related?  From initial consultation to illustrations, 3D-visualisation and final design, we’re on hand to make your exhibiting life that much easier.  Contact us (here).

Sales mistakes made on stand: Are you guilty?

 Do you want to lose potential clients, miss out on opportunities for leads, or be generally thought of as a company that’s bad to do business with?

Thought not!  Although we have to admit, judging by some of the sales mistakes our team have witnessed at exhibitions over the years, you could be forgiven for thinking those were the direct objectives for some exhibitors.

We all know how great an opportunity exhibiting your brand at a trade event can be.  After all, how many chances would you usually get to promote your company to such a large audience of industry insiders, experts and prospects, all under one roof?

To help you make the most of this amazing opportunity, we’ve decided to tell all about some of the worst mistakes we’ve seen salespeople make at exhibitions, so you’ll know exactly what to avoid.

(Brace yourself – some of these are pretty shocking!)

Casting judgement

People judge people.  It’s instinct.  But when you’re exhibiting your business and meeting countless new people, it’s important to treat everybody with the same level of friendliness and respect.

This means not staring at name badges as people walk past, trying to work out who you should be spending your precious time chatting to.  Not only is this rude (people will always know you’re doing it, however subtle you try to be), but job titles are often deceptive – or perhaps even completely made up in some cases! – so you could be missing out on key business.

Not being welcoming

We’re not saying you need to grin inanely at everybody who walks past your stand.  But do smile, and do try to engage people who look interested in what you do, so they don’t go and talk to your competitors instead.  It’s that simple.

Texting, reading or eating on the stand

We know: who actually does this?  Unfortunately, quite a few people we’ve seen!

It should go without saying that anything that takes attention away from the people around you is a genuine waste of valuable exhibition time (would you want to approach someone staring down at their phone, or engrossed in the latest Dan Brown?)

If you need a break, take one – just take it well away from your stand.

Drinking too much the night before

If you’re staying away for an exhibition, the temptation to have a few drinks in the hotel on the night before can be overwhelmingly strong. 

Resist!  You’ll look, feel and smell terrible – and unless your ideal client is Rab C. Nesbitt, that combination isn’t something you’ll want your brand to be remembered for.

Breaking down the stand too early

It can be so tempting, can’t it?  The crowd is starting to thin out anyway, you’ll have an easy drive home if you miss the worst of the traffic, and after all it’s been a long week…

Don’t do it.  You never know when your best prospects might turn up, and in our experience there’s a certain kind of arrogance that goes with leaving your stand space empty, while people may still be interested in talking to you – and have often paid for the opportunity to do so.

(Here at Guardian Exhibition & Display, our friendly team are more than happy to pack up and break down your stand for you, meaning you may just be able to catch that early train after all!)

A great rule of thumb is to think of your stand as a formal client meeting space.  All the same rules apply – if you wouldn’t chew gum, turn up hungover, leave early or stare down at your phone in a formal meeting, don’t do it on your stand!

So by now we’re sure you know all the wrong ways to work that stand, but do you know the right ones?  Our team are only too happy to discuss all things exhibition-related, and we won’t even ask for your job title!  Get in touch with us (here).

Drum roll please…for our brand-new website launch!

Now that the clocks have gone back (we hope you enjoyed that extra hour!), we think all this cosy winter hibernation time is ideal for change and renewal. 

With this in mind, we are very proud to present our brand-new website!

We’ve always understood that every stand we are asked to create is as unique as the client themselves, which is why we’re able to showcase so many different examples of our work – along with plenty of information about the many products and services we offer, of course.

But we decided that wasn’t enough.  In redesigning our website, we wanted to take the opportunity to answer some of the most common questions we’re asked here at Guardian Exhibition & Display, and create an online hub that’s as user-friendly, helpful and informative as we are in person!

So, what exactly can you expect to find on our new site?

Well first, we hope you’ll enjoy the user-friendly layout that makes it incredibly simple for you to choose between different stand options. 

Baffled by all the choice on offer?  Our handy Stand Finder means all you need to do is enter your requirements into the home page, and we’ll instantly recommend the best stand for you.

Meanwhile, our brand-new shop makes buying a stylish portable stand even easier – but beware, with so much choice you could spend a good while browsing (just make sure that coffee mug is fully charged!)

Thought we were all about stands, stands and more stands?  Though we love nothing more than creating the perfect stand solution for your brand, our team has varied expertise that goes way beyond the exhibition hall.  Our dedicated Event Branding area proudly showcases our expertise in an area of event management that is becoming extremely sought-after.

We’ve been busy producing everything from event signage and window vinyls, to digital wallpaper and banners for some of the most prestigious events around.  Why not take a look, and find some inspiration for your next event?  After all, we know how hard the planning process is, and we know you won’t want to simply throw up a few posters on the walls and hope for the best.

We know…we know, all this talk about stand creation, dazzling displays and bringing brands to life.  If only we could actually show you more about how we work, and provide a little extra information at the same time!

Our new selection of product videos do exactly that.  We understand that setting up and breaking down stands can be complicated, and though we provide plenty of on-site expertise, we know that sometimes you’ll just want to get on with it yourself.   Our handy videos will explain more, and show you exactly how the pros do it!

And what if you wanted to know a little more about these display pros?  Our Meetthe Team page will give you the lowdown on who we are, what we do and how we’re qualified to help bring your brand to life – with a few extra fun facts thrown in! 

Hopefully, this means that by the time you get around to meeting us in person, you’ll already feel as though you exactly know who we are – and more importantly, how we’re able to help you.  Why not familiarise yourself with our stylish showroom, too?

If you still can’t get enough of our team (and we wouldn’t blame you for that!), why not come and follow us on social media?  Our Instagram account provides plenty of stand-spiration, while our Twitter feed is packed with event tips.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy browsing our new website.  We’d love to hear what you think…and if we haven’t already, we look forward to meeting you soon!