Eight top tips

David Kelley’s top tips on creating a successful temporary exhibition stand

• Develop an overall exhibition strategy. Don't view exhibitions as a one-off or ad-hoc activity. They should be part of a definitive marketing strategy.
• Plan well ahead for each exhibition. Advance planning saves money. Some things require early booking, such as accommodation at major exhibitions and it will help you manage the exhibition more efficiently and effectively.
• Set measurable and realistic objectives. Set specific objectives across a range of factors and set in place a means of accurately measuring how successful the stand has been in meeting these objectives.
• Prepare a good brief. A poor or incomplete brief will usually elicit a poor design solution. Stick to the important points and be succinct.
• Work as a team with your chosen designer. It is rare that a designer will come up with the perfect solution from the initial brief alone. Choose your preferred designer and work with them towards the common goal.
• Develop an integrated marketing strategy. Use all available means to drive traffic to your stand. This might involve advertising, direct mail, e-circulars, PR, invitations, and other media.
• Learn from the experience. Try and incorporate the lessons learnt from an exhibition into your planning for the next.
• Don't cut corners. Exhibitions can be hard work and stressful. There is plenty of scope for things to go wrong. Mistakes on the exhibition floor are highly visible, not just to your competitors but to your target audience. Using reputable, professional designers and other contractors will go a long way towards eliminating risk.