If you’ve ever attended a trade show, you must have thought to yourself that it seems like a lot of work to make an innovative exhibition stand. While it is true that exhibition stands have to look distinct to stand out, stand designers don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time they set out to build a stand.
There are common templates, which serve as a base for designers to flesh out their stand design ideas. These templates can be considered stand types, and they are common for any exhibition show in the world. The terminology differs but stand types in essence remains the same.
So why should an exhibitor bother to know about stand types. There is one simple reason, your budget. Your budget decides which types of stands you can afford. Other essential factors include your branding goal, the frequency of your show presence, location and floor space. These decide the usability of your exhibition stand design, which in turn decide the stand type that is most suitable for your show appearance.
Stand designers often provide hybrids and custom stand types. Each stand design company have their own variations, which they build. But they’re all based from the most commonly used stand types. Let’s look at them in detail.
These stand types are low-budget, low-effort option. Shell scheme stands are provided by trade show organisers. Its design looks like a basic row stand but with no option to customise in any way. Show organisers provide the wall panels, carpeting and a fascia, usually with the company’s name across the top. Rented out in 3x3 meter shell spaces, an exhibitor looking for more space can rent more than one shell space to have a 6x3 space. Why 6x3? This is because these shell spaces are attached to a single back wall which connects them, leading to a fixed floor height.
Bare space or raw space simply means that the exhibitor has rented a blank floor space for building their exhibition stand. Bare spaces provide the most options for building bespoke exhibition stands. You can prop up a rental stand or a custom one. Of course, you will need the help of an exhibition stand design company to plan out and build your exhibition stand. But raw spaces offer you the platform to experiment with your stand design ideas.
A row of stands stacked one after the other is a row stand. These stand types share a common wall space between each other. They have one-side open which usually faces the hallway. Depending on your stand designer, you can personalise the flooring, wall panelling and exhibition graphics to suit your needs.
Corner stands are found at the end of row stands. The benefits of corner stands are that they have two entry points, and are placed at the intersection where there is huge flow of traffic. Corner stands allow exposure to your brand on two sides. Exhibitors often use this feature to their benefit by placing an L-shaped banner and multiple display counters, so that can get more visibility at the trade show.
Two corner stands are similar to corner stands, except they are open from all the sides with one wall connecting them. Two corner stands offer the same benefits as corner stands but with more creative options to let your stand design be brilliant. You can suspend a large banner or use a U-shaped banner to improve your visibility.
Island stands are the most expensive type, but they make up for it by being the most eye-catching compared to all the other stands. Open on all four sides, it has no walls. Island stands offer plenty of room for building sections such as a lounge room and meeting room. The biggest benefit of an island stand is engagement! Your team can reach out to several guests at the same time. You can also draw the high visibility with a ceiling banner or vertical billboard. . Some stand design ideas we suggest to improve engagement would be photo booths and tablet stand displays that users can use at their leisure.
The exhibiting industry has a huge presence and vast history in the USA and Europe. This has led to unique terminologies when addressing stand types in each country. The table below lists what these stand types are called:
| TYPE | USA | EUROPE |
|---|---|---|
| 1-side open booth | Inline booth | Row stand |
| 2-side open booth | 2 side open booth | Corner stand |
| 3-side open booth | 2 corner booth | Peninsula stand |
| 4-side open booth | Island booth | Island booth |
What do we mean when we say usability? Usability in exhibiting terms means how likely a stand design will be able to achieve your branding goals.
Suppose you exhibit multiple times in a year, then opting to purchase an exhibition stand is the more practical option. Since you can use it multiple times till it deprecates. Whereas if you are revitalising you brand, then it makes sense to go for a exhibition stand rentals since it allows you more flexibility in build until you’ve locked the visual identity of your brand.
An island booth is the best choice for engaging with more attendees but only if you are positioned in one of the central corridors of the trade show floors. If you have booked your booth space near the entrances and exits then a row or corner booth make the most sense since traffic flow is mostly linear.
It’s also about visibility. Exhibitions give you a chance to showcase your brand to audiences from the same industry. But then, so does it give that chance to a dozen of other exhibitors. Hence, it is about beating the competition. You do this by making the best use of the booth space you get. If you manage to book your space near the entrance, then you would not need to put as much effort in getting your signal out there. The more your stand’s distance from key traffic points at the trade show, The more you have to plan out your exhibition stand design using props and visual tricks to attract attendees.
We hope this guide has enhanced your knowledge on stand types, so that the next time you plan to pick your exhibition stand you will know the factors that matter the most.
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