Article by Chris Harmen

How To Design A Purely Educational Trade Show Display – Marketing

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Many educators have the mistaken impression that a trade show booth has no place in any classroom or at any educational event. In fact, the fundamental requirements for a good trade show exhibit are remarkably similar to the requirements for a good educational tool. Both need to be engaging and interesting. Both need to present their subject clearly. Both even need to present a particular viewpoint – the purchase of a particular company’s product in one case, the understanding of a particular educational objective in the other.

For many teachers and professors, these similarities are compelling enough that they have tried using a trade show display to augment their teaching or seminars. While these types of units require a somewhat different design philosophy, when done right, the positive impact can be quite impressive.

Focus On Information From The Beginning

When designing a promotional trade show booth, the first thing to do is decide the main message. For an educational booth, the need is much the same. Approach it like an essay or paper. Your first step should be to determine the thesis. What result do you want from the unit? Is it to educate about an accepted fact? Announce the validation of your new theory and support it? You will want to tailor the design and the actual printing accordingly.

The best way to impart information is through actual experience. Thus, if at all possible, you should bring some samples of recent work, or samples that illustrate the point you are making if it’s been long proven. The younger your audience, the more important visual aids become. Young children cannot focus easily on words for very long, but their attention can be rather easily captivated with interesting looking objects and pictures.

Know Your Audience

A trade show display designer wants to understand the audience so that he or she can determine how they will react to certain promotional choices. You need to understand your audience so you can figure out how best to engage them. A highly didactic and formal tone would be perfect for a convention within your own area of expertise, but won’t do much for a group of school children. Likewise, a trade show exhibit designed for kids would look out of place at a technical conference.

If you are speaking at the event for any length of time, you’ve probably already got access to the information you need to target your trade show exhibit to your audience. The same basic principles apply: keep them engaged and keep them interested.

Handouts And Other Items To Distribute

The need for handouts varies depending on your audience and your subject matter. As a general rule, educational stands should have handouts available. This is particularly crucial if you are presenting new research which is controversial or otherwise highly anticipated. People will want to look over your results without having to read through your entire published paper at the exhibit, and that’s exactly what handouts will permit. You can include graphics or other elements that will aid with understanding.

Giving handouts to a younger audience can also be wise. They might not be inclined to focus deeply on your presentation now, but if you manage to spark interest in their mind they may want to reference your work again later. A handout becomes like a business card; they’re able to track you down and engage with your research or teaching down the road.

Communicating With A Trade Show Display

A trade show booth is at its most basic a way to communicate. It could be communicating a promotional message or it could be communicating academic facts and new discoveries. Using one for academic purposes might require you to reevaluate how you think about convention stands, but the results can be well worth it.

About the Author

Chris Harmen shares Baltimore trade show exhibit tips and tricks for Atlantic Exhibits. Whether you need an educational Baltimore trade show booth or a promotional stand, Atlantic delivers.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Chris Harmen

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