Creating an exhibition stand in 24hrs

I booked a stand at the Brighton and Hove Business Show one week before the exhibition. A week in which I was flat out with client work during the day. So, I spent 24 hours over that week getting my act together. Here’s what happened…

Why bother?

First of all, I wanted to raise my profile locally. I also booked the stand to test my assumptions about the local marketplace – are there clients who want my stuff here? I work nationally and internationally, but not locally and that feels a bit weird. I’ve done plenty of subcontracting with local design and technical companies here in Brighton & Hove, but I’ve never worked with a Sussex-based company directly.

I don’t anticipate that I’ll come away with any hot new contacts, but that’s what I want to find out. It can do no harm and if nothing else, I’ll come away with some new insights about how to do it better next time.

I’ve booked a stand by mistake

Hallworth Design is a new venture and as I was about to book the stand I realised I didn’t have any business cards, or any other kind of marketing material for that matter! If you’ve ever been to a trade show, then you’ll know that they’re awash with novelty pens, bowls of sweets and huge banners. I wasn’t in a position just to throw cash at it and didn’t really want to just look like a.n.other stand. So, I needed a plan that I could execute quickly and cheaply.

A simple approach

The main objective for me is not to end up looking like the weird guy in the corner stood uncomfortably behind a laptop. Quite a challenge, but I’ll have to give it my best shot. So, I need stuff on the walls – a whole bunch of stuff. Nice banners, cool posters, that sort of thing. I got the ‘last remaining stand’ and it’s the larger, 3m wide space. Darn it, even more walls to fill.

I had an idea that I thought might fix my two main problems:

• No business cards to hand out
• Bloody big wall to fill

Why not get loads of lovely business cards printed at Moo, lay them out in a pleasing grid on A2 boards and bingo?

OK, let’s do it

No time for any other bright ideas so, that’s what I’m clinging to.

Luckily, I have a chunky portfolio of work to draw from so it didn’t take too long to get 50 different images together. I uploaded them, ordered 200 business cards, paid for the express delivery (touch and go whether they were going to arrive in time) and waited.

I’d heard that Moo over-estimate delivery times and thankfully they were right – my package arrived 5 days later. They look pretty sweet * and I’m hoping that their diminutive proportions will mean folks have to come so close to the stand to see the work that I’ll be able to pester them. [This worked out OK on the day]

I’ve also printed up some of the cards that Chris and I worked on for ages, as postcards. It’s like viral marketing never happened! I order 100 of those, so I’ll only be letting folks who promise to actually post them on to take one. [Most of the postcards went on the day, so I can only image they're making their way round the UK now]

Tomorrow, I’m going to prepare 3/4 sets of the business cards on black A2 mountboard – probably in a 10×6 grid, maybe something more wacky if I drink too much coffee. I’m pinning my hopes that less really is more and fantasising that my little space will be a haven of tranquillity amongst the normal exhibition bear pit. Time will tell if that just means I’ll simply be ignored. If folks go away thinking ‘the weird guy in the corner standing uncomfortably with the laptop had some nice work’, then that’ll have been a successful 24 hours.

*If you are printing at Moo, take their trim area with a pinch of salt – they cut about 4mm inside it! But hey, what can you expect for a quarter the price of a lithographic print.

Pulling it together the day before

Bought some black mountboard from Lawrence’s on the way into the office and laid out the cards. They look just swell, but they’re missing a title/header to set it all off. Cracked open Illustrator again and put together an A2 logo and strapline so folks know what I do! Emailed that off to the peeps at Prontoprint just up the road.

Chris has lent me one of his flat screens so I can display the new showreel as well – did I mention I’d also put together a new 3min showreel? It’s simple, but I think it’ll be effective. Hooked that up to the lappy with the usual shenanigans.

Off to pick up the extra bits of print now and then I can finally get out the Spray Mount. I don’t quite know why I’m so excited about that.

Spray Mount time

Back from the printers with my extra bits and now out with the Spray Mount. 3 hours later and rather dizzy, I have 4 boards done, three of them have separate grid layouts. Feel like I’m back at Art college. The whole thing would have taken me about 30 minutes on the computer.

Finally, I make a box out of foam board to take business cards for a freebie promotion I’m going to try out – a free Heuristic analysis of the winner’s website. We all want free stuff and I’m all out of champagne.

I don’t want just any old box, no sir, I want to stay here for ever. I want the box to have some affordance. With scalpel, metal ruler and PVA glue to hand, it takes me about an hour. The box looks cute and I manage not to drag my gluey fingers over everything.

Exhibition day

The actual day was strangely enjoyable. I find these things much more fun to exhibit at than attend. It brings out the market trader in me. I’ve always enjoyed doing a car booty and this didn’t feel massively different. I’m not selling tatty books and I’m dressed smarter, but the bit in the middle is the same: a smattering of witty banter, a few loonies here and there, bad coffee, some potential customers. It takes a while to get into a groove. How and where to stand, weighing up what to say first. I no way did I get this right, but I wasn’t awful.

At this point, I feel that I should say that I made some interesting leads, but it’s not really true. I chatted with some lovely people and enjoyed doing that – offering advice and putting people in touch with each other, but I didn’t come away with any really solid prospects. But that’s fine, I really didn’t expect to.

Favourite novelty moment of the day

I got chatting to a guy called Magnus who liked the work and he gave me a free and impromptu demonstration of his African Rhythms Massage. The guy’s got hands like a bear, a big one! Well needed and much appreciated after standing up for 8hrs. Thanks Magnus.

What I’d do differently next time

• Wear comfier shoes – it’s a long day standing up particularly for desk-slugs like me
• Take better photos. My camera didn’t cope with with the incandescent lighting in there
• Not spend too long chatting to any one individual. If it needs more time, arrange a proper meeting
• Get some help, one person on a stand isn’t really enough
• Remember that probably half the people you speak to are actually trying to sell you stuff!