From the rumble of watchers and spectators to the thrill of the players’ action on the field, sports events are electrifying in every possible way. Everyone wants to be part of the immersive experience that comes with each game. But, the beat does not end with a win or a loss. Beyond the play lies a critical component that has redefined the sporting industry – the absorbing adventure of brands and brand displays offered in exhibition stands.
The days of generic booths and static displays are gone. Today, flexible and adaptable exhibition stands are a core element of every sports event. Exhibition stand builders are quickly shaping branding experiences in the wake of an evolving sports industry.
This post explores the exhibition stands trends shaping the future of sports events.
What Defines a Winning Exhibition Stand?
Sports fans are always looking for a sensory overload beyond the field, and an impressive stand is a great way for a brand to offer the thrill. Here is what a winning exhibition stand looks like:
1. Adaptability
A winning stand comes with a modular design, allowing brands to reconfigure it into different sizes for varying venues. The concept of adaptability provides companies with the leverage of tailoring brand presence for various events at minimized costs.
2. Interactivity
There is no end to the possibilities of engagement when it comes to an interactive exhibition stand. Augmenting your stands with a virtual reality experience has a unique way of capturing the exhibition of sports fanatics. Again, an interactive exhibition stand goes a long way in enhancing product testing and reaffirming your brand image to potential and return customers.
3. Data-Driven Displays
Integrating your exhibition stands with data-capture technologies allows you to ascertain who engages with your brand and at what level. This way, brands can optimize future display strategies by creating stands that are optimized for the right demographic.
4. Sustainability
As the world gears towards going green, energy-efficient lighting and the use of eco-conscious materials for your exhibition stand are essential.
Exhibition Design Trends
Exhibition stand builders are no longer just construction personnel. They are strategic partners collaborating with companies and brands to develop stands that fit the evolving sports sensation. Here is a highlight of some of the design trends redefining exhibition stands today.
1. Theming Trends
Themed exhibition trends captivate audiences through specified themes. Some of the theming designs include:
• Storytelling
Exhibition stands can tell brand stories by incorporating lighting elements and sound effects that reflect your brand. Alternatively, builders tend to create an exhibition stand environment coupled with a themed setting that takes audiences on your brand’s journey.
• Experiential Marketing
Themed trends include the concept of showing and not just telling the story. This includes integrating marketing themes with interactive activities, such as product demos, games, and challenges.
• Themed Entertainment
Exhibition stands featuring themed performances offer an immersive experience to visitors looking for more than just product displays.
2. Digital Signage
Digital signage is the application of electronic displays integrated with modern technologies, such as e-paper, projection, LED, and LCD lighting to showcase digital content. These displays have become the universal language of appeal, thanks to its multisector flexibility. With digital signage, brands can transform exhibition stands into interactive hubs for top-level marketing.
Here are design considerations for digital signage trends.
• Multiple Screens
Multiple digital screens strategically positioned throughout the exhibition stand is the ubiquitous form of creating appeal and delivering a cohesive brand message at the same time.
• Content Management System
Integrating digital signage with a user-friendly content management system allows brands to schedule and update content on display based on traffic and demand.
• Interactive Content
You can never go wrong with curated, interactive content delivered in formats like videos and interactive elements on your stand.
3. Celebrity Appearances
Featuring celebrities on exhibition stands is a quick way of creating buzz around your displays. Choosing the right celebrity personality at the right time can help you boost engagement and brand awareness. Preferably, go with celebrities who ignite a spark around sports and sports-related events.
The allure of a celebrity appearance comes with the following:
• Media Attention
Celebrities are known for creating media buzz and creating attention beyond the event floor.
• Foot Traffic
Well-picked celebrities can draw crowds in a spark. It is a minimal investment in exchange for high foot traffic.
• Social Media Amplification
Celebrities with strong online presence extend brand awareness beyond the exhibition stand. Your business gets to enjoy amplification from their social media followers as well.
4. Product Demos
Brands are embracing innovative trends to create engaging and interactive product demos that will leave a lasting impression on potential customers. Modern product demos include the following components:
• Personalisation
Today, savvy brands customize product demos to the needs, tastes, and interests of each visitor. Such brands will ask questions to understand each user’s goals against which they showcase product features.
• Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is the most practical way to immerse your audiences into experiencing your product using real-life simulations.
• Touchscreens and Gamification
Building touchscreens around your exhibition stand allows visitors to experience your products at their own pace. This is also a data-driven strategy to inform your decisions on customer experience and behavior.
5. Comfy Seats
Exhibition stands are designed for engagement, but even the most captivated visitors get worn out. By offering comfy seats around your exhibition displays, you enhance brand engagement and user dwell time. Additionally, visitors’ perception of your brand and products is enhanced on the go.
Trendy seating ideas for your exhibition stands include:
• Casual Seating Design
Go for bar stools and high-top tables to encourage quick chats during product demonstrations.
• Soft Seats
Soft and comfortable seats or armchairs are treated as a welcoming gesture by sports enthusiasts.
• Charging Points Around Seats
The world has shifted into a digital community, and any solution integrated with in-phone charging capabilities is largely embraced positively by potential users.
• Standing-Height Tables
Tables with elevated tops encourage networking and casual engagement among visitors, increasing brand perception and awareness.
Examples of Adaptable Exhibition Stands
Adaptable exhibition stands come in a wide range of forms, styles, and make. Here is a quick guide.
1. Modular Panels
With brands shifting from bulky, single-use stand structures, modular panels have become a go-to option among exhibition stand builders.
Features of modular panels include:
• Versatility
The ability to configure in countless ways to create multiple functionalities, such as shelving units, displays, and walls is the building block of modular panels.
• Lightweight
Modular panels are extremely lightweight compared to the traditional exhibition stands. This minimizes the labor and logistics costs, while providing the capacity to build for multi-event participation.
• Custom Materials
Modular panels come in different materials and finishes. You can choose from a range of options, including bamboo panels, sleek acrylic panels, or classic fabric panels.
2. Freestanding Displays
These are single-unit, off-the-shelf displays on which products are mounted or placed for demonstrations. Modern exhibition stand builders integrate freestanding displays to integrate brand information delivery with product showcasing.
The components of freestanding displays include:
• Compact Footprint
Generally, freestanding displays require minimal space, making them an ideal exhibition feature of the assigned floor area of a sports center.
• Strategic Placement
Unlike the traditional built-up structures, freestanding stands can be placed anywhere across the exhibition stand. This allows for easy demonstration of product features while leveraging interactive engagements with foot traffic.
• Multi-functionality
Primarily, freestanding displays are popular for their ability to serve a range of purposes. These include integration with digital signage, display of brochures, and shelving of products.
3. Connectable Flooring
Traditionally, stand flooring was built around rented tiles and carpets. Connectable flooring redefines that model by introducing an interlocked, seamless floor in any shaped or sized area.
The attributes of connectable flooring include:
• A Seamless Finish
Connectable exhibition floors are polished to elevate the overall appeal of your stand.
• Variety
Connectable floors come in a range of colors and customisation features to increase brand appeal. For an immersive experience, you can introduce your logo, product imagery, and brand colors on your exhibition floor.
The Value of Flexibility and Adaptability in Modern Exhibition Stands
The traditional one-size-fits-all exhibition stands are now an outdated concept. Today’s sports events demand adaptability and dynamism to cater for the needs of sports enthusiasts. Typically, the flexibility of an exhibition stand translates into the following benefits:
1. Investment Leverage
A modular exhibition stand can be reconfigured into different sizes and appeals to a range of venues and themes. This allows brands to use the same stand for multiple events, maximizing returns on every investment.
Also, modern exhibition stand builders incorporate interchangeable panels, allowing you to transform the stand to fit your needs and event.
2. Streamlined Logistics
Sports come with dynamic fixtures, moving around events across different locations and sports centers. With a flexible and adaptable exhibition stand, brands get to set up and dismantle their stands easily and quickly. This lowers logistical costs and event downtimes. Not to mention that modern stands are lightweight, enhancing easy pack down and storage.
3. Enhanced Storytelling
Modular exhibition stands allow brands to customize designs as per the event and theme of a sports season. This fosters engagement and brand appeal among visitors interacting with your brand for the first time.
Conclusion
The future of dynamic and alluring sports events is here, and modern exhibition stands are keeping up with the thrill. Stand builders are curating trendy structures to position brands for the immersion of captivating customer experiences in sports arenas. From themed trends and digital signage to celebrity appearances and tailored product demos, there is no limit to the engagement and appeal modern that exhibition stands can create.
