Written by Briquelle Neyens , Skyline Exhibits
Separating ourselves from others is our new norm… so, now what? We’re all aware that social distancing will be an expectation when trade shows and events regain traction. It’s important that your exhibit follows social distancing guidelines while still making sure that your brand is making the best use of its space on the trade show floor.
There are many obvious tactics that you can implement in your exhibit to keep people spaced out. You’ve likely already seen some of these tactics when shopping at your local grocery stores. For example, you’ve probably experienced visual cues that tell you where to stand in line so that you’re keeping a safe distance from the person in front of you.
But what’s going to be the most visually appealing way to go about implementing these types of cues? We have a couple of solutions that will make your social distance-friendly exhibit presence as seamless as possible.
SUFFICIENT ENTRANCES AND EXITS
Depending on your trade show’s size, attendance rates, and expected exhibit size, you’ll need to start considering how many entrances and exits are enough.
If you have a larger island booth, it’s obvious that multiple points of entry are necessary. With more guests typically roaming throughout a larger booth, you’ll likely see more in and out the traffic of people coming and going. This means your exhibit will probably need at least 2-3 places where people can enter and leave without having to squeeze by others nearby.
To make sure that your floor plan is open so people don’t feel crowded when trying to enter or leave your booth, you could consider a custom exhibit that meets these requirements. You don’t want your booth guests to feel uncomfortable if your only exit or entrance space is clogged up with people, forcing them to come into close proximity with others to get by or have to wait longer than they’d like until the area clears up.
The booth seen here is a custom exhibit that is very open and allows guests to come and go with ease.
If your business typically goes with an inline exhibit, then it’s likely that your booth is already pretty open to the aisles. With these smaller booth sizes, be sure not to clutter your space with too many tables or product demos as it will greatly limit your foot traffic potential.
VISUAL SPACING CUES
Being shown what exactly 1.5m of distance looks like can be a good reminder for attendees and your trade show booth staffing team. Seeing these visual cues is a more accurate way to distance, rather than relying on guessing.
Rather than putting tape down in little ‘X’s that may not be the most visually appealing option, consider carpeting that implements social distancing cues in its design. Skyline offers functional flooring solutions that will complete your aesthetic. You can also create flooring that includes arrows throughout your exhibit which will help to keep people from crossing paths too closely.
When people see your flooring cues, they’ll also be reminded of these spacing guidelines, as most of us are still adjusting to always remembering to keep our distance. Rather than putting down tape that may be an eyesore in your exhibit, speak to Skyline about your flooring options.
While flooring cues are helpful, you can always take it a step further by implementing other types of cues throughout your exhibit. If there’s a certain side of an entrance that you’d like people coming in to stay on, and you want the people going out to stay on the other side, signs will be helpful! But rather than taping up a sign that’s not cohesive with your graphics, implement these graphics in your booth design.
Skyline can create graphics for your booth that fit your brand and don’t look tacky or last-minute. Your directions won’t stick out like a sore thumb and will still look professional and cohesive with your entire exhibit! All of this, while making sure that your attendees are staying safe and distanced.
BE STRATEGIC WITH SPACING
You’re definitely going to want to make things a little more spaced out in your exhibit moving forward. However, you should still be as strategic as possible. You don’t want components in your booth to be so overly spaced that you’re limiting your potential guest count.
For the tables or counters in your booth, do your best to make them at least 6 feet apart. You’ll want versatile counters that don’t take up an enormous amount of area. Be sure to allow for distance between tables and other structures in your exhibit and for people to have plenty of room to roam about your booth. This means widening aisles and increasing the distance between any rows of chairs that may be in your booth space.
Whatever needs that might present themselves in your exhibit marketing plans moving forward, we can tackle together. Skyline’s custom designs are built from innovation and passion. We want to make sure that your exhibit is giving you the most potential for success. Although there may be obstacles to overcome in the exhibiting world moving forward, we’re ready to face them with you! Reach out to find out how we can design a booth that creates safe distancing and sets you up for success.
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