The 3 Elements of Trade Show Furniture and Booth Design

Trade show furniture is often examined just for its practicality—can it display a book well? Is it sturdy enough to endure the rigors of shipment across country? But you can use furniture in your trade show booth to create the atmosphere you want. In fact, furniture plays a very important role in how your booth design is perceived by customers.

There are three basic elements to trade booth design, and all of these elements should be used to help you choose your trade show furniture. Let’s take a look at how to incorporate these elements into your choices.

Trade Show Furniture in Colors

Everyone’s heard about how fast food restaurants use “hot” colors like red and yellow to stimulate hunger. And if you take a look at your local day spa, you’ll find it’s covered in colors that soothe, such as cool greens and blues. Color can be a very important element in how your booth is perceived by the observer. What’s the overall look you wish to create? What mood do you wish to invoke?

The trade show furniture you rent or own can help create your overall mood with color. Choose neutrals for creating a calm atmosphere. Blues and greens invoke serenity. Hot colors like reds, pinks, and yellows stimulate the senses. You can go far to create a mood by using elements of color in your trade show furniture.

Trade Show Furniture with Texture

Another important element of trade show booth design is to incorporate texture into your furniture. So often, we are engrossed in showcasing our products that we neglect the overall elements of design. Texture is important to creating a booth that is warm and inviting or glitzy and dynamic—as much as color, texture invokes a mood. So how can you use trade show furniture to incorporate elements of texture into your booth?

Try to narrow down the mood you wish to create. If you want something arresting and modern, then you should look for sharp or shiny textures: mirrored surfaces, chrome, and acrylic. If you want to create a cozy environment, try organic textures like wood and leather. Experiment and play around with texture until you find the look you want.

Trade Show Furniture: Keeping it Simple

One of the biggest challenges of booth design is knowing when to stop. You are in a very limited space and want to display all of your wares without cluttering up your booth too much. You want to leave enough room so your customers can move around freely and so they feel welcomed to come into your booth. So when it comes to trade show booths, your best bet is to keep things simple.

Try space-saving trade show furniture, such as compact shelving and stacked display stands, to provide more floor space for your booth while keeping it organized. Try to eliminate anything that’s not necessary to the overall design concept of your booth. For example, don’t offer chairs for your staff to sit on—instead, encourage them to mingle with your customers.

Unexpected Touches for Trade Show Booths



Convention floors can be exhausting for both the participants and the vendors, and it's easy for trade show booths to get lost in a sea of fluorescent lighting and milling crowds. And yet, a crowded convention is one of the best ways you can meet customers face to face and showcase your products to a wider audience. So how can you beat the fatigue of the convention floor and really hook your customer base in to your company?



Bring the indoors out? Unexpected touches make your trade show booth stand apart.



Sometimes, the unexpected touches are best. Everyone knows about using giveaways to attract customers. Everyone has heard about using social media to promote their trade show booth. So how can you hope to really stand out from the crowd? It helps to add a few unexpected touches to your booth for a maximum impact. Here are a handful of ideas:

Have Everyone in Your Trade Show Booths Wear a Uniform 

You can project a professional image and catch the eye of anyone on the convention floor by having everyone in your booth wear a uniform. This doesn't have to be flashy or elaborate or cost a lot of money. Instead, just have something crisp and polished—such as black pants and a white shirt. Have your staffers wear professionally-printed name tags.

This gives your booth that extra touch of polish and has the added benefit of allowing convention-goers to know who's staffing your booth. They'll know which people to seek out to ask questions of or to place orders with.

Giveaways That Are Cost Effective with Your Trade Show Booths

Everyone gives away the same swag: pens, post-its, calendars, and the like. So often, the swag you spend a lot of money on to give away is so common, it becomes white noise. How many other booths will be giving away exactly those same items? How can you hope to stand out from the crowd if you're always giving away the same things as your neighbors?

Instead of giving away the same old thing, try giving away cost-effective items that pop. Custom-printed water bottles and snacks are inexpensive and they provide much-needed refreshment to convention-goers who are tired and hungry. They'll love the nourishment and are much more likely to remember you that in you gave them yet another pen and pencil set.

Try Sprucing Up Your Trade Show Booths with Stylish Touches

Close your eyes for a few moments and think about the typical trade show. They can be crowded, hot, and overwhelming. If you're looking through the trade show booths, what elements would catch your eye? Elements of serenity that promote a feeling of calm would definitely help. So rather than put up another plasma screen flashing a message, why not offer a bouquet of fresh flowers? 

Why not have a small fountain running in an area near a few chairs? What a restful spot, welcoming your guests to come in and sit a while. Wouldn't that be more likely to bring in the crowds—and keep them for a bit—than yet another mirror or flashing screen?