Transforming Modular Stands into Custom Exhibition Marvels

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There are advantages to a fully bespoke stand and advantages to modular exhibition stands. So when we combine them into a custom modular approach, we bring the advantages of both together, enabling a modular function with a custom and bespoke design. Leaving you with an exhibition stand you can truly be proud of.

Using different materials to create custom signage, hospitality areas, and eye-catching features, our custom modular stands are designed to draw attention and bring delegates to your stand. 

In this blog, we’ll explain exactly what custom modular is and provide examples of custom modular stands we’ve designed and built. But you’d never know they were modular by looking at them.

What is custom modular? 

Custom modular stands bridge the gap between portable modular stands and unique custom stands. Before we dive into the benefits of custom modular stands, let’s break down what both ‘custom’ and ‘modular’ mean in terms of exhibition stands, and how they differ from each other.

Modular stands are displays made up of set pieces that can be fitted together in a variety of ways, making them incredibly versatile. In fact, the number of ways in which you can organise them is limitless, depending on imagination, creativity and budget. This incredible adaptability makes them the ideal solution for businesses looking to exhibit regularly at different events, as the stand can be modified to each space.

Custom stands are exactly what they say in the title – stands that are custom made. The sky’s the limit when it comes to custom builds, and they’re the perfect option for businesses who want to stand out. If you can dream it, we can build it.

Custom modular is a hybrid blend of the two.

By combining these building approaches, our customers get the benefits of modular stand design and reusability with custom made elements, so your brand can truly shine on a stand that can be reused. A stand that looks custom made.

Who are custom modular stands for?

If you’re an exhibitor with a reasonable budget and would like to get the full value out of that budget, or if you’d simply like something that you can reuse for future events, then a custom modular stand is ideal for you. 

Custom modular stand made by us 

Custom modular stands are designed and built in a way that you wouldn’t know they were modular – they look custom made. Over the last six years, we’ve created custom modular stands that both ourselves and our customers have been proud of. 

Here are just a few of the custom modular stands Be Exhibitions have created: 

What3words

In order to make a splash at CES 2023, what3words needed a stand that made them approachable and interactive, as well as being efficient in showcasing their product and message. They also wanted something unique to their brand, ensuring they stood out on the exhibition floor. 

To achieve this, their custom modular stand included these custom elements:  

  • Custom ‘call-out’ sign going from floor to ceiling rig to replicate their app’s address feature
  • Custom wood slashes to replicate the logo as a design feature on the stand
  • Bespoke flooring with an LED 9sqm square, replicating their technology
  • Modular frame to build the video wall, meeting rooms and logo walls

The ‘call-out’ sign and custom flooring are created to replicate a design choice frequently used by the company across their advertising:  

Think Research 

Although the main body of their stand was modular design, Think Research had a few specific custom elements that they wanted integrated into their stand, which made them look far more custom than modular. These included: 

  • A free-standing ‘Think’ sign 
  • 3D bolt-logos 
  • An integrated coffee machine in the call of the store room 

Micro Nav

Although this Micro Nav stand didn’t have many custom elements, they were keen to steer away from the modular look by incorporating curves and a unique stand that appeared to be custom. 

Avalara 

Another example of a custom modular stand that looks entirely custom is this Avalara stand. 

With a stand that needed to overcome the challenge of a pesky pillar landing in the middle of the space, this stand design needed to be unique. The use of a plant wall not only looked distinctive to this brand, but it also pulled it away from the modular look. A custom logo sign in the living room wall section was a custom modification also. 

How can Be Exhibitions help?

When you partner with Be Exhibitions, we work with you to create modular stands that look like custom stands. So that you’re getting the best of both worlds. 

If you’d be interested in starting your custom modular stand journey, get in touch. 

Contact us today. 

01425837005

info@beexhibitions.co.uk

Choosing the Right Stand Builder 

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Any working relationship is important. When working with another person or organisation, you want the process to be as smooth and successful as possible, so that both parties are delighted with the end result. 

The same goes for working with a stand builder. From the moment you begin working with each other, you want the relationship with your stand builder to thrive. 

But how do you know which stand builder to choose? And how do you decide who is the ‘right’ stand builder for you?

In this blog, we explain exactly how you can go about choosing a stand builder that fits with you, your business, and your future exhibitions. 

There are a range of questions that you should ask in order to figure out which stand builders could help successfully bring your vision to life. 

1. Do the company values of the stand builder align with your own? 

A company’s values are what make them… them. They’re at the heart of everything the business stands for and can be what sets them apart from their competitors.

So why would you work with a stand builder who disregards or disagrees with your values? 

Your exhibition stand is a representation of who you are, and therefore should convey those core values that you’ve worked hard to define. If you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of an attendee, you want those few seconds to portray your company as strongly as possible. 

Therefore, when you work with a stand builder who does not align with these core values, they are unlikely to do them justice. That’s why choosing a stand builder who understands your vision, your values, and your purpose as a brand, is so crucial.

You can read Be Exhibitions’ values here. 

2. Does the stand builder’s creative vision align with yours? 

Similarly to point 1, another key thing that you and your stand builder must agree on is creative visions. 

The way your company looks leaves a lasting impression – especially if an exhibition stand is the first thing a potential customer sees.

It’s crucial that your stand builder has a creative vision that aligns with yours in order to create a stand that you’re visually delighted with. They must understand what it is you’re wanting to achieve and how you’re hoping to achieve it in order to bring that vision to life. 

It’s always worth looking at previous stands designed by this stand builder and reading testimonials to see if they’ve achieved their customers’ creative visions in the past. 

3. Is the account handler helpful? 

An early sign as to whether or not the stand builder is a good fit for you is whether or not they’re helpful. 

When we say helpful, we mean:

  • Answering questions promptly
  • Dealing with organisers and their queries promptly
  • Advising any stand build/design decisions
  • Advising useful exhibition extras like promotional goods/branded goods

A helpful account handler makes all the difference. They add value to your exhibition stand experience, making your life easier and your stand the best it can be. 

4. What accreditations do they have? 

Besides ESSA (Event Supplier and Service Association), do these stand builders have any accreditations that demonstrate their commitment to crafting exceptional exhibition stands? Or accreditations that are important to your brand?

At Be Exhibitions, we are a member of ESSA. In fact, Ellen, our Director, is the Young Person of the Year for ESSA. Recently she’s been achieving individual accreditations in health and safety, to ensure we’re as up-to-date and in the know as possible. 

We are also a member of the Good Business Charter.

5. Is the experience enjoyable so far? 

Of course, most things come with a little stress. But one of the main purposes of working with a stand builder is to be able to offload that stress and immense responsibility onto a professional, meaning hassle on your end should be minimal. 

From the initial consultation right through the day of the exhibition (and beyond), this collaboration should be an enjoyable experience, and something you walk away from with positivity. If this isn’t how you feel with a stand builder, then they’re not the right one for you.

Work with Be Exhibitions 

With all this in mind, if you’d be interested in creating a strong relationship with a stand builder who is passionate about honesty, personal touch, quality and sustainability, get in touch. 

Contact us today. 

01425837005

info@beexhibitions.co.uk

Top 6 things to consider when including products on your stand

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Your products are at the core of your business. Without them, where would your business be? That’s why including your products on your exhibition stand is so crucial – but it needs to be done right.

Exhibitions are a unique chance for potential customers to interact directly with your products – to see them face-to-face and touch, hear, and see them in action. However, there are a number of things that businesses often overlook when it comes to exhibition stands, and many of these are related to the way in which they display their products.

To avoid taking the focus away from your products, we’re sharing 6 things to consider when creating your perfect exhibition stand.

1. Stand spacing

Will multiple people want to interact with your products at once? The chances are, they will.

At exhibitions, you’re likely to be welcoming groups of people wanting to touch and experience your products, and you need to ensure you’re allocating enough space for this.

If your products are all crammed together or placed in the corner, people are more likely to simply look from afar while others engage, or walk past altogether, resulting in missed opportunities.

We recommend spacing out your products and leaving sufficient room for multiple people to get involved at the same time.

2. Internet requirements 

Do your products need an internet connection? Don’t overlook this, it could be the difference between brilliant demos and hours of network issues.

Typically speaking, the internet at events is slow and expensive, and to get a decent download speed you have to spend a lot of money.

Because of this, many businesses may decide not to rely on the capabilities of the event wifi and will instead bring personal hotspots, especially if they have many products running on a single internet connection.

3. Software demonstrations

The internet can also play a huge part in software demonstrations. Your hardware is key to ensuring any software demonstrations show the product in its best light – from the minimum hardware requirements, availability of demo data, size of screens and more.

If you can set up your demos to run locally instead of via the internet, life will be a lot easier and much less expensive. It wouldn’t necessarily make a difference to stand design, but would make a big impact on budget.

Furthermore – you must test, test, test before the show! Test with internet, without internet, in the office, at home, at a public space, anywhere and everywhere to make sure that any kinks are ironed out before the show. This will save an enormous amount of time and stress during build up and during the event itself.

4. Electrical needs 

What needs power, how much is needed, and how accessible is it?

No matter the size of your exhibition stand, adequately powering your electrical products is fundamental. If incorrect – whether that be too little power, too few points, or even too much power, there can be terrible consequences.

Usually, an exhibition organiser will ask for your power needs in advance, meaning you should turn up on the day with exactly what you asked for. However, this means being prepared ahead of time and knowing which products need powering and where they’ll be on your stand.

Plus, bringing a few spare extension cords is never a bad idea. 

If exhibiting abroad, you also need to consider adaptors. For more tips on exhibiting abroad, read our blog – ‘How to avoid the pitfalls of exhibiting internationally’.

5. The weight of your products

Before your stand is built it’s important to chat to your stand designers/builders about the weight of your products.

The choice of material they’re mounted on will be affected by their weight, as well as their mounting style (wall, desk, cabinet etc.)

The last thing you want is a product falling or being unstable, not only could this cause damage to your stand, but it could also be a health and safety hazard. So, get weighing!

6. Your messaging

Does your messaging match the products that are on display? As new products are released and others discontinued, you may find that your exhibition stand messaging needs changing.

Check this well in advance of the exhibition date, as changes may need to be made by stand designers, with new graphics designed and printed. Afterall, outdated messaging gives off the wrong impression.

Showcase your products with Be Exhibitions 

There can be many requirements of a well-built stand and promoting your products is just one, but it’s a very important one.

If you’d like your products to stand out, we can help.

Contact us today:

01425837005

info@beexhibitions.co.uk

Creating a Lasting Impression: How Sustainable Exhibition Stands and Promotional Items Can Set Your Brand Apart

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Businesses worldwide are prioritising sustainability more than ever (as they should be!) and they’re not the only ones. Customers are consciously choosing brands that put focus on sustainability – in fact, 36% of UK customers say they always or often solely buy from eco-friendly brands.

Read more

How to avoid the pitfalls of exhibiting internationally

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Top 6 things to consider when taking your stand abroad

Thinking of exhibiting overseas? Or perhaps you’ve already booked your space? Fantastic – time to get prepared.

Exhibiting abroad can be great for your business. The many benefits – from reaching a wider audience and developing brand awareness, to increasing sales or entering new markets – easily outweigh the pitfalls, but you still must take time to actively avoid them.

In this blog, we’ll talk you through how to make the most of your overseas exhibition by avoiding the most common pitfalls.

1 Failing to plan is planning to fail

Exhibiting in the UK takes a lot of planning, let alone heading overseas. When it comes to visiting and exhibiting at an international exhibition, planning must begin many, many months in advance.

When considering factors such as travel, transporting the stand, country guidelines and laws, extra costs, and language barriers (to name a few), the to-do list stacks up. 

However, you don’t have to do it alone. Be Exhibitions can take on that load for you.

BigFaFa, Amsterdam

2 Shipping

Organising international shipping should not be overlooked as an easy task. The size and weight of your stand, as well as the destination will affect the cost, vehicle, and means of transport.

When it comes to transporting your stand to and from the country, it’s often cheaper to send it by boat than it is by plane – but this takes longer.

Delays are also a real possibility and should be considered in advance.

What3words, Vegas,USA

3 Extra costs (did someone say drayage?)

Extra costs can creep up on you if you’re not careful. In fact, they’re often unavoidable. But preparing for these as best you can is key. In some countries, exhibiting simply costs more than at home. For example, it costs 5X more to exhibit in the USA than it does in Europe.

One thing you may not be aware of in the states is drayage – the cost of having your stand moved from the delivery vehicle at the venue to your exhibition space. Don’t forget this one as it can catch you out!

It’s worth noting that a few countries do not accept cash for show services, so keeping a debit or credit card nearby is also a good idea to ensure you’re not caught short.

Researching the cheapest means of travel and accommodation for employees should also be done in advance to save on last minute costs. As a general rule, if something is left to the last minute, it is likely to cost more.

4 Consider the language barrier

Does the country you’re exhibiting in speak English? It may be that a second language needs to be considered on your stand.

Perhaps altering your signage to be more accessible to visitors is something – whether that be adding translations or minimising the amount of written wording used. In the same vein, having your flyers, business cards, pamphlets and promotional merchandise printed in English as well as the language of the country you’re exhibiting in will let all visitors know what your brand is all about.

Having a staff member or partner who speaks the local language is also crucial to ensure that no visitors get ignored. It also doesn’t hurt to learn appropriate greetings before your visit.

Micro Nav, Switzerland

5 Get to know the country and the culture

Different countries have different exhibiting rules and regulations that businesses need to be aware of before they arrive to exhibit. To avoid arriving and running into issues, research should be done well in advance and before making solid arrangements.

The culture is also key. Depending on where you’re exhibiting will depend on the way in which business is conducted and the stands are operated. For example, in some countries it may be customary to slightly bow your head rather than shake hands.

6 Leave nothing behind

When attending an exhibition in the UK, extra baggage is not usually an issue, as you can pop it in the back of a car or courier it to the venue. Therefore, the items you remember at the last minute can be thrown in the car before you head off. However, this is not the case when heading abroad. Those last-minute items – extension cords, name badges, promotional items – need to be thought about in advance and a checklist created. Of course, some items can be bought by your team, but this could end up being extra hassle, extra cost and time consuming to arrange.

The Cube, Madrid. This cube did a European tour!

Go international with Be Exhibitions

Exhibiting at international shows is a valuable experience that can help boost brand exposure and sales to a level that may otherwise be impossible in the UK alone. With new markets to tap in to, shipping your stand overseas is worth the extra effort.

If you’d like to avoid the pitfalls altogether and let someone else keep you organised, give us a call.

Contact us today.

01425837005

info@beexhibitions.co.uk

Top 5 things to consider when featuring a vehicle on your exhibition stand

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When it comes to designing your exhibition stand, we believe the sky’s the limit. No matter the size, a stand can truly sing when the right vision is created. At Be Exhibitions, we love it when a vehicle is part of this vision.

As an ideal opportunity for businesses to showcase their goods and services, exhibitions are the best time to go all out on presentation. This powerful marketing tool presents your business to thousands of people who may or may not have come across your unique products and services before. So, if a vehicle is part of – or aids with – these goods and services, why not include it in your stand?

A vehicle in an exhibition hall makes a statement, and if you’re part of an automotive event, it’s essential. To best illustrate the benefits of your vehicle, you need it there for all to see. After all – just talking about it can only go so far.

However, there are a few things to consider when thinking about featuring a vehicle in your exhibition stand:

1. Space only spaces

As a general rule, space only spaces are usually larger at automotive events, on account of the amount of vehicular displays the exhibitors use. It seems obvious, but a bigger space is a necessity if you’re looking to showcase a vehicle.

Therefore, if you are working with a smaller space, a vehicle may not be possible, given all the other things that your stand needs (e.g., seating areas or storage). However, this does not mean your options end there, small spaces can still work at automotive events. (See our later example).

2. How to best use larger spaces

If you’re using a vehicle on your exhibition stand, it’s important to consider the best use of the larger spaces available. Ask yourself, is the vehicle the highlight of the stand or is it to accompany your core product offering?

For our recent what3words stand, the use of the vehicle was to showcase:

  1. A strategic business partner
  2. The what3words technology being used in the real life environment of a car cockpit.

3. How high is the display?

The height of the vehicle display will directly affect your stand branding and messaging. Perhaps you’ll need to consider lower-level messaging or a simpler use of colours and logo. Whatever the height of your vehicle, it’s important to factor this in before diving into the rest of your stand design.

4. Pre-show activities

Organising the ancillary services associated with your vehicular display is an important stage for any exhibition event. If everything is left to the day, things will be missed.

Do you need to organise a valet before or during the show to ensure it stays spick and span? Or if you’re showcasing tyres, do you need to trim rubber spokes or blacken the rubber to show them at their best?

Pre-show activities like this are well worth considering in advance, to ensure nothing is forgotten about.

5. The rest of your display

If you’re designing a stand that incorporates a vehicle, the rest of your stand design will inevitably be impacted.

For example, your vehicle may be on a raised floor or at an angle to highlight a particular element, so do you already have one or do you need to discuss having one added with your builder?

Our previous vehicle stands

If it’s a stand designer and builder you’re looking for, we can help. Our experience in building exhibition stands for automotive shows and other events means we know how to best showcase your products while using a vehicle to drive home your branding and message (excuse the pun!). Whether you work with cars, motorcycles, trucks or buses.

Here are just a few of our recent clients who included a vehicle in their stand:

what3words

As mentioned earlier, what3words used a vehicle to showcase themselves as a strategic business partner, and to demonstrate the use of their technology in a real life environment.

CPD Bodies

As the leading commercial vehicle body builder in Teesside, Stockton, Middlesbrough and the UK, and repairer for 3.5t and 7.5t vehicles, it was crucial that CPD Bodies had truck or van representation on their stand. We were able to bring this to life for them.

Castle Minibus

For a smaller space that would not facilitate a vehicle, the Castle Minibus stand still championed their message and provided a valuable space to speak to customers.

Get in Contact

Contact us today if you’re interested in stepping up your automotive exhibition stand and marketing efforts, whether that be with a vehicle or not.

01425 837005

info@beexhibitions.co.uk