Small products present unique exhibit design and display challenges. Chief among these is: How do you communicate what your product is in a bold enough manner to draw attendees from the aisles?

Fail to do this and you run the risk of having potential customers walk right by you without even noticing that you have something they need. Succeed and you're on your way to trade show ROI.

Many exhibitors address this challenge with large graphics. Vivid graphics are always a good option, but that's certainly not the only way to go. Here are some of 3D Exhibits' favorite approaches:

Five Tactics to Make Small Products Stand Out in Your Trade Show Exhibit Display


1.  Micro vignette. We've written about integrating vignettes into your trade show booth before. (links) But creating a full environmental vignette takes up a good amount of exhibit space, more than many companies—especially smaller exhibitors—have. When available space is limited, you can accomplish nearly the same thing on a smaller scale by displaying your product with just a few accessories that communicate what the product is about. In the example shown, Garden of Life highlights its organic dietary supplements by showcasing product packaging on a shelf shaped like a leaf, nestled inside of a flower pot and supported by a wooden message easel.

 


2.  Supersize it. A tiny package sitting on the counter or on a shelf won't be visible to people in aisles—but a supersized version of your product will. And the options for how and where to display your mega-product model are endless. Think elevated, shrine-like, in the center of your exhibit; positioned along the perimeter; or even hung overhead like Clark did with this 6'-wide cable spool at National Association of Broadcasters.

 


3.  Jewel treatment. Jewelry stores show off their wares in clean, minimalist glass cases with excellent lighting. Conmed applied the same technique to display its arthroscopic surgical tools. The purposeful arrangement and simple casing articulated precision and fine craftsmanship—two things that Conmed's physician clients find important. Just to be a little bit unique, Conmed mounted its cases vertically and at eye level—which increased their ability to draw people from the aisle versus if they'd been displayed horizontally.

 

   

           

4. Weave your product into your design. Method could have shown all of the colors and fragrances its hand soaps come in by lining them up on a shelf. We're glad that's not what they did because the rainbow wall they created from actual bottles of the product was far more dramatic.

 

   


5.  Have fun. Yogi tea super-sized its product and wove the product into its exhibit design by hanging dozens of palm-sized tea bags tags from ceiling of its exhibit. The result is unexpected and eye drawing. Visitors couldn't help stepping in closer to read the sage statements printed on the rear side of each tag.

 

How do you make your small product stand out?