When it comes to creating a powerful exhibit, the old saying, less is better, has never been truer. Often exhibitors have a tendency to simply put too much into their display. They mistakenly assume that they need to tell everyone everything as quickly as possible and their back-wall ends up looking like a brochure.  Let’s take a step back and look at the problem and see if there isn’t a better solution.

The first thing to focus on is those people that you are designing for – the visitors. Put yourself in their position. You chose to go to the show for a number of reasons. Likely at the top of the list are to see new products and services and learn about new tools and technologies. That’s good and bad news. The good news is that as a visitor if you have chosen the show well, you have an excellent chance of learning and seeing lots of new products. The bad news is that there is simply too many. It’s like drinking from a fire-hose. Eventually your brain shuts down and you can’t take in additional information. You suffer from information overload.

Now let’s look at this from your point of view as the exhibitor. When your display tries to say too much you are compounding the effects of information overload. The trick is to say enough to get the visitor’s attention and once they have stopped at your booth, your boothers do the rest.   Now is when “less is better” comes into play. Here are some of the things to look at.

Graphics

Displays that are filled with photos don’t work. They add to the confusion. Sure some people will stop by and peruse your photo gallery, but most will simply walk by. It’s like bringing baby pictures to a dinner party. The guests will be patient and polite but sooner or later they start to yawn. One good photo that whets their appetite is worth more than a thousand that puts them to sleep - less is better.

Words

How much can you possibly tell people on a sign? Remember that visitors in addition to having too much information also have sore feet and are probably tired from holding their bag of brochures and give away items. Asking them to stand and read all your information is not a reasonable thing to do – less is better.

Products

While it’s true that visitors want to see real products rather than photos, you don’t need to have them all. Bring the newest product which becomes the focal point in the booth and perhaps a few representative samples of other products and that’s all – less is better.

People

Too many people in your booth can also be disastrous. It makes approaching your display intimidating and many visitors will simply walk by. There is a rule of thumb in the exhibition industry that states that every staff person requires 50 square feet of unoccupied space. That means for a 10 X 10 booth you need two people. For a 10 X 20 you don’t need four – only three. This is because the more space you add, the greater the tendency to occupy it with inanimate objects – displays, products, etc. So, balance the number of people you have working in your display with the amount of space you have available – less in better.

Before you put your next display together take a moment and step back and ask yourself, “Is this display attracting attention or adding to the confusion?” If your answer is the latter, you now have four areas you can examine that will increase your display’s impact.