Exhibition stand Trends 2023

2022 is slowly coming to an end. Are you already planning your trade fair appearances for the coming year? Do you know what went well or not so well this year and want to inspire your target group even more for the 2023 trade fair year? Or you haven't thought about this topic yet and still need the right inspiration? Then I would like to give you 5 trends that will make your trade fair stand stand out from the crowd.

Some trade fair stand trends will certainly not come as a surprise to you, as they have been part of many trade fair plans for some time now. Nevertheless, it is important to continue to pursue these topics and take them to a new level for the 2023 trade fair year.

5 trends for your trade fair presence in 2023

1. create interaction at the trade fair stand

Making a visit to your trade fair stand an experience should be the goal of every exhibitor for the 2023 trade fair year. The coronavirus pandemic and this year's resumption of trade fairs have shown that people want to engage in personal dialogue. Gamifying the stand visit will ensure that visitors experience your brand and remember it for a long time. Appeal to the different senses and think about an activity that suits your company. How about:

• 3D photo box: Let your visitors take a 3D photo of themselves or capture the reunion with long business partners in a joint snapshot.
• Wind tunnel: At the next recruitment fair, let young talents collect your job offers in a wind tunnel. Whoever is the quickest to catch the piece of paper with their dream job will be listed in a leaderboard. How about an internship for the top 3 in their favourite department?
• Simulators: Is it a good idea to use a simulator to provide your target group with in-depth product knowledge? Your visitors will associate this unique experience with your brand and remember it.

These are just a few examples of interaction at the trade fair stand as part of your stand concept. My colleague Alex has written a separate blog article about this. You are sure to find more inspiration here: Interactive trade fair stand for more visitors

Please note: Always stay true to your brand and create a recognisable image for your company and product.

2. trade fair appearances are becoming more sustainable

Sustainability has become increasingly important in all areas of our lives. The trade fair industry is also setting itself goals to make the entire exhibition business more sustainable. As an exhibitor, you also have a very high impact on the ecological footprint of your trade fair presence. This starts at the planning stage and only ends when your exhibition stand is put away.

• Event resource management systems not only shorten your preparation time for trade fair participation, but are also standardised in such a way that processes are designed to be sustainable.
• Which packaging material do you or your stand builder use to transport exhibition systems and advertising materials safely to the event venue? Here, too, there are many sustainable alternatives to classic plastic stretch film.
• Standardised aluminium frame systems are reusable and consume less CO2 emissions during transport due to their low weight.

Similar to aluminium frames, exhibition stands made of Euro pallets can be individually assembled time and time again and are highly reusable. Exhibition stands made from pallets will be the trend in the exhibition industry in 2023. We all know the incredible number of possibilities that a simple Euro pallet offers us. Homemade balcony furniture, herb beds or even your own bed can be made from pallets. So why not an exhibition stand too?

Think about which processes or elements of your trade fair stand you can make more sustainable. You are sure to find one or two things that can be adapted cost-effectively and easily now for your trade fair appearances in 2023.

We have already written a few articles on the topic of sustainability in trade fair construction. So take a look here too:

• Blog article: 5 tips for sustainable trade fair construction
• Blog article: Climate-neutral company as a competitive advantage
• Blog article: Sustainable giveaways for your trade fair appearance

3. create a cosy atmosphere at the stand

The focus of every exhibitor is on dialogue and networking with interested parties and existing customers. In the hustle and bustle of a trade fair, a visit to which can often be very stressful and overstimulating, it is all the more important today to create a retreat at the trade fair stand where you can hold conversations in peace.

Former futuristic designs with dominant white and sober seating will be replaced by a comfortable lounge in 2023. The lighting of the trade fair stand is based on warm light, which optimally illuminates the stand and creates a cosy atmosphere.

4. inspire with technology at the trade fair stand

Gone are the years when exhibitors were able to attract the attention of trade fair visitors with simple roll-ups and folding displays. There is absolutely no objection to a high-quality roll-up that conveys initial product information to passers-by. Nevertheless, more is expected today - especially from innovative companies - for us to pay attention to a brand.

In the digital age, we are much more attracted to and inspired by new technologies. One of these is LED video walls. These have been a popular technology for years and can literally light up the stand. In addition to illuminated or backlit textile graphics, LED video walls can also be used to display messages in the form of videos or presentations. Live competitions, panel discussions or video broadcasts can also be played on an LED video wall. On the one hand, these options ensure that the attention of trade fair visitors is drawn to your stand and that visitors stay longer. In addition, emotions can be conveyed much better - compared to a simple roll-up.

But as already mentioned, LED video walls have almost become an integral part of every stand concept in the last three years. Why am I still including them among the trends for the coming trade fair year? The ‘masterclass’ of LED video walls is the combination of LED panels and textile graphics. Let the two materials merge and breathe life into rigid graphics. It gets particularly exciting when the LED panels go round corners, as in this example:

The alignment of the video content must be set up with absolute precision so that the effect of a fusion of LED video wall and textile graphics works.

In addition to LED video walls, touch panels are also increasingly being used on trade fair stands so that stand visitors can obtain information independently. For example, provide access to your website with gated content such as white papers, studies, etc. on your touch panel. This gives you another source of leads at your stand and you don't need any additional advertising material.

Do you already know digital business cards? With a QR code, the visitor with whom you have struck up a conversation can save all of your information directly to their smartphone. In addition to classic information such as mobile phone number and email address, the link to your LinkedIn profile can also be stored. And what could be better than being connected with a prospect via social media?

When we talk about trend technologies, the topic of virtual reality should not be left out. But more on this in the next point.

5. bringing unlimited possibilities to the stand area

Last but not least and actually trend topic no. 1: Virtual reality at the trade fair stand. Are you an innovative company and want to bring interaction to your trade fair stand? Is your stand space not big enough to display all your products? Why not have a virtual environment built in the Metaverse that visitors to your trade fair stand can visit using VR glasses? This location-independent (virtual) exhibition centre can be accessed at any time and has no expiry date. The virtual world lives on updates that trade fair visitors can experience again from home after the trade fair.

However, make sure that not everyone can access VR glasses at home. Give visitors at home the choice between a panoramic world and a simpler 2D world that can be accessed via smartphone or computer.

Our Metapilots team can tell you more about the realisation of virtual experiences. You are also welcome to take a look at our case studies: To our virtual projects.

What we can expect in the trade fair industry in 2023

2023 will be an exciting year for trade fairs! (Hopefully) recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, we expect the entire industry to be at least on a par with 2019. So it's time to think about your own trade fair presence and create a unique concept. Always follow the KISS concept (Keep it short & simple) and pick out one or two eye-catchers to incorporate into your stand concept. Always keep your target group and their needs in mind. And if you need support in creating your trade fair concept, we are just a mouse click away from helping you.

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I wish you every success in planning and realising your trade fair appearances in 2023!