Purpose, Presentation & Preparation

Here are some points to help you create a successful display. Please consider this point:

Purpose

First be clear about your purpose. Decide what you are trying to achieve - what is your objective? For example it might be:

• To show a product, or
• To promote your company, or
• To display a demonstration or prototype, or
• To make business (or technical) contacts, or
• To describe a research project.

Decide on one objective. If you have more than one objective there is a real danger that you display will appear confusing to visitors.

How do you want visitors to your stand to react and what do you want them to do? This could be:

• Offer to help exploit you project results
• Express an interest in joining in related research work or a proposal
• Tell you how your work and theirs could influence one another
• Buy something.

Presentation

The quality of display materials used by previous display participants has varied enormously. We have seen high quality professional displays using printed posters as well as third rate stands using materials consisting of photocopies of A4 sheets haphazardly placed on poster panels. You should be aware that those display participants who did not bother to have display materials prepared by professionals probably did a good job of damaging their company's image and reputation. You should therefore:

• Use A3/2/1 size posters which have been professionally prepared, and
• Provide visitors with good quality printed materials.

Preparation

The guidance here is very simple - come to the display well prepared:

• Don't forget to read the available information - it tells you what you need to know in order to design, organise and operate your display.
• If you need to pre-deliver materials to site, make sure that you find out how to do this and that the materials will arrive in good time.
• If you need to have materials shipped back to your base from venue, make arrangements with a courier such as DHL before you depart for conference. Materials left at the conference centre will be thrown away. Do not forget to consider how you are going to pay the local courier - cash?
• If necessary bring a conversion for you electricity connection - Europe does not have a standard electrical socket outlet.
• Make sure you bring a 4 metre extension lead - the location of the socket might not match where you want to place any equipment.
• Do you want to plug in more than one device? If so you should bring a multi-way adapter as only one socket outlet is provided.
• Don't forget to bring fixing materials, tape and anything else you might need.
• Before visitors arrive make sure that they can leave with clear details of how to contact you and decide how you are going to record their details - and how are you going to store all those visiting cards you will be given?
• Provide a facility for people to leave their visiting card and request information during the times when the display is not staffed - e.g. leave blank forms on the table and a box for their visiting cards.