Selection of stand space
Off to the exhibition! Once you have decided to take part in an exhibition, you need to prepare your exhibition stand step by step. But what type of stand space should you book? Inline booth,Corner booth , Peninsula booth, Island booth – it can quickly make your head spin. In this blog post, we want to explain which stand spaces are available for your exhibition stand and explain the special features, advantages and disadvantages of each. With this knowledge, you can avoid mistakes when registering your exhibition stand that are almost impossible to correct later.
Exhibition booth registration
Decision on stand size and exhibition booth type, selection of stand space
Have you decided to take part in a trade fair? Then the first step is to fill out the registration form. In most cases, you not only have to specify the desired square meters here, but also select the type of stand space for your exhibition booth and thus define the type of exhibition booth in advance. As you have not usually worked out a trade fair concept at this stage, you should clarify the following things in advance:
- Which type of exhibition booth suits my company?
- What costs do I have to calculate with?
- What options do I have for exhibition booth planning?
This blog article will help you find the floor space that best suits your requirements and budget.
The stand rental for your exhibition booth
What does the exhibition stand space cost?
A simple rule of thumb applies here: the more open sides, the higher the stand rent. The price per square meter is always stated on the exhibition websites. It starts with the Inline booth with one open side. The more sides that are open, the higher the price per square meter. Prices also vary depending on the size, importance, industry and significance of the exhibition in question. At national and international trade fairs in Germany, you can currently expect to pay between 220 and 300 euros per square meter. Foreign trade fair venues are usually significantly more expensive. Once you have determined the costs for the stand rental, we will focus on the other features of your exhibition booth.
There are 4 different exhibition stand areas or exhibition booth types:
The Inline booth: The affordable all-rounder
The Inline booth is the most frequently used type of exhibition booth. It is only open at the front, the other three sides are closed and adjacent to other stands.
Advantages of the Inline booth
- Cost-effective: Inline booths are generally the cheapest type of stand as they are less complex in terms of construction and design. If your company’s trade fair budget is limited, a Inline booth is a good option.
- Simple planning and implementation: The closed sides often make the design of an Inline booth simpler and require less logistical planning. This saves time and resources.
Challenges of the Inline booth
- Limited visibility: As a Inline booth only has an open front, it is less visible. Visitors can easily overlook the stand or only see it when they are standing directly in front of it. Especially in a long row of stands, the individual booth tends to get lost.
- Limited design options: The design options are limited due to the closed sides. Inline booths also tend to have little depth. It is more difficult to design the exhibition booth individually and attractively.
- Limited interaction: The limited visibility and closed sides can restrict the opportunities for interaction with visitors. The edge of the booth can be perceived as a barrier that discourages people from visiting the exhibition booth.
When is an Inline booth the right choice?
- For companies with a limited budget
- If no extensive presentation area is required
The Corner booth: At the crossroads
A Corner booth always attracts a lot of attention, as it is located at the beginning or end of a row of stands where many visitors always pass by. With two open sides and two walls, this exhibition booth offers more possibilities than a Inline booth.
Advantages of the Corner booth
- Better visibility: With its two open sides, the Corner booth can be viewed from different directions. As a result, it attracts more attention and can attract more visitors.
- More creative stand design: A Corner booth offers you more flexibility when designing the stand architecture and placing products or interactive elements. It is also easier to direct visitor flows and draw attention to specific areas of the exhibition booth.
- Good room layout: In addition to the advantages of the open sides, necessary closed or semi-closed areas such as a cabin or a meeting corner can also be easily integrated into the corner.
Challenges of the Corner booth
- Medium-high costs: Corner booths are slightly more expensive to rent than Inline booths due to the two open sides.
- Greater design effort: As it is visible from two sides, the Corner booth must be designed with eye-catchers, for example, so that it looks appealing and supports making contact to the visitors.
When is a Corner booth the right choice?
- For companies with a medium budget
- For a large, diverse target group and when new contacts play an important role
- For the presentation of different products and services and the integration of interactive elements
The Peninsula booth: The representative eye-catcher
With only one fixed wall and three open sides, the Peninsula booth offers a great deal of freedom. It is located on three walkways and at the head of a row of stands, hence the name of this type of exhibition booth.
Advantages of the Peninsula booth
- Very good branding: A Peninsula booth offers a relatively large surface area and flexible options for displaying the company brand, logos, slogans and visual elements. This allows the company’s branding to be communicated more effectively and a high recognition to be achieved.
- Outstanding visibility: With its three open sides, the Peninsula booth is visible from many directions and is therefore clearly visible in the trade fair environment. The good visibility from afar ensures that many visitors come to the booth.
- Open communication: Thanks to the three open sides, it is very easy for trade fair visitors and stand staff to come into contact with each other. Visitors can also move around the stand more freely and interact with the stand personnel. This promotes exchange, networking and potential business deals.
Challenges of the Peninsula booth
- Noise and distractions: Due to the open sides, a lot of acoustic and visual stimuli penetrate the stand from the trade fair environment. If the booth is located near noisy exhibitors or high-traffic areas, it can be difficult to maintain a quiet and focused atmosphere.
- Less confidential atmosphere: As the exhibition booth is accessible and visible from all three sides, privacy is limited. Corresponding zones must be elaborately built and integrated into the exhibition booth design. For negotiations, confidential discussions or presentations, this can be a disadvantage or, in the case of more elaborate exhibition stand architecture, more expensive.
When is Peninsula booth the right choice?
- If exhibits or product presentations are to be shown in an open, inviting atmosphere
- For companies that value a large stand area and a high degree of visibility
The Island booth: The premier class
The Island booth, is enthroned in the middle of the exhibition hall in a representative and confident manner. Open and visible from all four sides, this exhibition stand offers the best possible presence and visibility.
Advantages of the Island booth:
- High flexibility: Thanks to its location and design, the Island booth can be designed very flexibly and adapted to the individual needs of the company. For example, different areas can be created very easily – for product presentations, meetings or demonstrations.
- Many interaction options: Island booths offer you a particularly large amount of space for interactive elements such as screens, play areas or product samples. This allows you to actively involve your visitors in what is happening at the exhibition booth and keep them on the stand.
- Strong visibility: Island booths are often visible from afar due to their size and eye-catching shape. This attracts visitors and makes it easier for them to find their way to your booth.
Challenges of the Island booth
- High costs: Due to their size and four open walls, Island booths are more complex and expensive to construct than conventional exhibition stands. If you opt for an Island booth, you should therefore set aside a higher budget. However, if you regularly take part in exhibitions, this investment will soon pay for itself.
- Greater complexity: The realization of an Island booth requires much more planning and logistics than a simple structured exhibition stand. A Island booth cannot be successfully implemented without experienced architects, designers and booth constructors.
When is an Island booth the right choice?
- If a representative exhibition appearance is important and a corresponding exhibition budget is available
- When products are to be presented interactively and in different ways
- If the exhibitor’s image is highly valued in the industry
Summary
As the amount of information is probably already making your head spin, we have summarized the most important decision criteria for choosing your exhibition booth here.
Special case: Double deck booth
Do you want your company to stand out from the competition in the truest sense of the word? Then a double deck booth may be the right choice for you. In principle, any stand area and therefore any standard booth can be realized as a double deck booth.
Advantages of the double deck booth
- Space-saving: At booming and overbooked exhibitions where space is limited, the double deck booth offers the opportunity to make a great trade fair appearance in a small space.
- Division into zones: The second floor allows the exhibition booth to be clearly divided. The first floor is reserved for presentations, while the second floor offers space for confidential customer meetings and catering.
- Great visibility from afar: With its height, the double deck booth towers above all other stands and is therefore highly visible. It also provides the opportunity for striking branding and image cultivation.
Challenges of the double deck booth:
High effort: The second floor requires structural engineering. This makes the planning of such an exhibition booth more complex and expensive than for a booth at ground level.
- High costs: It is not only the costs for planning and construction that are comparatively high. A stand rental fee is often also charged for the space on the second floor. Ask about this in advance when registering for the trade fair.
A big presence on just 20m2 – we realized this record-breaking compact double deck booth for our customer Wiferion for Logimat 2024.
Also important: the location of your exhibition booth
As with real estate, the mantra “location, location, location” also applies to exhibitions. As a rule, you have little influence on the placement of your booth, as the trade fair organizer decides on the layout of a hall after the registration deadline. Nevertheless, when registering you can often express your wishes as to whether you would like to be placed near certain exhibitors or whether you do not want to have certain exhibitors (e.g. competitors) as stand neighbors under any circumstances. However, there is no guarantee. Once a hall has been planned, you will receive the hall plan and, if necessary, an enlarged section with your exhibition booth, on which you can see the location of your exhibition stand and further information. In order to correctly assess the quality and potential of your booth location, you should critically examine the following factors:
- In which area of the hall is your booth located – at the entrance, in the middle, in peripheral areas?
- How is the flow of visitors and what is the expected “traffic” at the booth?
- Is your exhibition booth located near “high-traffic” areas – e.g. hall entrances and passages, special lecture areas, catering zone, restroom entrances?
- What is the environment of your stand like – competitors, eye-catching booth architecture?
- What is the structural quality of the hall – lighting conditions, ceiling height (and thus stand construction height), infrastructure?
- Is there a hall pillar on your exhibition booth?
- And: are you thematically placed in the right hall (mistakes can happen here too)
If you do not like the placement offer from the exhibition organizer, you can communicate your concerns and try to get another offer for your exhibition booth.
Next step: Your briefing for the stand concept
Once the exhibition stand space has been booked, you can turn your attention to designing your trade fair presentation. You can read how to compile all the information clearly for your booth constructor partner in the blog post “Checklist: Exhibition stand briefing – the best way to proceed!” (German only).
Has this guide helped you choose the right exhibition booth for your next trade fair appearance or have we forgotten something important? Then please leave a comment. If you have any further questions or would like more detailed information about a booth type, simply contact us. As trade fair professionals, we can certainly help you further.
