One of two things is probably causing you a little stress right now. One, your previous exhibit partner is no longer in business and you don’t know where to turn to get your exhibit materials ready for your upcoming events. Two, given the state of the world the last 18 months, you have procrastinated on deciding to go to your show and now need to figure out how to refresh your graphics and materials before it is too late. Or maybe you are experiencing both scenarios right now, either way, we can help!
To help, I have formed a few valuable tips to help your refresh project go smoother for everyone.
INVENTORY
Make sure you have an up-to-date list of all your exhibit materials and assets, preferably with photos. This will help you and your (new) exhibit partner decipher what needs to be updated and what does not. Having updated inventory lists is always helpful for planning and quickly deciding on changes. Especially if you are in the process of moving to a new exhibit house.
GRAPHIC SPECS
Locate the most recent copy of graphics specs you have and have it ready to share with your exhibit partner. This is a very important document you should always keep on file regardless of who is designing your graphics so that you are always in the driver seat and know what’s what. Especially in the case of moving to a new exhibit house, or needing to turn new graphics quickly, being able to provide these specs quickly to your designer or exhibit partner will save everyone time on recalcuating the specs and allow your vendor to turn new graphics quickly and easily for you.
As discussed in our previous blog - How to Avoid Exhibit Design Delays - there are industry wide delays that are affecting everyone right now, plus with the unfortunate closure of many exhibit houses that leaves fewer vendors trying to serve more customers get ready for their upcoming events. Anything, anyone can do to expedite the process will ultimately benefit you.
NEW CUSTOMIZATIONS
If you were hoping to make modifications to your exhibit structure before you next event… depending on when that next event is… you might not be able to get it done at this time. When making structural modifications your exhibit design will also need to make a trip through the design and engineering process to ensure everything is not only what you want but also structurally possible. Then it has to go through the building process. These added steps can add weeks to your timeline and could also result in new graphics specs meaning you would not be able to start on graphics until the new engineering specs are complete, approved, and available.
More times than not, and especially when in a pinch, you can change the look and feel of your exhibit by merely changing the graphics, maybe some lighting, or changing out simple items like counters and using rental stock items that are already built. You can also refresh the look and feel of your display with new branded apparel, branded face masks, or order new promotional items with the money you saved on not making structural changes.
Bottom line, there are many options and ways to accomplish an exhibit refresh – the best solution for you will most likely depend on the timeline. Don’t wait. Talk to one of our exhibit experts to find out how we can help you get ready for your next event.