Standing out from the crowd

We are quite blessed here in the sign industry with the amount of events that are put together to allow manufactures and suppliers to show off new products and solutions to the market. From the likes of Sign and Digital UK, through to newer events such as The Print Show, there is a wealth of exhibitions that we can treat ourselves to.

While the content of these events may differ, one big factor remains the same—exhibition stands. All industry shows feature some sort of stand for exhibitors to show off their products and meet customers, while the cheaper option of pop-up stands work just as well either in the exhibition environment or elsewhere. And with the events scene both inside and outside the sign industry continuing to expand, the number of companies involved in the exhibition and pop-up stand market has predictably grown. With this in mind, what sort of technologies are available on the market and how do companies involved in this sector make a success of it?

Expanding sector

Specialising in the exhibition stand market, Ultima Displays has seen business from this sector increase in recent years. By her own admission, marketing director Sarah Blackwell says that the company is ‘busy’ at present, with work coming from a number of different directions.



“Ultima Displays has a dedicated exhibition stand hunter who has increased our modular sales significantly,” Blackwell explains, adding: “It seems there are more and more exhibitions throughout the UK and Europe, plus local events where people are needing stands designing and building which we are benefitting from.


“Ultima Displays is also able to offer a complete service from design to quote, to build to install and dismantle or even rental. We offer a high quality service with high quality products and print, we design stands with reconfigurability in mind, so that customers can remodel their stand for future events meaning their outlay is reduced by not having to purchase a complete new stand every time.”

Going into further detail of the products Ultima Displays has on offer, Blackwell highlights its Linear and Vector solutions in particular—stating they are suited to all sorts of budgets that customers may have.

“We offer custom design using materials such as Linear and Vector for the truly unique stand, or standard components such as Vector Lite or Formulate to cover all budget requirements,” Blackwell says.

Blackwell also went on to mention a number of new products that have been put to market by Ultima Displays this year. She explains that the company is keen to respond to the needs of the market by constantly developing new solutions.



“We are releasing a large range of new products this year to include Formulate and new flags and tents, as well as some great enhancements to some of our best-selling existing products such as Orient and Delta Roller Banners,” she says, adding: “Customers can download our new product brochure from our website.”

Popping up with profit

Another company currently enjoying the benefits of operating in a vibrant sector is Venture Banners, which, although active in a number of markets, cites pop-up stands as a key area at present. Director Scott Conway says that the company is always busy with pop-up stand projects and this trend shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.



Conway explains: “We are always busy with pop-ups; we’ve spent a long time getting the material, units and pricing structure absolutely right so that our trade customers can have absolute confidence in the product and still make a decent margin.

“All our units have a five year guarantee and the material we print onto is a 500 micron light stop material that cuts so well you have to look really closely for the joins. With prices for a 3 x 3m stand bundle including lights and a counter top at £398 we think we’ve got it spot on.

“Pop-ups are a superb way of show-casing your company professionally without going to the expense of a purpose built exhibition stand and so are perfect for an entry level trade show solution.”



Conway goes on to argue that it is also important for companies to be careful when investing in pop-up stands, warning that opting for cheaper solutions could in turn result in a weaker display when it comes to the final product.

Conway says: “There are plenty of cheap units out there and I’ve even seen pop-ups printed onto what can only be described as roller banner material, which is too lightweight and allows the graphics to sag. But why would you jeopardise your company image on something that looks cheap and nasty? It is important to have a consistent supplier so that when you come to change the graphics you are able to easily obtain the headers and kickers.

“We can supply pop-ups of all the usual sizes; from 1 x 3m to 5 x 3m either single or double-sided. We are also able to offer 3D pop-up stand design for customers who want to do more with their pop-ups. It is something we are working on promoting further as we are able to join pop ups together with ‘ghost panels’ to create shapes and more elaborate stand designs.”

Exponential growth
 
Also enjoying the benefits of operating in a busy market is Unibox, which offers a host of bespoke retail displays, exhibition, and graphic solutions using modular aluminium systems. Nick Wraith, managing director at the company, says that although the market is busy at present, this was not the case so long ago when the sector took a hit during recent economic crises.



Wraith explains: “It was clear that the exhibition market took a big hit due to the economic crises, but since then it has been growing exponentially year-on-year. The market itself has evident windows, which are due to the main exhibition periods throughout the year; these can then create business peaks and troughs. The market is currently in one of its busier periods of the year, which usually settles off in December due to the Christmas period.”


Expanding on the main reasons behind Unibox’s success over the years, Wraith highlights the supply of effective solutions as a key factor in building up a strong reputation in the industry.

He adds: “If you have already covered the cost of a space within an exhibition, which dependant on its size can be quite costly, it would then be silly to then scrimp on the stand that you plan to use. The exhibit stand is there to attract interest and gain brand awareness, to allow you to get names and contacts and to hopefully in the long-run increase your company sales. So, to try and find a cheap option could then make the whole cost and exhibition itself worthless or even derogatory.”



In terms of the solutions on offer from Unibox, Wraith highlights two offerings for its potential exhibitor clients—the Unibox modular system for the client that knows exactly what they want in terms of sizes, parts, and accessories, as well as bespoke designs for customers who have specific needs.



Speaking about these two options, Wraith comments: “With our modular system, we can package all the parts the client has chosen and get them out to customers, who can then assemble themselves. The investment we made into our modular system components permits simple assembly of whatever complex structure has been chosen.

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“However, some clients want to create very specific designs, and we will work closely with them to create a bespoke solution. We thrive on these projects and the challenges they bring then allow us to evolve as a company to the changing needs of our customers. We are only restricted to client designs and imagination, we will always work with them to create a solution that realises exactly what they wanted to achieve.”

So, it seems the exhibition and pop-up stands market is another sector within the wider sign industry that is currently enjoying a boom in demand. And with the ongoing economic recovery in the UK, new events are being added to the calendar all the time in iconic locations such as the NEC, Earls Court, The Business Design Centre, and The Ricoh Arena. With all this in mind, it seems that using a trade product to get this department of your business off the ground while business is on the up is a very sensible move indeed.

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