Hi, I’m Chantal, Head of Creative at Keystone. Over many years working as a creative brand lead, art director, and hands-on designer, I’ve learned that creating stand-out event experiences isn’t just about eye-catching design (though it helps!). It’s about understanding audience behaviour, being strategic with your brand messaging, and knowing exactly how to capture attention quickly. Here’s what experience has taught me about making event stands genuinely effective…

Let’s set the scene.

We’ve all been there. You’re wandering through an exhibition hall, trying to avoid eye contact with the eager-beaver salespeople on stands, who are desperate to keep their minds off the pain in their feet that they’ve been standing on all day by talking to you! Meanwhile, you’re trying to spot the businesses you DO want to talk to in the morass of badly designed stands.

If you’re the one organising a stand, it can be easy to forget what it’s like on the other side. So, your job is to make it as easy as possible for people to find you, show them exactly how you understand them better than your competitors do, and get their details so you can have a fabulous conversation with them later –  the holy grail of events.

I can’t promise you all of that in this piece alone, but I can give you a starting point, one that will get you on the right track to creating a show-stopping stand!

Say it big, bold, and briefly!

Imagine visitors are window-shopping: if they don’t immediately understand who you are and why they should care, they’ll keep walking.

Make your main message short, clear, and memorable. Tell your audience what they want to know, make it worth their time, and definitely do not waffle. Visitors don’t have the patience for complicated stories. People can only process limited information when passing by. You have around seven seconds – often less – to grab their attention and convince them to pause, so make it count!

Design for visitors, not just your brand

It’s tempting to build your stand purely around your products or services but, as you probably know from experience, visitors can be a bit shy about approaching stands because they worry they’ll get jumped on them straight away!

Create an approachable, open layout that allows them to check you out at a safe distance. People need psychological permission to step closer. A stand that feels too enclosed or busy makes people feel trapped. Open stands invite visitors to move in at their own pace.

Think about offering something tangible at the stand’s edge so visitors can get information without feeling pressured. Give them space to think and observe, and they’ll feel safer stepping closer.

Provide a reason to linger

Once you’ve made someone pause, you need to encourage them to stay. Curiosity and engagement are powerful motivators, and visitors are naturally curious, but hesitant. Give them a gentle nudge by offering interactive features such as live demonstrations, product testing, a touchscreen experience, or even a friendly competition – it gives visitors a reason to stick around and engage on their own terms, increasing their dwell time.

Event visitors have practical needs too. Offering phone charging stations, drinks, or a seating area makes your stand inviting and gives attendees a practical reason to stop. People appreciate these thoughtful touches, and it can create positive associations with your brand.

Images that connect

People naturally connect with people, especially when eye contact is involved. If you’re using photography of faces and people, have them ideally looking directly outwards, it helps your stand feel more approachable. We’re drawn to eyes and faces, especially if they feel familiar or relatable.

Don’t forget to include diverse imagery to reflect your audience back at themselves. If visitors recognise something of themselves in your visuals, they’re more likely to stop and engage.

Think practically, design strategically

Don’t overlook the practical side of design. Key messages and visuals at eye level are a winner. The bottom of your stand is usually wasted space because visitors rarely look down as they pass, so don’t hide important information there that you rely on to get your point across.

Balance visual elements carefully. Contrast bold headlines with supporting messages but keep clutter to a minimum. A clear hierarchy of copy ensures your stand is easy on the eye and easy to absorb.

If you have multiple messages you want to get across, use gradients, blocks of colour, or contrasting panels to create visual separations. People process information better when it’s clearly structured. Keep the main headline area simple and powerful and use separate spaces or panels for detailed product information, testimonials, or supporting messages.

Corners and edges of your stand help define your space without closing it off. A carefully placed vertical post or panel can serve as a boundary marker and still keep the stand open and accessible.

Think about building your stand with reusable or modular materials. Not only is it environmentally responsible, but it can also be more cost-effective if you’re attending multiple events every year. Practical design choices also make setup and breakdown simpler! Additionally, don’t forget about essentials like hidden storage or power access, functionality is just as important as aesthetics.

Measure success and keep improving

Finally, make sure you measure how people interact with your stand so you can figure out what worked and what didn’t. There’s no point putting in all that hard graft if you don’t learn from it. QR code scans, competition entries or even a simple count of how many people stopped to talk to you can give you a helpful sense of impact, and help you sharpen things for next time.

One final tip to help you stand out? Keep your visitor in mind at every stage. If you do that, your stand won’t just look good—it’ll feel good too. And that’s the bit that captures attention, sparks conversations and leaves a lasting impression.

And while this blog focuses on stand design, it’s worth remembering that your stand is just one piece of the puzzle. To really make an impact, you need a clear, confident brand that knows what it stands for, a deep understanding of your audience and a plan to engage with them before and after the event too. When all of that lines up, the stand becomes the cherry on top, not the whole cake.

Your quick checklist:

• Make your main message short, clear, and memorable.
• Create an open and welcoming layout (no barriers!)
• Interactive elements can entice your visitors in
• Keep all the important information at eye-level
• Connect with friendly, approachable photography
• Remember to think practically, as well as strategically
• Measure and refine after each event

Good luck stand designer, may the force be with you! Cx