We’re going to a boat show: everything you need to present your brand and business

Once you decide to present your brand at a trade show, often after attending one yourself, it is time to lay the groundwork. You have seen what is on offer and how your competitors present themselves, so you do not have to reinvent the wheel. You have probably also picked up a few ideas for your own presence. To bring the whole experience together and get the most out of your participation fee and appearance, your preparation needs to cover three areas:

1. Preparing your team. Everyone involved in preparing for the show needs to work towards the same goals. For example, your main goal might be to introduce your brand if you are new to the market. Or it might be to present a new product or offer, collect new leads or make sales. Once you have decided on your primary goal, you can move on to the next step.

2. Preparing your materials. This is where a designer comes in, and it is part of the work I do with my clients. By materials, I mean all printed and digital design, from leaflets to animations on screens. This also includes the design of your exhibition space, from graphics to the choice and placement of furniture, screens and any meeting areas.
3. Preparing your potential and existing clients. Too many brands forget this part and send invitations, if they send any at all, just two days before the show. You need to let potential clients know where you will be and when, early enough for them to put you in their calendars. A trade show is an excellent opportunity to arrange meetings in one place and give people your full attention. You are away from your everyday work, with the specific purpose of spending time with them.

Design and visual communication set the scene for your trade show presence. Your stand is your largest advertising asset, so it should never be neglected or left to chance. That does not mean you need an extravagant space with a hefty price tag. If you start planning the design early and make considered choices, your stand can attract visitors on a much more modest budget. At shows such as Biograd, you will often operate from two locations: one in the marina and another indoors. Make sure they tell the same story. By now, I hope we have learnt that consistency helps build your brand and makes it recognisable.
My recommendation is to think big. Use larger graphics. One full wall is better than a dozen small posters. And think vertically. At a busy stand, almost anything below one metre is practically invisible. Position the most important information, such as your name and brand, at eye level.
Let us return to the budget, because, honestly, it is one of the main factors when planning any trade show appearance and its design materials. Start by setting an approximate budget. The best place to begin is with the organiser. Organisers usually offer packages with defined stand layouts and prices. First, decide how much floor space you need, then move on to the furnishings and graphics. Some organisers also offer printing, which can be a good option because they handle installation and removal too. However, if you want more freedom and graphics you can reuse, you can arrange these yourself with a designer’s help. The initial investment may be slightly higher, but you could end up with equipment you can use several times and which may pay for itself within two years. Bear in mind that you will then need to arrange transport, handling and storage yourself.

Alongside the stand itself, your other design materials help tell a consistent brand story. Even when your back is turned, you can still represent your brand, for example by wearing a shirt with its logo.
If your budget does not stretch to fitting out an exhibition space and you have to work with the smallest stand package, start small and invest in reusable, portable display materials. These include flags, retractable banners and various backdrops. They all have lightweight frames that are easy to assemble and take apart, supporting graphics printed on fabric or heavier paper.
What should you put on them? Avoid breaking up a large format with lots of small images and text. A common mistake is trying to include as much information as possible because “we have the space”. That is not what these displays are for. Their purpose is to help visitors spot you from a distance. A reliable approach is to use your brand colours and a large logo, perhaps with one sentence explaining your purpose and offer.
Alternatively, use one large, attractive photograph with a clearly visible logo. Less is more.
Another important category is smaller printed promotional materials. These include brochures, leaflets, business cards, shirts and SWAG, short for “stuff we all get”: pens, keyrings, bags, caps, lighters and similar items. Unless you have a special offer available only at the show, a brochure presenting your offer and contact details is always a good investment and a useful reminder. A leaflet, on the other hand, can offer extra value if it includes a voucher for a small discount or something similar. As for SWAG, few people dislike getting something free, especially if it is useful and well designed. Choose items that relate to your business and offer decent quality within your budget. Through everyday use, these small items become regular reminders of your brand. You do not want to give visitors a pen with your logo that falls apart after its first use or, worse, does not write or leaks.
Although I have called this section “graphics and promotional materials”, I cannot leave out digital design. When planning your trade show presence, include social media visuals, banners and cover images for your official communication channels. Visual consistency across all channels matters. If you already have clear brand guidelines, this should be straightforward.

Many trade shows here take place in exhibition halls and use rented stand systems. You choose your floor space and receive an empty “box”, perhaps enclosed by an Octanorm system with white panels and blue carpet, and possibly a sign across the front fascia. There is a good chance that your stand will look just like those around it, particularly those whose exhibitors did not plan ahead. When you are placed in a row of ten similar spaces, visitors can easily overlook you and walk past, even if they know you are there. You therefore need to stand out visually. That is where the graphics and promotional materials mentioned above come in, both around the stand and on the counter.
Everyone working on the stand, including you, your employees and any promotional staff, needs to know the goals of your appearance and be familiar with your products and offer. They must be able to communicate this information or direct visitors to the right person. The next point may sound obvious, but you have probably attended a show yourself, noticed an appealing stand and then found it empty, with no staff in sight. An unattended stand with nobody to welcome visitors wastes money and creates a poor impression. Staff need to arrive on time and take an active role, rather than stare at their phones and count down the minutes until closing. I know that several days at a trade show can be mentally and physically tiring, but those few days can lead to business relationships that support your company for years.
To engage visitors, some exhibitors organise activities such as prize draws, small giveaways, quizzes or scheduled presentations. For a yacht charter business, this could mean a nautical knowledge quiz, fleet presentations, a knot tying competition or a wheel of fortune. These activities can also help you collect contact details, for example through an online quiz.
It is also useful to stay active online during the show, perhaps create your own hashtag, and connect with other exhibitors and visitors. After all, everyone is there to learn something new and meet people who may be able to help them in some way.

After two or three days on a stand, almost everyone is mentally and physically exhausted. However, you are now at the final stage, and it is worth following through to the end. People form their impression of your brand from both big and small things. Sometimes, those small details are what set your brand apart. Again, it feels strange to have to mention this, but experience shows that it needs saying: clean up after yourself. Do not leave behind rubbish, plastic cups or promotional materials. Do not give the impression that you could not wait to get away. Trade show appearances cost money, materials cost money, and your reputation has value. A potential client who was planning to contact you and work with you might change their mind after seeing the rubbish you have left behind. They might think, “If they cannot clear up this rubbish, how will they look after my boat?” Everything you do reflects how you run your business.
Do not throw leftover printed materials into a bin on your way out. Take everything with you and put it away. Keep it for your next show or another occasion. The same applies to any graphics, flags and posters you used on the stand.
Once everything has been packed up and cleared away, give your staff and yourself a well deserved rest. But first, write a short review and save it in a folder alongside the photographs you took of the stand. This step is optional, but extremely useful. Next time, you will not have to guess what happened, what the stand looked like, what worked and what did not. You will be better prepared and know more.
If your trade show appearance was successful, you probably held several meetings, met plenty of people and answered even more questions. Follow up. Thank everyone, arrange further meetings and answer any questions that remained unresolved or that you did not have time to address in enough detail. You can do this in person or through any other communication channel. Whatever you choose, stay in touch. Those relationships are the most valuable thing you can take away from a trade show.