Promotional Stands

Three things that separate a promotional stand from an exhibition stand

• **The venue rules differ.** Mall management keeps height, power and fire limits tighter than a fair organiser; in most malls anything above 2.5 metres needs approval. We start the design from that limit.
• **The visitor is unprepared.** A fair visitor arrives with business cards; a mall visitor walks past with shopping bags. The product has to be understood in three seconds, so the graphic surface carries one message and the product sits at eye level. We set out the criteria in the article on product display at eye level.
• **The duration is short.** A promotional stand stays up for a weekend or a few days. Build and dismantling each take a day, and the body is designed to fit in a single vehicle.

Where we build promotional stands

• Product launches and sampling in shopping malls
• In-store brand corners and seasonal displays
• Sponsor areas at concerts, festivals and sports events
• Company stands in congress and symposium foyers (see congress stands)
• Product presentation areas at dealer and sales meetings

For every job we first take the floor dimensions, the power point and the venue's regulations; the drawing starts from those three inputs.

Structure and materials

The body of a promotional stand is a timber frame with painted MDF or an aluminium profile system. Since nothing can be screwed into a mall floor, the body stands on its own weight; we calculate stability against tipping from the height and the weight of the product. Graphic surfaces are printed panels or tension fabric; lighting is solved with spots and LED strip, powered from the single socket the venue provides.

The product display is the centre of a promotional stand: a locked showcase, open shelving, a trial counter or a screen. Which one fits depends on the size of the product and on whether the visitor will touch it. If samples are handed out we add a small closed compartment behind the counter, so product boxes never sit in view.

Process and timing

Within two business days of the brief we send a 3D visual and a quote with the scope itemised. From approval to build, a standard promotional stand needs ten business days; mall approval sits outside that and takes one to three weeks depending on the centre. We run that approval: drawings, the material list and the fire certificate go to mall management from us.

The build happens while the mall is closed; most centres require night installation. Our crew goes in at night and the stand is ready at opening. Dismantling follows the same pattern and the space is left as we found it.

Together with the exhibition stand

Companies that exhibit at a fair often want to present the same product in a shopping mall afterwards. In that case we carry the graphic language and the material palette of the exhibition stand over to the promotional stand; both jobs come from one design team, so the brand look does not shift. Our exhibition stand services and stand types are described on their own pages.

How it differs from an exhibition stand

A fair visitor buys a ticket to reach the stand, carries business cards and asks questions. A mall visitor walks past with shopping bags and has to be stopped. That difference changes every design decision: a promotional stand has fewer surfaces, a bigger message and a shorter conversation.

The venue rules differ too. Mall management caps height at 2.5 metres in most places, allows no screws into the floor, provides power through a single socket and wants the build done while the centre is closed. Instead of the fair organiser’s manual, the centre’s technical rules and fire certificate apply.

The duration is short as well: a promotional stand stays up for a weekend or a few days, goes up in one night and comes down in one night. We design the structure around those windows; how we produce promotional stands is described as a separate type on the stand types page.

Where it is used

Product launches and sampling in a shopping mall corridor are the most common use; visitor numbers are high and conversations short. In-store brand corners and seasonal displays come second; here the stand follows the layout of the store.

At concerts, festivals and sports events it serves as a sponsor area; outdoors, weather and ground conditions decide the structure. In congress and symposium foyers it is built as a company stand, at dealer and sales meetings as a product presentation area.

For every use we first take the floor dimensions, the power point, the direction of foot traffic and the venue’s rules; the drawing starts from those four inputs. We run the process with the steps described on our exhibition stand services page, only on a shorter calendar.

Structure and process

The body is a timber frame with painted MDF or an aluminium profile system; since it cannot be screwed to the floor it stands on its own weight and stability is calculated from the product weight. Graphic surfaces are printed panels or tension fabric, lighting is spots and LED strip. The product display is solved with a showcase, shelving, a trial counter or a screen.

Within two business days of the brief we send a 3D visual and a quote with the scope itemised. From approval to build ten business days are enough; venue approval sits outside that and takes one to three weeks. We run the correspondence with the venue and submit the drawings and documents.

When a company that exhibited at a fair wants to present the same product in a mall afterwards, we carry the graphic language of the exhibition stand over to the promotional stand; because both jobs come from one team, the brand look does not change. We do this with the method described on our design page.