The Services of Custom-designed Stands Designers

Many companies choose to attend trade shows and exhibitions and these opportunities to showcase products and services are regular events in major cities across South Africa. The sheer number of show stands at these events means that a company must take advantage of the services of professional designers to ensure that the custom-designed stands that they have on display will entice possible buyers to spend some of their limited time reviewing the products and services on display.

New technology, new materials and new computer assisted design software have made it possible to manufacture custom-designed stands that are capable of fulfilling the requirements of the designers and the companies that have retained their services.

These show stands range from the simple fabric system stands which although representing extremely good value for money also take advantage of the latest printing techniques which make it possible to display photographic quality prints of products or backdrops which accentuate the properties of the product or the corporate identity of the company offering the products and services.

The new printing technology provides designers with an opportunity to provide companies with custom-designed fabric systems that are suitable for use in a variety of different venues and events.

Designers of custom-designed stands that are used at exhibitions have also taken advantage of new materials in order to ensure that many of the stands that are today available are extremely easy to transport from venue to venue. The lightweight modular systems which make extensive use of aluminium frames to support either fabric or laminate panels are designed to ensure that erecting the stands is extremely simple. Many variants of these types of stands, such as the Metrolite system available from Scan Display, fold up for transport in a carry bag that will easily fit into the boot of an average sized car.

Designers have ensured that many of the custom-designed stands can have additional units attached to them. This provides the customer with an almost endless variety of different configurations. The ability to add to the stands as and when required also makes investment in this type of stand extremely good value for money. These types of stands have been designed to be enhanced through the addition of other display equipment such as extra lighting, brochure stands, display cases and an assortment of banners, such as the ever popular pull up banner.

Custom-designed stands which have been configured by an expert designer to form the foundation of a modular system also represent an excellent investment due to the fact that in the unlikely event of damage to the tough graphic panels these can be easily replaced without the added expense of replacing the entire unit. The design of modular systems also allows the various components of the professionally designed stands to be used for a variety of different purposes in a variety of different settings, such as awards ceremonies or even sporting events. This further enhances the functionality of these display systems.

Larger custom-designed stands are also extremely popular and the designers of these stands have ensured that they are both extremely eye catching and provide the staff manning these stands with sufficient room to demonstrate products and interact with potential customers in comfort. The framework of these stands can be designed to conform to the corporate identity of the company that will be making use of the stand. Curved surfaces and a variety of shapes are today possible and the services of an expert stand manufacturer and designer will ensure that the stand is an accurate reflection of the quality of the merchandise being promoted. Additional services such as the leasing of chairs, portable flooring and other value added services will ensure that the company purchasing a custom-designed stand will enjoy pride of place amongst exhibitors at both exhibitions and trade shows.

These rental or purchase exhibits are fabricated from a variety of materials, based upon the design and needs of the exhibitor. These exhibits often incorporate hard wall panels to create rooms and separated spaces, stages, large metal structures, display and workstations, and other display components. Custom exhibits cannot normally be set up by the exhibitor without utilizing the services of an on site labour source (show general contractor, or a labour contractor approved through show management). Large companies often buy a custom exhibit to be used at different shows in different countries all over the world – a concept similar to the set of sound and stage equipment that accompanies world famous music groups on their tours around the world. Rules for construction of custom exhibits vary from country to country and even show hall to show hall.

The trade show industry serves a astoundingly wide and varied audience. Virtually every industry has its own menagerie of shows that cater to virtually “every” sub-segment. On a micro level, there are numerous reasons for exhibitors to deploy a display at a given trade show. On a macro level it can be said that there are only five reasons:

• To sell.
• To launch.
• To correct a misconception.
• To create an impression.
• To get create internal “buy-in” for the initiatives above.

These five reasons are sometimes grouped into the generalization “Trade show Impact”. Scan Display are Trade Show professionals – Contact us at +27 11 447 4777 for more information about our products and services.

Trade show displays are the physical screens, banners and other paraphernalia used to fill a temporary exhibit space at a trade show or trade fair. They vary greatly in size, cost, and complexity, but all are designed to visually represent a specific interest. Companies typically rent exhibit space from show organizers, and then design trade show displays to attract the attention of visitors and attendees at the trade show. Trade show displays usually use bold images and catch phrases in an attempt to lure attendees to their exhibit space so that they can give a sales pitch or hand out trade show literature. Scan Display are Trade Show professionals – Contact us at +27 11 447 4777 for more information about our products and services.

About 60% of South Africa’s Blue Crane population resides in the Western Cape. Here the birds favour farmlands, particularly pastures and wheat plantations, above the indigenous Fynbos habitat. But climate change threatens this unusual success story. The western parts of our country are expected to be most hard hit by the extreme weather conditions that climate change brings, and existing agricultural practices could become economically unviable, with detrimental effects for the cranes.

Kerryn Morrison manages the ICF/EWT Partnership for African Cranes and, together with her passionate team of crane conservationists, is carefully monitoring the Western Cape’s Blue Cranes so that we can react to the signs of climate change well in advance of it becoming an insurmountable problem.

When I asked Kerryn how she came to be so passionate about cranes, she said they are a perfect flagship species that can be used to highlight environmental issues to people and so change environmentally destructive behaviour. Kerryn was just four years old when her nursery school teacher predicted she would work with animals, and she has never wanted to be anything other than a conservationist. Her dedication is not without reward, and she has received broad acclaim for her exceptional dedication to crane conservation, and is recognised as being instrumental in combating the trade in cranes that takes place throughout Africa on a daily basis. We are extremely proud of being able to say that Kerryn has grown her career with the EWT since 1995.

We will be celebrating the success of our crane conservationists on World Environment Day, on 5 June, with this year’s theme being ‘Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change’. Learn more about this day and other EWT climate change projects by entering our online competition , open only to our loyal supporters, and stand in line to win a fabulous getaway to a South African destination.

- The Editor

Projects
The EWT at Nampo Harvest Day 2009

Every year the NAMPO Harvest Day provides the EWT with an opportunity to engage with visitors on conservation issues and projects, talk about problems and solutions, distribute educational materials to farmers, school groups and the like and promote the EWT as a whole. This year was no different. Click here to read more.

Contact: Claudia Hodkinson