The UK packaging industry is thriving. Where packing used to be purely functional, with little variety, it’s now creative, fun, versatile and competitively eco-friendly. Packaging plays a crucial role in consumer purchasing decisions and is often the deciding factor in whether a product is purchased or stays on the shelf.
As consumers become more aware of packaging, visually, functionally, and ethically, the industry is becoming more innovative and creative! The success of the industry in turn leads to the success of relevant trade shows like Packing Innovations & Empack, PPMA and London Packaging Week, which are growing each year.
For those in the packaging industry, it’s crucial to have an effective event strategy. Here are three exhibition success stories, with stands made by leading exhibition stand designer, Quadrant2Design.
What Leads to Exhibition Success
Executing a successful exhibition requires planning, strategy and an impactful exhibition stand design.
- Goals – For an exhibition to be truly successful, establish goals. Do you want to generate leads, gain brand exposure or make direct sales? Each goal requires a different strategy and exhibition stand design, so it is crucial to plan!
- Exhibition Stand Design – Once you know your goals you need a great exhibition stand design. Consider peninsula or island stand configurations, if you’re looking for maximum brand exposure. If lead conversion is your goal, place counters around your stand for networking!
- Staff– Make sure the staff working at your exhibition stand are friendly, welcoming, confident and knowledgeable about your products or services. An exhibition stand can draw visitors in, but it’s up to the staff to engage with and convert the lead!
Saica Flex
Saica Flex offers sustainable and adaptable packaging and labelling solutions for various industries, including food, beverage, confectionery, home and personal care. Saica Flex’s presence this year at Packaging Innovation and Empack was outstanding. Here’s why!
The goal at Packaging Innovations was for Saica Flex to gain as much traffic as possible, and what a great stand to do so! The stand utilised a peninsula layout, with three open sides. The openness encourages guests to walk onto the stand, view products, and engage in conversations. A canopy walkthrough feature with lighting made the space dynamic, captured eyes and encouraged foot traffic! High-level branding also ensured visibility across the exhibition hall. Additionally, this stand had a fantastic reception point to help direct visitors to experts.
The team on this stand were friendly, approachable and knowledgeable which helped in lead generating and converting business opportunities. A great exhibition team is usually comprised of a combination of Sales and Marketing staff. On the stand were Marketing Coordinator, Javier Martinez, and Sales and Marketing Director, Francisco Barrera, among other company experts!
Marketing Coordinator, Javier Martinez, participated in an interview at the exhibition and said:
“We have a pretty big space, so we wanted to have our stand as open as possible. We wanted to favour the flow of people going in and out of the stand, and I think we achieved that!”
Packaging Mode
Packaging Mode supplies high-quality printed pots for the food industry. This year they attended IFE, Packing Innovations & Empack and London Packaging Week.
This brand has had an excellent brand presence at the shows they have attended. In part, this is because they have a brilliant exhibition stand design. The stand has high-level branding that towers over competitors at the event, ensuring visibility. Additionally, they have illuminated showcases all across their graphic panels which show off their innovative packaging solutions and services. This collection of features both ensures visibility and draws in leads to convert.
Additionally, Packaging Mode exhibits at many exhibitions throughout the year, and the team is very experienced. This allows them to be confident and assured in their sales conversations.
Staeger
Staeger specialises in designing and manufacturing high-quality clear plastic packaging for businesses using British recycled plastic. They exhibited at Packaging Innovations & Empack earlier this year and made a fantastic impact!
The goal for this exhibiting team was to gain as much product awareness and brand awareness as possible. Firstly, the stand utilised a corner configuration, which meant it gained fantastic traffic and brand exposure from the aisles. Secondly, Staeger has a product-focused stand design. A light and airy colour scheme allows for more focus on Staeger’s printing abilities. Additionally, backlit showcases with cut-out detailing draw the eyes of passersby into the products!
Sustainability
One of the key ingredients for success at packaging shows is using a sustainable exhibition stand solution. The packaging industry has come leaps and bounds in sustainability progress. Staeger’s, Dale Freeman, spoke about this in an interview at Packaging Innovations & Empack. He said:
“Sustainability is absolutely critical to our customer base and to anyone we’re attracting. So, the majority of our packaging is 100% recyclable, it’s made from recycled content”
Sustainability is crucial to prospective clients, but this should also extend to the exhibition stand. Without a sustainable stand, sustainability claims seem disingenuous. This is why each of these exhibitors used a Quadrant2Design stand. The stands are modular, reconfigurable, and above all, reusable.
Conclusion
These success stories highlight the crucial role of strategic planning and effective stand design in achieving great trade show results. By setting clear goals, having an impactful exhibition stand design, and ensuring knowledgeable and approachable staff, companies in the packaging industry can maximise their presence and opportunities at trade shows. These strategies contribute to industry growth and success, ultimately benefiting both businesses and consumers.
