In February, a group of Scan Display staff attended EuroShop 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany. EuroShop is the largest retail trade fair in the world and showcases the latest exhibition and display trends.
Our MD, Justin Hawes, sums up the exhibition stand trends seen at EuroShop as bright colours, powerful lighting, LED walls, interaction (people wanted to connect and chat) and sustainability.
• Bold colours
There was greater use of colour on the stands. It felt like – post-pandemic – exhibitors wanted their products and services to be showcased with more vibrant, colourful displays.
Vibrant colours.• Bright lighting
The lighting on the stands was bright and really made a statement. Exhibitors used backlighting to enhance the graphics and bold colours. The backlighting quality was better than ever before, and the graphics really ‘popped’. Exhibitors also used uplighting and mood lighting very effectively.
Clever mood lighting casting shadows.
The quality of lightboxes was also better than before, creating eye-catching displays.
There were quite a few stands that used a combination of semi-transparent or gridded structures paired with different lighting techniques, which created a whole new visual layer in the stand presentation.
Lighting combined with semi-transparent structures.
- LED walls
Exhibitors used LED walls extensively, largely replacing plasma screens and monitors. The latest LED panels incorporate technology which protects them, reducing the risk of damage previously associated with LED screens. The cost of LED screens has also come down over the years.
Exhibitors used beautiful, abstract, colourful content on their LED panels. The videos were created specifically for the show and tied in with the look-and-feel of the stand. The videos changed over time to give the impression of the stand being alive.
- Greater interaction
There were very few double decker stands and private meeting rooms on stands compared with previous shows. Exhibitors and visitors were interacting right there on the stand. There was a sense that people were looking for connection after years of relative isolation.
There was less Virtual Reality (VR) than at previous shows. Exhibitors were engaging directly with their visitors and demonstrating their products face-to-face without any VR tools.
Interactive elements including games and activities, and the more conventional coffee and snack bars, were used to draw visitors to the stand.
Interactive games on stands.
- More sustainability
Sustainability has become mainstream, and it was incorporated into everything: product offering, marketing messaging, stand materials, lighting. The sustainability of products and services was the primary marketing message – way ahead of any cost saving messaging.
The Innovation Award winners showcased their sustainability projects. Award-winner, US-based Moss Inc, showcased how they upcycle waste plastic recovered from the ocean to create the fabric for the tension fabric products the company makes.
The Gold Award winner in the XL Category, Hans Boodt Mannequins, repurposed raw scaffolding and containers to create its stand.
Raw scaffolding and reused painted containers.