Great example of exhibition stand design from Debenhams at the National Wedding Show
(Please excuse the terrible pun!) I’m very excited to be getting married this year to the chap I’ve been dating / living with / owning a house with for the last 10 years (wowsers). But oh boy! Are weddings a crazy minefield of hearts and roses and white dresses and caterers and photographers and and and…
Anyhoo, at the weekend my Mum and I headed to the National Wedding Show in Manchester to get some ideas. It was held in Manchester Central, which is the old G-MEX centre and a converted railway station. It’s a super venue for a large scale event, with the gorgeous roof arches stretching above your head as you wander around.
Amidst all the purdy dresses, free stuff (the Swizzels sweetie stand was the best) and general wedding paraphernalia, what really caught my eye was the fab Debenhams exhibition stand. It had height, colour, structure and showcased their products really well.
I’ve designed exhibition stands in the past and really enjoyed the whole process. Debenhams' stand was great inspiration for future projects.
Great use of space
You could walk through the stand to shop it, without it being too cramped. The design really made the most of the space available, with moveable rails, pigeon-hole displays and lighting that made the stand feel bright spacious. Capsule collections gave a flavour of a wide range of wedding fashion available from Debenhams.
Encouraging exploration
Using clear Perspex panels at the back of display stands kept the products in place and meant that you could see through – minimising any feelings of claustrophobia (or is that just me?!) and offering glimpses of other interesting things to go and investigate.
Definitely bridal
The stand is cleverly laid out and works well but it’s the décor that really shouts ‘wedding’! The spring colours, fantasy, floral decorations have such strong associations with a quintessential wedding. The overall feel was glamourous, opulent and almost a bit over the top – it had a big visual impact to attract folk over to the stand.
Using technology
A well-placed, nicely proportioned screen (well, a pair of screens) displayed scrolling information about Debenhams’ services. I thought the screens gave a modern touch and brightened up a slightly dark area of the stand. They’re a great way to efficiently communicate lots of information in a small space.
I would absolutely love to create an exhibition stand like this! It would be such fun to apply the same principals in a smaller space – or to go wild with a larger footprint! Give me a shout if you have an exhibition coming up and want to show your business in the best possible light.
