Stand design
Evolving to a new level of stand design
RICHARD BARTLETT, MD AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT EVOLVE
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, A 2020 WESA WINNER, TELLS CMW ABOUT TALENT,
TRENDS AND HOW TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
t’s been a difficult time and
Evolve MD Richard
Bartlett says being a multi
WESA 2020 winner shows
the diversity and talent not only at his
agency, but also across the entire
industry.
Evolve’s THQ Nordic Stand at
Gamescom 2019 picked up a diverse set
of top awards including: Best
Storytelling, Best Stand at a Games
Industry Event and Best Stand
201-500sqm.
For Bartlett the recognition signifies
Evolve’s ability to be in tune with both
the creative intent of THQ Nordic’s
game titles and, more importantly, what
the target audience at the show wanted
to see and experience.
“It has been a real challenge,” Bartlett
says of working from home. “We have
found that keeping communication levels
high with our staff, suppliers and clients
has paid dividends and we will come out
of this pandemic as a more efficient
company.”
The team, he says, has also used the
time as an opportunity to research and
diversify. Evolve has been working
closely with UK industry associations
ESSA, AEO and AEV to support Project
Confidence, helping to create a roadmap
for the safe re-opening of event venues.
In terms of what changes can be
expected in future stand design, Bartlett
“We have to find ways
to merge the creative and
retail focus of a stand
with the new reduced level
of social interaction, and
still make visitors want to
come to the show.”
notes that countries and regions are all
developing their own guidelines and he is
anticipating new design and build
regulations for each show hall. “There is
no guarantee that the guidelines will be
consistent across regions, which is going
to be challenging to global companies
like Evolve,” he notes. And Bartlett
expects big changes to everything from
basic exhibition hall access, build and
breakdown regulations, visitor numbers,
stand access, catering, even the types and
format of product displays.
“We have to find ways to merge the
creative and retail focus of a stand with
the new reduced level of social
interaction, and still make visitors want
to come to the show,” he adds.
He acknowledges extreme restrictions
on social interaction are forcing
organisers down the digital events route
and, in the short term, expects monitored
visitor numbers, dedicated hygiene
points, thermal entrance scanning and
controlled visitor flow. Diversification
into a mix of virtual and physical
offerings can only benefit clients and
visitors, however, Bartlett believes and is
confident we will get back to “amazing
physical events with full social
interaction, which is what we all want
and our clients demand, but I think
Covid-19 has changed the event
landscape forever and potentially for the
better”.
A plethora of directives is likely to
make the real impact on stand design
hard to predict, says Barlett: “We are
looking at quite a large number of safety
protocols, like registration of all visitors,
wider aisles, clear one way routing, floor
markings and the inclusion of hygiene
zones with face masks. The emphasis is
on minimising human contact, so one of
the biggest challenges for our design
team is going to be the development of
presentation areas that avoid large
numbers of people and allow for screen
guards between activities.
“Protocols can easily be incorporated
into a design, but what won’t change in
stand design is the need for clarity from
the venues, client understanding and
development lead times that allow us to
integrate these elements succesfully into
the stand design.”
In terms of how the tradeshow of the
future might look, Bartlett notes a future
stand for the gaming sector will be very
different from one for the aero sector. He
believes physical and virtual technology
will merge and drive every aspect of
future stand design.
“Increasingly we are pushing to create
more immersive brand experiences,
moving stands away from traditional
retail models. I can only see this trend
gaining pace and can see a time where a
stand will be more like a multi sensory
step into a company’s brand, its values
and product offer.”
ISSUE 108 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 41