Stand design
SWIFT
future look
Over the next two pages, we meet two
of the creative brains driving forward
global exhibition stand design. First,
Rapiergroup’s Chris Litchfield
hris Litchfield,
creative director at
Rapiergroup, says that
being a 2020 Winner in
the World Exhibition Stand Awards
has added “real authenticity” to
the company’s achievements.
Rapiergroup won a Diamond award
in the Best Feature Area category
at the 2020 WESAs for their client
SWIFT Discover’s stand at Sibos.
“We trust our process, our skills,
experience and instincts, but the
recognition that comes from being a
winner in the WESAs is confirmation
of what we believe in.”
As far as adapting to the
coronavirus work culture, Litchfield
says: “We literally adapted overnight
to remote working. Fortunately, we
had invested in the technology that
meant all of us could do our jobs
perfectly all through lockdown.
“We have all sharpened up our
communication skills, but we have
now got to a point where we would
like to see each other face-to-face.
Teams and Zoom are no replacement
for the real thing!”
The next, 2021 edition of the World Exhibition
Stand Awards will include categories that allow
entrants to showcase their work to overcome the
challenges of coronavirus. Additionally, the awards
will reflect a longer period of entry qualification
to allow companies the maximum opportunity
to showcase historic work and will be open for
submissions shortly.
For further information on WESA 2021, visit
www.worldexhibitionstandawards.com
Litchfield believes Covid-19 is
here to stay, something which has
big implications for the way the
company approaches stand design
and experiences.
“We have lots of different ideas on
how we could design environments
and experiences, but each situation
will need to be approached as
bespoke and unique. Defining
strategy for user/visitor experience
from the outset will be more
important than ever before. “From
that design will be about meeting
the objectives of that strategy, and
doing it safely and within whatever
restrictions we need to work to.”
Like most, Litchfield predicts
events are going to have to become
more hybrid. Limitations on travel
and scale of physical gatherings,
will mean a different approach, he
says, “but the potential here is truly
exciting, and it’s the way the industry
should be heading anyway”.
He sees an opportunity for a
much wider reach to a truly global
audience and models that can be
more sustainable.
“There are opportunities for
operating events within local
regions, and then harnessing
technology in order to bring them all
together, to make something bigger.
The potential here is enormous.”
There may not be a place for just
designing a typical stand, Litchfield
believes and says, “We will need
to think cleverly about the true
purpose of each stand we design,
and the experience it must offer.
We will then need to create designs
that deliver on that, but work within
whatever restrictions we are facing.
Simplicity in design will be the key to
this (easier said than done!).
“In the future, we shouldn’t just be
designing for the physical exhibition
hall experience. We should be
designing environments that need to
be fit for a much wider reach.”
And Litchfield says he is looking
forward to things being different.
“The challenges we face are
solvable, and I’m looking forward
to embracing them… Despite the big
hit our industry has encountered,
we have the opportunity to make
something better as a result of it.”
He adds that we need to think
carefully about the purpose of
stands, we need to think more about
the bigger picture and where a stand
sits within a wider customer/user/
visitor experience. “Then we need to
deal with the physical environment
we are operating in, and a global
situation that is continually
changing. The trade show stand
can still be a sound investment that
offers tangible, valuable and relevant
experiences, but it’s time for us to
really challenge ourselves on why
and how we create them.”
8 Issue 4 2020 www.exhibitionworld.co.uk