Interview
Evolving to a
new level of
stand design
Richard Bartlett, MD and creative
director at Evolve Creative Solutions, a
2020 Winner at the World Exhibition Stand
Awards, tells EW 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 means a great deal and
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 that
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
also 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 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.”
www.exhibitionworld.co.uk Issue 4 2020 9