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Apologies for the gap in communication as I have been running around the country, training tourism SME's. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all exhibitors at Tourism Showcase and Indaba, a happy and successful show. 

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Last November, a 'Christmas Fair' was suddenly cancelled at The Dome, in Johannesburg. Exhibitors asking for a refund of stand rental, were referred to the organiser's lawyers! The 3 questions people dont like to ask exhibition organisers:

How long has the company been in the exhibition business?

How many exhibitions have they organised and how many are still running?

Is the company a member of EXSA and if not, why?

Just asking these three questions might have saved the 'Christmas Fair' exhibitors from losing a great deal of money. 

If in doubt, phone EXSA (011) 805-7272 to check out the show and the organiser, or visit their web site at www.exsa.co.za  

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10 classic graphic mistakes. Here are 10 things NOT to do with the graphics on your stand:

1. TOO MANY WORDS - graphics paraphrase, conversations explain. If your text takes more than 3 seconds to read, its too much

2. THE WRONG WORDS - benefits attract buyers. Avoid the features and focus on strong benefit statements

3. TYPE THAT'S TOO SMALL - text should be a minimum of 4 inches tall. Make your type 1 inch high for every 3 feet you step back. If you want visitors to read your copy from 20 feet away, you need letters at least 6,5 inches tall

4. ARTSY FONTS - use serif or sans serif styles only. No more than two different fonts per graphics

5. CONFLICTING BACKGROUND - light over dark or dark over light. If the background is too busy, the message becomes hard to read

6. TEXT BELOW SIGHT LINE - the 2 foot zone across the top of the back wall, is the ideal location for text. It's really the only area people continuously see in an aisle full of people. All graphics should be at eye level, or above.

7. TOO MANY IMAGES - use one image only, visible at 30 feet, more than that is visual clutter. Use a picture that grabs people's attention and communicates the brand or product in a glance.

8. POOR IMAGE QUALITY - use only high resolution pictures

9. POOR LIGHTING - for an even wash, space lights every 2 or 3 feet. For optimum coverage, position them 2 feet out from the wall. Unless you want a theatrical effect, use down lighting, rather than up lighting

10. NICKS AND DINGS - most graphic damage can be avoided with careful handling and cleaning

Article by Linda Armstrong in Exhibitor Magazine, December 2003 edition

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The purpose of this newsletter is to help you achieve maximum results from trade exhibitions. There will be regular free tips and advice that will pep up your performance and help you gain the best return on your exhibition investment. If you have specific questions on exhibiting, please e-mail them to: joy@donovan.co.za or phone 011-792-9958. More free help and advice is available at www.exhibitor.co.za Please feel free to pass this newsletter onto friends and colleagues, who can arrange their own free subscription at joy@donovan.co.za

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The workshops and this e-mail are presented by Joy Donovan M.D. of South Africa’s first Trade Show Training company. Joy’s 30 + years in the exhibition industry, mainly as an exhition organiser, well equipped her to identify the need in the exhibition market and produce training that significantly improves exhibitor's results. Joy is also driving the exhibition industry's skills development initiative, producing qualifications for every sector from organisers to exhibitors. If you require information on in-house exhibitor training, coaching or mentoring, please e-mail joy@donovan.co.za  phone 011-792-9958 fax 011-792-7597. 

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