Smart stand layout

Event organisers are already widening main aisles and implementing one-way traffic. To capitalise on this with stand designs, angular layouts directly addressing pedestrian flow will be vital. To avoid congestion, stands should also implement one-way movements through their space, employing wayfinding graphics in the form of lines and floor markings. Wall and freestanding signage can also be used, though the accent should be very much on integrated and intuitive solutions rather than imperious commands. Careful attention to tone-of-voice will be paramount.

Transparent panels and wall segments will be abundantly-available for designers to use, offering high levels of visibility to reassure visitors, especially when moving around corners or across intersections. Last, but not least, stands will need to offer enough room for visitors to move safely within the exhibit, leaving potentially more cramped public spaces behind. Making sure your stand offers visitors not only a welcome, but a refuge, will only increase its attractiveness.

New materials to answer new demands

The materials you select for your stand design need to be anti-bacterial at least and preferably anti-viral. Materials with moisture-, bacteria- and mould-resistant finishes will help prevent the accumulation of pathogens and offer hospital-grade sanitation levels, as well as being easy to clean. Widely-used Polyrey, homogenous solid surfaces from Kydex or antimicrobial surfaces from Silestone are good choices, for example, for unit design and oft-touched countertops. Where possible, copper fixtures should be used because of its antiviral properties. You can apply sheet copper materials to reception desks and unit tops and re-use them in future designs. If this doesn’t appeal, materials which have copper compound nanoparticles infused into them are also a great choice.

For the same reasons, instead of carpets, consider cork flooring. With social distancing in mind, cork will also work wonders in terms of insulating sound and will ensure comfortable acoustics in an open meeting space.

Furniture and spatial hierarchy
Large meetings in an enclosed spaces will no longer be ideal and there will be a rise in the use of semi-private meeting areas for smaller numbers of people. To make the most of this, screens and dividers should be used. Seating will need to be positioned at 2m distances, allowing for larger furniture pieces to fill the space and aid private conversations as visitors will feel more comfortable and natural talking from eg the ends of two longer sofas than if the space was too dispersed.

New technologies