Screen, sound and lighting for a trade fair stand

A trade fair stand asks three things of the AV: a screen people can make sense of from the aisle, sound that is heard inside the stand and not on the one opposite, and light on the product. Before choosing anything, ask the organiser for the venue's technical rules, because the height, the electrical power and, if there is one, the volume limit decide which equipment fits.

The screen is seen from two distances

Someone walking down the aisle sees the screen from several metres away and gives it a few seconds. Someone who steps onto the stand has it one or two metres away while talking to your team. The rule we technicians use is that the minimum comfortable viewing distance, in metres, is roughly the panel's pitch in millimetres. Our own LED screen has a 3.9 mm pitch, so it looks clean from about 4 metres: it works for catching passers-by, not for reading small print up close.

That is why it pays to separate the two uses. The big screen goes high and faces the aisle, with the brand and a short video that makes sense without sound, because at a fair hardly anyone will hear it. Whatever the client has to read up close, such as a product sheet or a demo, works better on a smaller screen at hand height. To support the visuals inside the stand there is the LED screen pack for backup and signage, designed for stands, rooms and presentations: up to 6 m² with a floor stand. Tell us how far away people will be looking from and we choose the panel on that basis. How to work out the size is explained in what size LED screen do I need.

Sound for your stand, not for the aisle

At a fair the background noise is already high and the stands sit right next to each other. If you turn the volume up so people can hear you, the stand next door turns theirs up and in the end nobody understands anything. Directed sound works better: speakers pointing into the stand, at people's height and at a volume that still lets you talk.

For this we rent column systems such as the LD Systems MAUI 28 G2: it is just over two metres tall, barely noticeable, and spreads the sound 120° horizontally and only 20° vertically, so little escapes upwards; horizontally it spreads quite wide, so the column is best aimed towards the inside of the stand. If the stand hosts presentations or a talk, you will also need a wireless microphone; the types are covered in wireless microphones.

The light goes on the product

Exhibition halls usually have their own general lighting, flat and from very high up. What makes one stand catch the eye is its own light, close by: spotlights aimed at the product and the sign, and colour in the brand's colour. On the karaoke booth we prepared for Sephora, for example, we fitted pink light strips and the vinyl wraps with the design the brand gave us.

Something that makes people stop

At a Moeve event for its employees at IFEMA we brought a karaoke booth for up to six people, with the brand's image on the outer screen. Next to it, a Moeve panel invited people to tour the different spaces by scanning a QR code. We tell the story in Moeve's karaoke booth.

The experience can also leave with the visitor: at the Sky Italia booth each group received the video by email with the channel's branding. Another option for a stand is a photo booth.

What to ask the fair before requesting a quote

• Stand dimensions and the maximum height allowed, because they set where the screen can go.
• Contracted electrical power and where the distribution board is.
• Whether anything can be hung from the hall ceiling or everything has to stand on the floor.
• Build-up and dismantling times, and where unloading happens.
• Volume limit and whether there are rules on sound on the stands.

With that, the stand dimensions and what you want on screen, we will prepare a specific proposal. Everything we do for companies, such as conferences or product launches, is on corporate events; if the stand is large and you need a backdrop screen several metres across, see also giant LED screens.