Trade Show Booth Lighting: Importance, Types & What to Avoid

Using lighting is a great way to attract visitors to your trade show booth! Illuminating your stand helps visitors locate your business, sets you apart from your competitors, and puts the spotlight on your displayed products.

Discover why you should invest in lighting for your stand, how to light up your booth effectively, and the ultimate lighting faux pas in this guide.

The benefits of trade show booth lighting

To make a statement on the trade show floor, you don’t have to invest in a sizable island installation. There are many different trade show lighting options available. From spotlights to LED strips, fluorescent lamps to backlights, there’s something for every brand image and company budget!

Discover the main advantages of trade show booth lighting below:

Helps you stand out from your competitors

Remember – the main objective of your trade show experience is to attract new clients and promote your business. Lighting can help make your trade show booth stand out from the rest of the pack and catch visitors’ eyes. Trade show attendees will automatically gravitate towards a brightly lit booth when walking the show floor. Adding lights to your booth will therefore attract more visitors to your trade show booth, helping to generate new interest and promote sales. Believe us when we say that anything that increases your booth’s visibility is beneficial.

Highlights your brand

Illuminating your brand name, logo, products, and message helps attendees quickly discover what your company is about and what solutions you offer. This is vital if you want to quickly attract your target audience to your trade show exhibit. Shining a light on your brand identity helps entice the visitors most likely to make a conversion and gets your brand name out there. It’s the perfect way to get your company noticed!

Looks aesthetic

As simple as it sounds, introducing strategic lighting to your trade show display enhances its visual appearance. The right lighting products can make your booth more aesthetically pleasing, giving it a slick, professional feel. This will naturally drive visitors to your booth and build up your brand’s reputation. Investing in an attractive, modern booth will increase customer trust and show that your company is serious.

Types of trade show booth lighting

The following is an overview of the most common types of lighting used in trade show booth design, along with information about when they should be used.

LED and halogen lighting

LED light bulbs have a longer lifespan than halogen bulbs and use 85% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. Although LED lighting tends to be more expensive, its longevity and energy efficiency helps make it a good long-term investment. Halogen lamps produce more heat and use more energy than LED bulbs, while offering a standard light output.

Spotlights and floodlights

Spotlights mounted on adjustable arms provide you with directional light that is excellent for highlighting a portion of your exhibit that want visitors to notice the most. Floodlights can be used to illuminate a large area of your trade show booth. They are especially useful for illuminating graphics and text on the walls of your trade show booth.

Front-lit and back-lit lighting

Front-lit signage is an efficient way to draw attention to your brand name on channel lettering, whether or not the venue has dim lighting. Back-lit lighting can be used on booth walls or graphics to add dimension and visual interest, creating a professional look that will easily be noticed.

Trade show lighting do’s

In a busy trade show exhibition hall, effective lighting can help draw the crowd’s attention and increase your brand’s outreach.

Follow the 3 tips below to incorporate strategic lighting to your booth and make the most of your next trade show event.

DO think outside the box

Many companies attend trade show events so it’s important to be creative and bold with your lighting to distinguish yourself from your competition. Consider matching your lighting to your brand’s colour scheme, using innovative patterns and shapes, and creating an exciting experience for your guests to enjoy. You want people walking past your trade show booth and doubling back to check out your stall. Entice them with something new and creative!

DO invest in good quality lighting

The cost of high-quality lighting equipment might be a little high but investing in these kinds of lights is the best move if you want to save money in the long run. Investing in good quality, energy-efficient lights like LEDs may cost more than standard lights at first, but they will last much longer. You won’t have to worry about replacing them as often and you’ll be helping to save the planet at the same time.

DO check equipment beforehand

Glitchy lighting can be worse than no lighting at all! Make sure to check your lighting works properly before the trade show event to provide your guests with a smooth, clear experience. Think about it – if you turn up to a trade show event and the first letter of your brand name isn’t lighting up, what impression are you giving to your visitors? This will not only make you look unprepared and unprofessional, but it will also create confusion around your brand identity. You don’t want people remembering your company for the wrong reasons so ensure your equipment is ready to go beforehand.

Trade show lighting don’ts

Although trade show lighting can attract clients and increase brand awareness, if implemented poorly without considering strategy and aesthetics, it can have the opposite effect.

Here are 3 things to avoid at trade shows in terms of lighting:

DON’T include too many lights

Having an excessive number of lights in your trade show booth can interfere with your brand message. Consider placing your lighting in specific areas of your trade show booth to attract and hold your guests’ attention effectively. Instead of bombarding your trade show booth with millions of lights, you should aim to direct your visitors’ eyes to precise areas and objects you’d want them to notice. This is called strategic lighting.

DON’T handle equipment carelessly

The last thing you want to be doing in a trade show city is hunting for a replacement bulb because you dropped yours. Even though it can seem simpler to pack everything into a large container and ship it overseas for a trade show, there is a good possibility that your belongings will arrive broken. Individual boxes, ideally in the manufacturer’s original packaging, should be used to properly store your lights. You should also wrap your lights in foam padding to give them an extra layer of safety. Taking the time to care for your products will save any last-minute stress.

DON’T go overboard with colours and effects

Avoid making your booth overly colourful or including pointless flashing lights. Instead of distracting your audience, you should be trying to grab their attention. On a health and safety level, dazzling lighting effects could trigger certain medical conditions such as epilepsy. Note here that it is important to check the trade show rules and regulations regarding lighting beforehand to ensure visitor safety.

totm exposition can design your trade show booth lighting

As well as attracting trade show visitors to your booth, strategic lighting can help promote your signature products and brand message, generating more trade show leads in the process. As you have seen, your trade show booth can benefit greatly from a well-thought-out lighting strategy. Check out our trade show booth design service and contact the totm exposition team today to make your next trade show a lit experience.