Earlier in June, myself, James and Rene attended Med-Tech Expo in Birmingham.
There’s no doubt, the tech in this sector is pretty amazing (once my non-medical brain had worked out what each device did!)
But walking around the exhibition, however, only reinforced our thoughts that medtech brands aren’t really doing themselves justice on their stands. I have a few ideas why this might be the case.
“We design complex medical devices so we can knock up the stand graphics ourselves, right?”
or
“Budget is better spent elsewhere, we can just repurpose our old banners”
And this works to some extent. But there’s a reason stand design is its own craft.
The kitchen sink approach
What ends up happening is a stand that’s trying to say everything at once with walls of text that nobody stops to read and messaging containing so much information that a passer-by has no idea where to even look.
And then there’s the 8-minute brand video playing on a loop on a tiny screen tucked at the back of the stand that nobody ever catches from the beginning, so nobody ever watches.
The bland multiple-choice quiz on an iPad in the corner? Easily missed. The plate of biscuits that half the room has already breathed on and fingered through? Erm no thank you. And the branded hand sanitiser giveaway probably left over from the pandemic. I mean who actually wants that?
Stands should offer stimulation, curiosity and engagement
The whole purpose of a stand is to visually stimulate people as they walk past, to spark curiosity, and draw them in to find out more. And once you have them, don’t lose them if you’re already busy talking to someone.
You want them to stick around to ask more questions and have those valuable conversations. Keep them entertained and engaged while they wait with interactive content and demos that explain mechanisms and the outcomes of your product.
You’re feet are killing you. You’re exhausted. The last thing you want is people flying onto your stand to grab a tote bag of freebies before moving on. You want the right people who matter. The ones who leave inspired and with intentions to connect further.
Poor stand interaction is a design problem
Getting people to stop is a design problem. Keeping them there is a storytelling problem. Converting that into a real conversation? That’s what a great stand makes possible.
If you’re a Medtech company with an exhibition coming up and you want a stand that actually works as hard as your team does, then get in touch. hello@loveliveagency.com
I promise we won’t suggest branded hand sanitiser.
