Lighting Your Trade Show Booth: What You Need to Know

There are always plenty of bright overhead light at a trade show. Your booth won't be in the dark, but that warehouse lighting might not be doing any favors. Bright fluorescent lights from directly overhead can cast harsh shadows, and the broad wash won't highlight your products or make your booth stand out. Any trade show booth needs its own lighting in order to highlight its products and create the right ambience.

The right highlights areas you want to draw attention to, adds drama to your booth, and can also make it feel more welcoming. Here are a few tips on how to light up your trade show booth to draw attention and customers.

Types of Lighting

Light boxes. Light boxes consist of a basic frame with a sheet of clear plexiglass where you can display a graphic. Behind the graphic, there is a light source that makes the graphic look as though it's illuminated from within. Light boxes can be placed on tables or hung on walls for a dramatic effect.

Downlights. Downlights are spotlights that illuminate from above, focusing their light downward. Spotlights for trade show booths often have bright halogen bulbs. Brightness is needed in order to stand out in the bright fluorescent wash lights at most trade show facilities.

Uplights. Uplights are lights that focus a beam upward. These can also be used to highlight products, and are a bit more unusual and distinctive than spotlights. They are often used as cabinet lights to highlight products within a display case.

Area lights. Area lights illuminate a wide area. These are used to create a mood or ambience within your booth. Area lights should generally be gentler and less bright than your downlights and uplights. An area light that's too bright can cast harsh, unflattering shadows in your booth, and it can also drown out your spotlights.

Effective Booth Lighting Know your purpose. Are you planning on highlighting one specific product or feature? Do you want your booth to be dramatic and eye catching? Or are you looking for a more relaxed and welcoming feel to your booth? The ambience you want will make a big difference in how you light your booth. Your product or business will make a difference, too. If your company sells aromatherapy products, you'll probably light differently than you would if you sell computer software.

Use spotlights to highlight products. Install small spotlights to cast light on products you have on display, highlight banners and sales messages, or draw focus to a multimedia display. Your use of spotlights can add drama, or it can be a subtle way of drawing attention to areas of your booth you want customers to notice.

Use filtered or wash lights to create a mood. If you're going for a relaxing ambience rather than a highly dramatic booth, choose a general lighting system that includes filtered lights. You can add subtle color filters that cast a welcoming glow, or you can create a more dramatic mood by using deeper colors.

Before You Buy:

Know your resources. It's important to know a few things about your facility before you buy lights. Be sure you know how many watts you're allowed to use at your booth, and whether or not you can arrange to use more than the standard limit for free or for a fee.

Know how many outlets you'll have access to, and know how you'll attach your lights to your booth.

Know the facility's regulations. Some facilities have regulations banning certain kinds of lights. High-wattage halogen lights are sometimes banned because event organizers consider them a fire hazard. Be sure to verify with your event contact before buying your lights if the information is not in your exhibitor's kit.

Lighting is an important part of any trade show booth's design. Give it careful consideration along with your graphics, dimensions, and materials. Check with the trade show facility to ensure that your plans are permitted under their rules, and be sure that your lights can be easily attached to your booth. A well-lit booth can draw attention, set the right mood, and make your booth stand out from those around it. Take care when designing your trade show lighting, and your booth is sure to be brilliant.