Consistency is key

As Smart Display wraps up on one of its busiest weeks this year, feedback across the board has been overwhelmingly positive at numerous stand builds in Copenhagen, Birmingham and Southampton. It’s a snapshot of the company’s increasingly geographical reach but, despite the diversification, there’s an element of familiarity with every week that passes. This week alone, 57 per cent of Smart Display’s stand builds were on behalf of clients who have worked with Smart Display for three years or more, and it’s testament to the benefits of working consistently with the same stand builder.

“We’ve been working with Smart Display for three years now, and it’s been a fantastic partnership,” says Katie Cosgrove, marketing executive at natural supplement specialist Floradix, part of the Salus group. “They’ve consistently delivered for us in terms of design and installations – helping all our events run smoothly. We are also keen to reuse the stand when possible and only make changes when necessary – which is incredibly beneficial for both cost efficiency and brand consistency. Our customers become familiar with our messaging, whilst at the same time, reducing waste, which aligns with our sustainability goals. We like having the team on-site at our events and it makes the entire process so much easier- the installers are familiar with our setup, preferences, and potential issues, so everything runs much more efficiently.”

The Salus stand will next be installed at the Natural & Organic Products Expo at London’s ExCeL next month, and entrusting the logistics to the same team has allowed Katie and the team to focus on their business in the lead up to the event. It’s one of the reasons that traffic safety specialist Westcotec has no plans to work with any installer other than Smart Display at its UK and European exhibitions.

“With the relationship that has been built over the years, the whole process of project management is very simple because we have the upmost trust in what the team at Smart produces within the required time scales”, says sales director Olly Samways. “With the more complex stands with varying elements – and international events – I do not believe we would even plan to attend them due to the lack of resource that we have being a small team stretching ourselves with day to day responsibilities. Smart is seen internally as an extension to the Westcotec team.”

Even on site, the benefits of working with a familiar team of installers cannot be underestimated.

“When we mount our unique products onto the back walls, the team members know us and our equipment, which means they are able to work ahead with very little input required,” continues Olly. “This allows us to prepare other parts on the stand while the Smart team are getting on with finishing the stand build. We always try to choose a stand size that matches previous events, so that we can utilise graphic elements. We used the same wooden bar area for approximately six years in a row, only requiring a lick a paint on occasion! By re-using elements, it complies with our environmental policies in reducing waste.”

The re-use of stand elements is one of most cited reasons for returning to Smart Display time after time. As most businesses adopt a policy of sustainability into their core ethos, re-using elements is a simple way to reduce the impact of trade exhibitions, which by their very nature can be intensive drain on resources for a short period of two to seven days. That’s not to say however that Smart Display clients are committed to the same stand build on repeat for years’ worth of exhibitions.

Westcotec’s first stand design in 2017.

“Smart first started building stands for Westcotec back in 2017, starting with basic designs to transform the look of the company compared to what we had been doing ourselves,” remembers Olly. “But since then, we have explored more intricate designs, with the highlight being a bespoke stand at our largest worldwide industry event in Amsterdam. The very basic designs suited our budget at the time but, since then, we now have builds that utilise different height walls and sections such as a wraparound bar – always fully stocked – which has massively helped to increase the profile of the business.”

Westcotec’s stand at Intertraffic last year.

It’s an evolutionary process that sees brands develop their exhibition presence from one show to the next without having to go back to a blank canvas with each stand space booked. The blend of reinforcing consistency with fresh ideas is a key strength of the Smart Display design team, and the innate brand knowledge that comes with an ongoing relationship ensures every stand design is perfectly aligned with brand values.

“The Westcotec team and Smart team have a great relationship, so much so that we regularly go out for food and drinks after a build day!” concludes Olly. “I can’t vouch for other companies, but we would never move away from Smart thanks to the quality of builds and level of service that we have received from day one.”

If you would like to start your Smart Display journey, get in touch today and find out what we can do for you #wemakeevents.