The Importance of Visitor Experience Design in Exhibitions and Conferences

There is an increasing number of best practice guidelines, case studies, and reference materials aimed at achieving the best quality visitor experience design for exhibitions or various events. The way visitors navigate through spaces and interact with their surroundings significantly influences how they engage with individual exhibits.

Storytelling is the Core

There should always be a core narrative running through every aspect of the visitor’s experience. Often driven by the brand’s story or vision, this can also reference current campaigns and seasons. In brand-focused exhibitions, the narrative is typically crafted in partnership with the client and/or their branding and marketing agencies. Even permanent event venues hosting a continuous series of themed events should have an overarching story supporting the overall approach.

Defining Experience Goals

The second crucial element of any successful strategy is defining the goals of the experience. While increasing sales is often a natural focal point, the store also plays various other roles for customers. Such as brand experience, product research, and customer service. The primary goals may differ from project to project. But the following five are good starting points: entertaining, memorable, communicative, social, and empowering.

An experience must entertain people long enough to achieve the other goals. It should resonate with consumers as a positive, memorable brand experience, rewarding their decision to leave their homes, motivating them to visit again, and encouraging further online engagement.

Enhancing Engagement Principles

From a visitor-focused perspective, this is of utmost importance. It’s possible to create a one-size-fits-all solution, as there are often three generations of visitors in the same space, with a significant portion speaking English as a first language. And varying levels of familiarity with the exhibition’s subject matter or the concept of interactive exhibits in general.

When accounting for visitors with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, it becomes evident why it’s crucial to ensure a variety of solutions for engaging people and reinforcing the narrative. This requires support for different learning styles—auditory, visual, or kinesthetic—delivered through a balanced mix of analog and digital, 2D and 3D, and a variety of techniques.

Architecture and Environment

Another unique factor in visitor experiences is the physical context in which they occur. When working within an existing space, architecture often plays a pivotal role, influencing where and how different types of experiences are created. Based on natural sightlines, architectural panels, narrow passageways, or quiet corners.

When these elements don’t integrate to create a cohesive experience, new architectural structures may be needed to create the required conditions. This could mean dimming spaces, creating sheltered alcoves, or introducing neutral transitional spaces to prepare visitors for a new experience.

Read also Steps for Designing and Implementing Exhibition Booths

Lighting, Acoustics, and Flow

Ambient lighting levels and background noise are always important considerations and are a good starting point because they can vary significantly. Collaboration with lighting designers and acoustic specialists ensures that the physical space always works harmoniously. To enhance the core narrative and the goals of each interaction.

Expanding the visual language of these pathways allows for the exploration of different visitor journeys, varying in duration, content, or even target age groups. Differentiating between weekend and weekday visits, mornings and afternoons, and even factoring in bathroom breaks are all important details.

Sightlines and Eye Levels

Extensive research shows that you can never assume visitors will look at what you want them to see. So the physical space, combined with the number of visitors at any given time, influences how they move and what comes into view. The speed at which they move affects how much they turn their heads to look around.

Most visitors move through space with their eyes fixed straight ahead. While they can occasionally be encouraged to look up or down. They rarely notice anything outside their natural field of vision unless explicitly directed.

Attracting Attention from a Distance

To ensure you attract visitors from a distance and from various vantage points, close collaboration with architects, lighting consultants, and interior designers is required. The goal is to create visually distinctive landmarks that are photo-worthy and clearly visible from afar. These landmarks should start to tell the story the exhibition is meant to convey.

By employing tried-and-true strategies, you can elevate the visitor experience in various events and exhibitions.