Are you exhibiting at FIME or Medtrade? If a medical device trade show is on your calendar, you’ll need a booth design that accomplishes your goals and speaks to your target audience. As with any exhibit, your design should attract and engage attendees. However, medical device trade shows come with their own special set of considerations. For instance, you’ll have to make sure your signs adhere to FDA regulations concerning the disclosure of clinical trial results and other fine print. If your medical device is oversized or unwieldy, you may have unusual concerns regarding usage of booth space, particularly when it comes to demonstrating how your product works. You’ll also want to consider the delicate balance between making an attention-grabbing impression and conveying the in-depth research and solid medical science that goes into the design and testing of your products.

Medical devices were a $180 billion market in 2015, according to Kalorama Information, the leading source of healthcare market research. That’s in the US alone; the worldwide market for medical devices surpassed $389 billion. With those numbers at stake, you need to make every effort count. When planning your exhibit, you may wish to consider the following:

Medical Device Trade Show Design: Be Visible   

Show attendees get bombarded with a non-stop barrage of information vying for their immediate attention. If you’re exhibiting at a medical device trade show, you can cut through all that surrounding noise by making your visual and textual points quickly while avoiding fluff and filler. This lets visitors know you value their time.

You’ll want to consider sightlines right from the start. If your booth needs to showcase large or bulky devices, placement becomes a greater consideration than it would for an exhibit displaying smaller products or promoting a brand or concept. Plan ahead and reserve your booth space early to have your choice of prime locations. Research your options and find the spot on the trade show floor that will display your products to their best advantage.

Medical Device Trade Show Design: Be Information-Rich

When planning your booth, avoid unforced errors. Make sure your display elements don’t obstruct your signs and graphics. Design your signs to be clear and easy to read at a glance, keeping the focus on your device’s name, purpose, and benefits. Clinical trial results and other legally-required disclosures may be printed in small lettering, though make sure your signs follow all regulations from all pertinent governmental agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or you’ll run the risk of non-compliance penalties.

 

All information presented on signs or monitors should be formatted in a manner that’s easy to read. This is not the time to experiment with ornate fonts or calligraphy. Consider using free-standing kiosks or tablets to give visitors individual access to detail-rich information. Touchscreens may be used to your advantage, since they allow visitors to quickly navigate through a great deal of information to find answers to their questions or concerns. Visitors may also use touchscreens to go through the material at their own pace and to choose how in-depth they wish to delve into the subject.

Medical Device Trade Show Design: Keep Hygiene in Mind

Let visitors know they can trust the science behind your products. While there’s no need to make your display look as antiseptic as a hospital corridor, it’s not a bad idea for your design to evoke the cleanliness and professionalism associated with the medical industry. Start with a streamlined, uncluttered design, in which all booth elements coordinate with each other. Keep your booth organized; while the show is in progress, stay alert for signs of encroaching disorder. Clean white spaces and ample lighting can give your booth a clinical appearance, which can help inspire visitor confidence in your medical knowledge.

Of course, sterility is not the only approach. If it works for your brand, you may wish to experiment with more playful elements or bright pops of color. When it comes to trade show booths, there are no universal solutions. The possibilities are endless, limited only by the scope of your creativity. Working with an experienced professional exhibit design team is the best way to make sure your finished display lives up to your original concept.

Medical Device Trade Show Design: Save Room for Demos

Product demonstrations are a key component of medical device trade shows, which means your booth will most likely need to be large enough to support a dedicated demonstration area. Your demonstration should be brief, engaging, and informative. Potential investors or medical equipment buyers may have sophisticated technical questions about your products, so make sure your booth spokespeople are well-rehearsed and highly informed. Seize full advantage of this chance to radiate knowledge and professionalism while presenting your brand in the best possible light.

If you’re marketing two or more different devices at a single show, consider having separate booths for each, particularly if you plan to target each device to a different audience. If separate booths aren’t a practical option, give some thought to having separate demonstration areas for each device within the same booth. This will help you connect with more visitors and ensure that no aspect of your audience is overlooked.

Medical Device Trade Show Design: Consider Rentals

While permanent custom displays have some undeniable advantages, a rental exhibit can be a smart choice if your medical device is likely to require frequent updates or a future redesign. A rental exhibit provides you with a budget-friendly way to change your display from year to year—or from trade show to trade show—to reflect the evolving appearance of your device. Custom rental displays from ProExhibits are created by the same teams of experienced professionals and use the same high-quality materials as their permanent displays. Using a rental display frees you from logistics concerns, such as transporting displays to shows, installing them, dismantling them, and placing them in storage until the next use.

Planning and creating a booth for a medical device trade show requires a great deal of time and effort. Partnering with an experienced professional exhibit design company is the best way to make sure every step in the process is executed flawlessly, to provide you with a display that fulfills your trade show goals and exceeds your expectations.

ProExhibits has helped the world’s best brands achieve their trade show goals and connect with audiences for more than 30 years. If you have a medical device trade show or any other show or event on your calendar, we’d like to help you. Contact us today.