The available lighting at most venues is seldom attractive or sufficient, leading most companies with trade show booths to invest in additional lighting fixtures for their space.
But while their lighting solutions may be sufficient, they seldom transform their trade show booths' appeal.
In fact, staid task lights and harsh, overhead fixtures continue to be the norm.
It's a shame, because using custom fixtures to highlight specific features is a great way to make your exhibit stand out from the crowd.
With so many unusual illumination options available, it simply doesn't make sense to continue using your old stand-bys.
If you want to move beyond "adequate" lighting and really turn up the drama so that your exhibit takes center stage, consider the following options.
Spotlighting The Focal Point Of Trade Show Booths Powerful spot lights can be positioned to flood the focal point of your exhibit with bright, white light that will draw the eyes of visitors and leave them in no doubt about what is the most important feature in your exhibit.
Look for versions that allow you to adjust the angle and spread of light so that you can custom target a single component in your space.
Think of it as putting your new product or service in the spotlight on the red carpet - heads will turn.
Add Depth Or Divide Space With Lights Using various lighting styles such as can lights, task lights and under counter fixtures will give you the opportunity to divide up your space into specific sections.
You might illuminate a work station with task lighting, floor lights to create a path for visitors, and flood the area where a demonstration or give-away is taking place.
Having various kinds of illumination at various levels gives even smaller trade show booths the illusion of more depth.
Illuminated Borders And Other Effects Rope lights use long strands of cool, LED lights encased in plastic to create ground level, low-light that adds interest and outlines specific features.
They can edge the path you want visitors to follow by illuminating the floor's borders or add a touch of whimsy with unusual colors that either coordinate with your overall color scheme or add a bold contrast to keep things interesting.
They can be used almost anywhere, giving you plenty of versatility.
LEDs also come in a variety of colors so that you can put them almost anywhere.
The same can be said for fiber optics, which are extremely fine strands of pliable, optical fiber that can be used virtually anywhere in trade show booths as under cabinet illumination, to surround banner stands in bright colors or to brighten dark corners.
Backlit Displays One of the newest ways to illuminate trade show booths creatively is with backlit displays.
These are fabric units that come in a variety of shapes, including traditional pop-up units to backlit cubes that can be suspended above your exhibit to draw the eyes of visitors who are still a distance away.
Backlighting is created by using LED lights either grounded or suspended within the display units, illuminating them from within and creating bolder, more vibrant colors that seem to glow.
With so many options available, it would be silly not to take advantage of custom lighting when you're designing your trade show booths.
The right style of illumination can take your exhibit from mundane to magical.