Having seating in your exhibit can be a great way to encourage traffic. When people see an opportunity to sit and rest their feet, they're much more likely to visit the attached display. Yet by the same token, you need to design the exhibit so that people will come for the trade show booth, not simply for the ability to sit. These sample setups make it easy to see the pros and cons of many common configurations, helping you decide on one of them for yourself, or create your own custom arrangements.

The Service Bar

This technique was pioneered by Apple in its actual stores. Employees stood behind a 'bar' and serviced client equipment while the client sat and waited in comfort. The design has quickly started showing up in trade show booths. The bar is typically at the back of the display, but may also project into the middle area depending on the size required. Visitors are able to sit on barstools near the bar, but can also mill around in remaining free space. With this design, it is virtually guaranteed that everyone who sits down at the bar gets to talk with your staff. However, the overall number of visitors may be limited simply because there must be limited space at the bar.

The Conference Table

Many companies have had great success bringing a small table with rolling chairs into their trade show booth design strategy. Although this might seem counterproductive to the idea of letting as many people see the display as possible, the decreased volume is countered by an increased quality of experience. When people do get to speak with a representative, they're assured a rich and rewarding conversation. In addition, the trade show booth itself will stand out, as it's not common to see this design in most convention exhibits. This design also tends to work well in a situation where you're planning to interview potential applicants at an employment fair.

The Demonstration Station

When you have a small product to display, having a specific demonstration station can be a big advantage. The station should be just big enough to hold the product you want to show off, like a computer if it's a computer-based piece of software. In some cases, companies choose to add a chair to this display. Adding a chair in this situation is one of the toughest decisions a company can make. If you add the chair, people will test your product longer, which means that you'll have comparatively fewer people testing. Yet those who do test will understand it much more thoroughly.

Putting Together Your Best Solution

Chairs and tables won't be the best solution for every company. It depends entirely on what product you're offering, and how you're going to communicate the benefits of that product. If people are seated during a product demonstration, be wary of people who might spend too much time there. If you're going to have many people seated at the same time, be sure that your staff is able to talk with all of them, lest some of them feel unattended. Avoid promoting your seating on banner stands, or you will have people coming purely to sit rather than to enjoy what your company offers. Likewise, ensure that your exhibit continues to promote your product, and is never overly dominated by the chairs. With the right staff and the proper design, you can incorporate chairs into your trade show booth and see a big benefit.