Experience Is the New Marketing

Walk any exhibition floor today and you’ll see it - two kinds of stands.

Some are static - neat, branded, easy to forget. Others draw crowds, start conversations and leave visitors smiling as they move on.

The difference isn’t size, spend or slogan. It’s experience.

In an era where every message competes for attention, exhibitions have become one of the few marketing channels that still offer genuine, in-person connection. But audiences expect more than polished graphics. They want something to do, something to feel, something to remember.
The best exhibitors are responding - turning their spaces into immersive environments where design, interaction and purpose work together.

The role of an exhibition stand has shifted dramatically.
Where it once served as a backdrop for brochures, it’s now the stage for storytelling.
Instead of asking “what do we need to show?” exhibitors are asking “what do we want visitors to experience?”

Service Graphics has seen that change firsthand through a wide range of exhibition partnerships - from sustainability and retail shows to major national events.

At the VM & Display Show, the team demonstrated how creativity and environmental responsibility can align. The in-house designed stand combined reused modules, recycled cardboard, rented furniture, digital screens and the MAGNWALL system to showcase innovation while minimising waste. Sustainable giveaways and smart reuse of materials reinforced the idea that experience and sustainability go hand in hand.

Experience doesn’t always mean spectacle. It means intention - creating spaces that encourage people to engage naturally.

At EMEX, Service Graphics partnered with Johnson Controls and ebm-papst to design stands that did just that.

Each environment balanced clean design with functionality: open layouts, hanging signage, clear product zoning, and tactile brand finishes. Visitors could navigate easily, interact directly with products and staff, and get a clear sense of each company’s identity.

At DPRTE 2025, the UK’s leading defence procurement event, Service Graphics managed an exceptional 43 exhibition stands - 29 for new clients.

Each build, from custom spaces for Babcock and Arcadis to multi-brand shell schemes, was executed with precision and purpose.

The emphasis was on clarity, quality and efficiency, demonstrating that even in a complex technical environment, human-centred design makes the biggest impact.

These events highlight a pattern: exhibitors no longer measure success by how much they can fit on a wall, but by how effectively they create connection - between people, ideas and brand purpose.

Experience-led design is also about narrative: giving visitors a clear sense of what a brand stands for from the moment they enter.

At the Royal Highland Show 2025, Service Graphics helped bring Aldi’s Best of Scotland marquee to life - a vibrant 25 × 20 metre modular build celebrating Scottish producers.

The space featured an operational chefs’ kitchen, supplier showcases and sampling areas surrounded by bold graphics celebrating local food and drink.

Visitors didn’t just browse products; they stepped into a story of community, quality and craft.
That’s what modern exhibiting looks like - environments that communicate values as much as visuals.

And at the Everything Electric Show 2025, where Changan Automotive made its UK debut, the Service Graphics and Hatch teams turned speed into spectacle.

In just under ten days, they delivered a full end-to-end activation - from stand design and graphics to logistics, vehicle presentation and on-site management.

The result was a polished, high-impact experience that announced a new brand to the UK with confidence and clarity.

Designing for experience often leads to better sustainability outcomes too.

When teams plan modularity, reusability and materials that enhance rather than decorate, waste falls naturally.

At Service Graphics, this principle runs through projects of all scales - from carbon-measured materials at Sustainability Live to reusable stand systems at VM-SHOW.

The creative constraint of “designing responsibly” has become a catalyst for innovation, proving that the best ideas are often the most sustainable ones.

As digital marketing becomes noisier and more automated, exhibitions stand apart as places where relationships happen face-to-face.

A well-designed stand is no longer a display - it’s a live, three-dimensional expression of brand personality.

Every detail, from layout and lighting to texture and tone, contributes to how visitors feel and remember.

Service Graphics’ work across events like Festival of Work, DPRTE 2025 and Sustainability Live 2024 shows that creativity, efficiency and storytelling can coexist.

It also shows that the real metric of success isn’t footfall or stand size - it’s emotional impact.

Because when people step into an experience that feels genuine, they don’t just notice the brand.

They connect with it.

And in the exhibition world, that connection is everything.