Exhibition stand construction suppliers: Bright ideas for planners

Smaller elements such as furniture or counters also influence the visual language of an exhibition stand. The system manufacturer Syma is expanding its exhibition stand ranges with lighting effects.

Lighting plays a defining role in your experience of a trade fair. It guides your attention to and increases your focus on the brand and message. Large, vibrant elements such as neon signs, LED screens, multimedia displays or backlit walls have quite an impact, even from a distance. But when they dominate the appearance of a stand, a counterpoint is required: a quiet or communication area. Smaller illuminated elements provide a sense of coherence. Examples are display cabinets, displays or counters with accentuated lighting elements. These catch the eye in a natural way at the exhibition stand. They provide orientation and ambience. “Amidst the hectic goings-on at a trade fair, an illuminated counter says to people: this is a contact point, this is where you will find information, this is where an exchange begins,” explains Jan Tatic, who is the head of group marketing at Syma. “Lighting effects capture the attention and can also guide it. In this way, they can support the brand message and enhance the impact of the brand’s presentation.

Trade fair planners get bright ideas from Syma: the system manufacturer from Kirchberg in Switzerland provides inspiring ways to use light at an exhibition stand without great expense. The company presented its Syma Lightbox wall systems in the previous issue of TradeFairs International (issue 1/2025, page 88). A new addition to the modular system range are backlit folding counters. These are indispensable pieces of furniture and no less effective in terms of lighting than walls or videos. They serve as a point of contact and a place of communication, give a sense of openness and convey brand messaging in an eye-catching way. “These small modules draw people in and create the atmosphere for good conversations. They embed contact with customers in a professional brand environment,” asserts Tatic. Light thus functions as more than just a decorative element. It is used strategically to control communication and encourage interaction.

So, what does the counter look like? The entire front side of the Syma folding counter is backlit evenly. Thin framing lines give it some structure. Fabric can be chosen for a particularly light surface material. Acrylic is also available. Its smoothness conveys a sense of high quality and provides a perfectly uniformly lit surface. While the counter can be implemented in a great variety of ways, its handling is easy: It takes up little space when transported and can be set up in no time at all. All solutions are of course compatible with each other and well matched – on either a large or small scale. Companies have flexibility in how they present their messages, and the recognition value is high, regardless of the size of the stand or the deployment scenario. The newly developed products expand the portfolio but are just one more step into the future of construction systems. “What’s particularly exciting is that we are now working on structures that go far beyond structural or furnishing elements such as walls or counters,” declares Tatic. “We will be giving further details here in the near future” (www.syma.com).