When you picture your trade show booth, it’s likely that banner stands, demonstration tables, and other elements come to mind. What’s missing? Flooring! The floor of a trade show booth is often an afterthought, rather than the major design consideration it should be. When you design your trade show display, think of the floor as a fifth wall. With the right design choices, trade show flooring can not only complement your booth, it can substantially enhance it.
New Flooring Can Make a Great Booth Design Even Better
Are you already happy with the design of your trade show booth, but still hoping to find a way to make it even better or upgrade it for the New Year? Adding new flooring is a great way to do this without changing your existing design or layout.
When choosing new looks for your floor, there’s really only one rule to follow: Brand authenticity is most important. Choose colors and materials that are in keeping with your brand identity and values.
1. Tiles Look Great and Make Floor Installation a Breeze
Dave Walens, president of trade show flooring solutions company Brumark, says tiles are a particularly smart and flexible option. They’re simple to use and come in a huge range of style options. It’s also easy to scale the size and shape of your floor according to your needs—by adding or removing tiles. If you decide in the future that you want more exhibit space, it’s easy to extend your floor just by laying down more tiles.
Another great advantage of tiles is that they’re typically created using an interlocking design that makes installation a breeze. There’s no need to break a sweat trying to unroll and lay a heavy carpet—it’s just a matter of connecting tiles together right on the floor.
You can choose from a range of materials, including:
- Carpet tiles
- Foam tiles
- Rubber tiles
- Plastic tiles
Easy-install plastic tiles are great for leveling an uneven floor. Rubber tiles are ideal when you need a hard-wearing floor for heavily trafficked areas. The extra cushioning of soft foam tiles work wonders for your booth staff’s feet and legs, making the long hours of exhibiting more comfortable. Your visitors are certain to notice your comfortable floors too!
Raised Flooring Tiles
One popular innovation in tile flooring is the raised floor. This is a custom-sized framework that is laid over the booth’s floor space. Individual tiles are then placed into the framework to create the complete floor. Raised floors aren’t just easy to install and tear-down; they provide room for cables and other accessories underneath them. Everything gets neatly hidden beneath the exhibit flooring, so there’s nothing to distract the eye or create potential hazards.
A raised floor is also a subtle but effective way to make your trade show space stand out from its surroundings. It’s pleasing to the eye, and the slight lift enhances the feeling of your booth as its own space, rather than just another piece of the trade show hall.
2. Custom-Printed Exhibit Flooring Brands Your “Fifth Wall”
Trade shows are all about getting attention, so why not use every inch of space you have to the fullest? Custom-printed flooring is increasingly popular as a way of getting more branding into a booth. Many different types of floor materials can be customized in this way, including:
- Foam
- Vinyl
- Carpeting
- Plastic
- Wood grain
Most flooring options can handle the print process and display your graphics well.
3. Go Eco-Friendly with Rollable Bamboo Flooring
Searching for a flooring solution that looks great and is eco-friendly? If you want to maintain an environmentally friendly image, rollable bamboo wood flooring is an excellent choice. It’s lightweight and easy to install, comes in multiple natural tones, and is made from a highly sustainable wood. Best of all, it has a fantastic, high-end look, giving your trade show exhibit a quick-and-easy face lift.
4. Dynamic Patterns Attract the Eye
If you prefer to avoid branding your exhibit flooring, another great option is a bold, attention-grabbing pattern. Think printed flooring in:
- Herringbone
- Chevron designs
- Other high-impact patterns in two or three contrasting colors
Herringbone in laminate or foam wood grain makes for a classically elegant look.
5. Trade Show Flooring Provides a Dual Purpose
It’s common to think of your trade show booth flooring design as purely decorative, but there’s no reason it can’t serve more than one purpose. With the right design, you can put your floor to work!
- Use your floor design to highlight certain elements or locations in your booth – For instance, on a solid-colored floor, choose a contrasting color for elements such as demonstration tables and seating. This type of printed flooring draws attention to them and helps create the feeling of “rooms” without the added bulk of extra walls.
- Outline the perimeter of your flooring with a unique color or pattern of flooring – This can help draw the eyes—and hopefully the feet—of people passing by, creating a visual cue that makes your exhibit more engaging.
6. Add the Wow Factor with Colorful Lights
To amp up the visual impact of this strategy, use LED light strips around the perimeter of your space and/or to highlight demonstration areas. The benefits of LED strips? They’re:
- Flexible
- Waterproof
- Able to stand up to foot traffic
- Easy to mount on most flooring options with a simple peel-off backing
If you decide to try LED lights out for your booth, be cautious when it comes to choosing colors! The effect can look gaudy if you use too many different colors or colors that are too bright. Plain white is often the best choice, as it has visual impact but doesn’t look garish.
7. Create a Fresh Look on an Old Floor with Colorful Rugs
New flooring is an effective way to freshen up an exhibit and create interesting and engaging visuals. But what if your budget won’t cover a new floor?
A simple solution is to use one or more rugs to enhance the floor you have, covering up spots that are stained or worn. Be bold in your choice of colors and patterns. Since a rug covers only a small part of the floor, strong patterns and bright colors won’t overwhelm the space.
Rugs are also a good way to define different areas of an exhibit and can make the display space seem larger and more luxurious.
Pro Tip: Using too many rugs can make a space seem smaller and cluttered.
Don’t Underestimate the Draw of a Great Floor!
Of all the elements in a trade show booth that engage visitors and draw them in, you might think the floor is near the bottom of the list. However, a well-chosen floor is an important part of the overall impression your booth makes and can actually work to entice visitors to your exhibit. Consider your design choices carefully!
If you need help, the design experts at ProExhibits have lots of experience choosing the perfect exhibit elements, including flooring. Contact us today!
