What Makes a Great Exhibition Stand for a Food & Drink Trade Show?

Trade shows are a serious investment. At PS8 we know that success is rarely about footfall alone. A great stand is not just well designed: it is strategically planned to deliver commercial results.

Here are some top tips on what we think makes a great exhibition stand:

1. Start with budget

Budget should be defined before creative work begins. That includes everything from space, stand build, electrics, flooring, graphics, shipping samples to staffing, interpreters and travel.

A clear budget allows your design partner to recommend the right scale, materials and features from the outset and it avoids redesigns, saving time.

2. Be clear on your objectives

Why are you exhibiting? Are you launching into a new export market? Looking for distributors? Meeting existing partners? Targeting retail or foodservice buyers?

Your stand layout and design should reflect that purpose. If your goal is distributor acquisition, you may need strong visibility and bold messaging. If relationship-building is the focus, private meeting areas and hospitality space become essential.

3. Know your audience

Food and drink exhibitions attract diverse visitors. Your stand cannot speak to everyone.

Be specific about who you want to attract and what matters to them: price, provenance, scalability, sustainability, innovation. Your graphics, sampling strategy and seating layout should all support those conversations.

4. Define the vision

A clear brief always results in a stronger stand. What should visitors remember about your brand? Premium quality? Craft heritage? Capacity to supply internationally?

Everything – lighting, materials, product display and messaging – should reinforce that single vision. 

5. Plan how visitors will engage

Do you need:

• Open or semi-private meeting areas?
• Demonstration or sampling counters?
• Refrigeration or specialist equipment?
• Storage?
• Literature displays?

And critically, how will you capture data? Badge scanning, iPads or structured note-taking processes? Without a system, valuable export leads are lost.

Real examples in practice

At ISM 2026, Tunnock’s briefed us wanting an exhibition stand which stood out in a competitive hall but which also had areas for meetings, along with lockable counters and storeroom.  They leaned on our expertise for more inspiration.  As we were familiar with the hall their stand was in, we advised building higher, strengthening lighting and incorporating a large screen to create movement and draw visitors in. The result balanced strong visual impact with dedicated meeting areas, supporting both attraction and conversion.

In contrast, Forest Feast takes a more minimalist approach at their UK tradeshows. Their strategy is to let the product lead. We create large seamless fabric wall graphics for maximum brand impact, paired with a substantial sampling counter. They also attach product samples to foliage walls, allowing visitors to taste without pressure: a simple but highly effective engagement tactic that respects different buyer behaviours.

Two very different brands. Two very different approaches. Both aligned to clear objectives which proved highly successful.