July/August 1990
Floorplan design

Layouts that do more then just maximize space

By Gayle Kern

Floorplan design impacts many important aspects of exposition management, and layouts should be as unique as the show itself. Good design can mean the difference between a dream show and a genuine nightmare. Logistics, space sales and even exhibitor relations are all enhanced by a carefully planned layout, which balances the needs of show management, exhibitors and those who attend the show.

Because facilities are different, the plan, which worked beautifully in Boston, may cause problems if copied in Cleveland. And using a facility’s “standard layout” may result in “just another show” instead of the sparkling, exciting event you had envisioned. What makes a Floorplan effective is show-specific customization based on needs, limitations, rules and the show site.

The effectiveness of a successful design is revealed long before attendees start down the aisles. The Floorplan must first ensure smooth freight move-in and access to utility ports. “You can run utility lines anywhere, but the cost can become high,” says Brett Overton, President of Show management & Services, Inc., a Chicago-based show management firm. Poorly-planned layout can result in higher labor equipment costs, extended booth set-up time and an increased potential for problems.

A creative floorplan, providing a variety of booth sizes, can even boost space sales by offering something for every need. “Our basic philosophy is to avoid the 10 x 10 mentality,” says Mike Muldoon, Senior Vice President of Conventions & Meeting Services for the Food Marketing Institute. Accordingly, there are no 10 x 10 spaces in FMI’s  530,000 square-foot show. FMI encourages exhibitors to think about their specific space needs and show objective, and help them with audience calculations to better determine their staff and exhibit area requirements. Muldoon says the basic 10 x 10 unit often is not large enough to handle the number of prospects the exhibitor can expect at the show. “By taking this approach in selling the space, we focus on the goal-setting that should be done for more effective exhibiting,” he explains. The net result is evidenced in FMI’s growth – an increase of over 300,000 square feet in the past 10 years.

Traffic density
Although most show managers strive first and foremost to maximize usable space, this is just one of many designs objectives. Few could cite their show’s precise daily traffic density in terms of people-per-square-foot, but most have a “feel” for what they want in terms of “busyness.” This perception helps convey excitement and action in higher densities, or a relaxed educational/informational environment in lower densities. “ Smaller shows may look for higher densities to make their 2,000 attendee feel like 9,000,” says Overton. This perception can be created by narrowing aisles from 10 feet to nine feet, or simply designing fewer islands and fitting more exhibits in the same space.

Exhibitor equality
Promoting a sense of exhibitor equality is often high on the list of Floorplan priorities, The Radiological Society of North America addresses this issue by reserving a block of in-line exhibits no larger then 10 x 20 at the front of the hall. “We don’t want to see a company which has been with the show for many years, but has no need for a large booth, pushed out to the edge of the floor, or overrun by larger exhibits,” says RSNA Assistant Executive Director, Merle Hedland.

The American College of Cardiology follows a similar policy of reserving blocks for smaller exhibits, and also prevents sight-line complaints through careful placement of adjacent exhibits, “ We don’t want a 5,000 square-foot booth positioned so that it obliterates the smaller booths around it,” says Nanette Tucker, ACC’s Exposition Manager.

For Supercom, a communication industry show produce by Overton’s company, smaller exhibitors can choose to locate in a bank of 200 10 x 10s directly in the center of the floor. “ We will surround this area with larger exhibits which is an advantage in generating traffic for the smaller guys,” say Overton.

Implementing objectives
The first step in implementing Floorplan objectives is to obtain a facility diagram showing entrances, columns, freight access, restrooms, utility port locations and other permanent features. It generally incorporates a “typical” maximum booth capacity plan – usually in 10-foot increments – and reveals problem areas such as aisles that may have to be wider then usual or ceiling heights that may restrict double-deck exhibits,

Local service contractors usually have vast experience in home-town facilities. According to Overton, his contractors have point out “dead” area in the hall, and have provided him with insights on safety and hall regulations regarding Floorplan design.  Contractors often have ideas for getting maximum usage out of a hall, and are expert at spotting structural anomalies like low ceilings, unconventional utility grids, curved walls or unusual columns.

Aisles
Aisles are usually the first feature placed on a Floorplan since they determine the outline for the rest of the show. Many halls have “typical” layout designs showing primary aisles running either north-south or east-west. “ Which you pick is determined by your estimate of required square-footage, the size and configuration of your larger exhibits and a determination of how traffic entering from other halls affects flow,” says Joyce Rosinkski, Manager of Corporate Sales Group at Freeman Decorating, in Chicago. Main aisles typically run the longer dimension of the hall, with cross aisles running the shorter direction.  “I always try to avoid potential traffic bottlenecks at the ends of long aisles to let people out,” adds Chris Stromme, Floorplan and Exhibit Designer at Brede Expositions/ Exhibits Plus, Inc., in Minneapolis.

Freight is an additional consideration in aisle placement. Tucker consults with her drayage contractor to arrive at the best aisle pattern for efficient freight move-in and move-out. “I give them a Floorplan and ask if they see anything that might cause a problem,” she says.

You want a straight line for freight, directly into the heart of the exhibit floor. Some shows further expedite freight movement by designating several “no-freight” aisles. Free from the clutter of exhibit materials, these aisles are then easier for freight handlers to negotiate. Stromme says larger exhibits spaces should not be surrounded by these special crate-free aisles, since “you want to be sure your bigger exhibitors have some place to put their freight.”

Aisle – and booth – layout is also affected by local fire and safety rules. Too few cross aisles, or aisles that are too narrow, can result in a rejected Floorplan. Blocked emergency exits or fire extinguishers are also likely to be nixed.

Exhibit space
There are as many ways to start exhibit space layout, as there are shows. A clear understanding of show and association objectives helps direct the process. For example, shows with large space needs for association usage often block off what they need first, and build their Floorplan around those areas.  “The first things I place on the Floorplan are special area like the restaurant, publishers row – all the big things the association needs,” says Tucker.

After association needs are met, the special needs of a show’s exhibitors will often determine the order in which a Floorplan is completed. Many show managers plan for the largest exhibit spaces first because their special size or configuration requirements would make them hard to fit in later. “Some RSNA exhibitors bring large mobile-imaging suites the size of a van line truck and trailer,” says Michael O’Connell, Technical Exhibits Manager for RSNA. “Because of their power requirements, and exit access concerns, there are only certain areas that will work.” Tucker also keeps her largest exhibit spaces away from the freight doors to prevent exhibit materials from blocking this crucial area.

The whole process may sound rather complicated considering objectives, rule and exhibits needs. But in reality, most Floorplan design is simplified greatly by show history – particularly if it remains in one location. “ Many of our exhibitors come back year after year with the same needs. So we can easily build that into our preliminary Floorplan,” says Hedland. According to O’Connell, “We will factor in anywhere from 5-to-10 percent growth in booth the number of exhibits and the size of the show, and then lay out plans trying to accommodate those needs.” To take the guesswork out of the planning for the needs of larger exhibitors, Overton calls the 20 largest exhibitors in his show to determine their space requirements.

Special layouts
Industry “standards” – 10-foot booth increments, utility grids and priority point systems – often discourage innovative floor plans. But, a few years ago the International Food Technology show adopted a unique diamond pattern layout that Overton says encouraged small exhibitors to increase their booth size. “ When you make a diamond pattern on the Floorplan, you create a lot of 20x20 Island that offer more exposure. Every few feet, when the attendee turned a corner, they were facing a different exhibitor,” he explains. Eventually it limited the growth of the show since a more conventional pattern can squeeze more exhibit space into the same hall. “And, we had a lot of trouble getting fire marshall approval because they thought it was not as easy to get out of the hall with the zigzag aisle pattern.”

The most common special layout design calls for dividing the show into “section,” by product or service displayed. Although there are ample arguments both for and against placing “birds of a feather” together, the decision is often made not by show management but the exhibitors or attendees.  The National Home Center show adopted a product oriented Floorplan this year as a the result of an attendee marketing survey which revealed that attendees felt that section the floor would make it easier to maximize their time at the show. Designing such a Floorplan was a lengthy process the first time around.
Each exhibitor had to be surveyed to determine in which product category he or she belonged. “We worked closely with the Home Center show people for days, looking at how man of each size booth had to be in each product grouping,” says Freeman’s Rosinski.

Opponents of sectioning say it is precisely because of the difficulty in assigning exhibitors into product categories that their exhibitors oppose the concept. Companies with multiple product lines don’t want to be forced to choose one over another, or deal with the expense and logistics of taking several booths. Savvy exhibitors also know that many small booths will dilute their company’s message and image. “Our studies show there is a direct correlation between exhibit size and audience impact,” says Skip Cox, Vice President of Exhibit Surveys, Inc., a leading industry research firm. “When you cut your booth in half, you reduce your exhibit’s memorability.”

Other floorplan designs create special sections by exhibit size. As mentioned earlier, many shows provide prime space to small exhibitors so they can compete in a show dominated by huge exhibits. More often, however, it’s the large exhibit spaces that require careful placement to achieve flow and balance goals. At the Supercom show, exhibitors booking over 3,00 square feet of space don’t get to pick there location. “ We place the largest spaces on the perimeter of the Floorplan to evenly distribute traffic flow throughout the he hall,” says Overton.

Some floorplans strive to disperse large exhibit spaces evenly from one end of the hall to the other, one hall to the next. “If we bunched all of our large capital equipment companies in one hall we would have chaos with traffic blocking aisles,” says Hedland of RSNA Floorplan. Larger exhibitors are also spread out for logistical concerns. “ You can’t place two large exhibits next to each other, or neither one will be able to get all of their freight in the aisle next to their booth,” says Tucker.

Although some have tried, controlling traffic beyond indirect positioning of exhibits and features is difficult at best, and foolhardy according to most. Turning a Floorplan into a maze-like test where attendees are forced to travel in only one direction may ensure that attendees go through the entire hall, but they likely will not see the exhibits in the heat of their frustrations. “ People com in with agenda, they want to see certain things without going through the whole hall to find them,” says Overton.

Avoiding problems
Instead of trying to control and audience, a good floorplans will make the attendee’s visit to the show as free from frustration as possible by preventing traffic pattern problems, Traffic bottlenecks are sometimes unavoidable around major exhibitors, but careful placement of cross aisles give visitors another way to reach their destination. Consumer show audiences may require larger, color-coded aisles since attendees may not be familiar with finding their way around a large hall. “They are usually there for only one day, versus 2-to-3 days for a trade show, so you want to encourage them to see everything,” Overton says.

Careful floor planning can also prevent exhibitor dissatisfaction through attention to traffic weak spots. Plans that are forced to incorporate a dead-end aisle can lead to a lounge or other traffic-generating feature. Low traffic areas like lower levels or exhibit annexes can be revitalized by locating areas of special interest nearby such as a meeting rooms, technical presentation or show registration.

A mistake in floorplan dimensions can cause the most serious layout problems. Double-checking a hand-drafted plan is standard operating procedure for most shows managers. Accuracy is critical if you don’t want to discover on opening day that your ‘maxed out’ floorplan is off by two feet, and several exhibitors won’t be able to fit there booths in to the show.

Tucker checks for overall layout balance by coloring the booths of like sized on a copy of the floorplan. By highlighting the 20x20 booths in one color, the 20x30 spaces in another color, and so on, Tucker can see at a glance whether they are evenly distributed around the hall. “The balance I strive for is more for making exhibitors feel good about their location actually affecting traffic patterns,” she admits.

Despite best efforts, most exposition managers still find themselves adjusting the floorplan right up until the night before the first attendee walk through the entrance. This is true even when you’ve done everything right to accommodate association objectives, exhibitor needs and operational efficiency. As Tucker confides, “The only real final floorplan is the one I mark up with actual names and booth number after the show is over.”