Why visitors stop at one booth and walk past another

You are standing at a trade fair. Hundreds of visitors walk by. One booth draws them in, another they pass without a glance. Where does that difference come from?

That is exactly the question we put at the heart of every project at Eldee Expo Experts. Not “how do we build a beautiful booth?”, but “how do we make sure your booth attracts visitors, holds their attention and tells your story?”

A visitor decides in three seconds, and design makes that choice

Before anyone reads a word or starts a conversation, a booth has already made an impression. Lighting, materials, openness and colour steer that decision. When a booth does not match the brand behind it, you miss exactly the visitors who would have suited you best.

At Eldee we always design from brand identity.

A company built on sustainability chooses different materials and colours than a technology company that wants to impress with innovation. That sounds obvious, yet in practice we regularly see booths that stand apart from their brand.

Visitors remember what they experience, not what they read

Brochures get thrown away. Conversations stay with people. Experiences last even longer.

We see it in our own projects, and research explains why. According to EventTrack 2026, the largest annual study into experiential marketing among more than 1,000 Fortune marketers, 61% of consumers are more likely to buy after a live brand experience. Well-executed experiential campaigns deliver an average return of 3:1 to 5:1 on the investment, and strong-performing activations reach an ROI of 10:1.

Booths that let visitors experience something instead of informing them consistently produce more high-quality conversations. That starts with a deliberate design choice.

How DP&S let visitors taste the future of food at IFFA Frankfurt

A concrete example from our own practice: the booth we built for DP&S (Dutch Protein & Services) at IFFA Frankfurt, the international trade fair for the meat and protein processing industry.

DP&S works with retailers, hospitality, producers and consumers on the future of food production. For IFFA they deliberately chose not to build a traditional booth. The goal was to let visitors see, smell, taste and experience the story behind the brand.

Together with designer Stefan van der Heijden we designed a 117-square-metre booth that felt like an urban-farm restaurant. Wood, felt and bamboo as materials. Vertical farming elements as visual anchors. Strong blue branding that made DP&S instantly recognisable on the show floor. At the heart of the booth stood an open kitchen island. Chefs prepared dishes live, visitors tasted, account managers started conversations. No sales pitch, but a shared dining experience that invited visitors to stay longer.

Themes such as product transparency, smart packaging and consumer experience were not translated into text on a wall, but into the experience itself. Anyone who stepped inside understood what DP&S stands for, without a word of explanation

Storytelling works when every element pulls in the same direction

On the DP&S booth, nothing worked in isolation. Materials, lighting, graphics, the live cooking demonstration, the routing through the booth: every element reinforced the same story.

That is what we mean by storytelling in booth building. Not a nice quote on a wall, but a design in which every choice says something about the brand. Visitors feel that difference, even when they never put it into words.

Your booth and your brand should tell the same story

A booth that looks completely different from a brand’s website, campaigns and social media channels creates confusion. Visitors who look a company up online after the fair should recognise immediately who they spoke to.

That is why we align every booth concept with the full brand identity of our client. Not only because it looks professional, but above all because consistency creates trust. And trust is the basis for valuable leads and long-term client relationships.

Tell us about your next trade fair

Curious how a booth attracts visitors, holds their attention and brings a brand story to life?

See how we did this for DP&S at IFFA Frankfurt and get in touch for a no-obligation conversation about your next trade fair appearance.

Curious how we translate your specific wishes into a stand design? Make an appointment.