Pharma trade show stand

An AI robot, a VR game, a 1950’s-inspired “living room” and so much more made a success of this pharma trade show stand.

Background

Every year, LEO Pharma attends the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology) Congress, where healthcare professionals from all over the world showcase their clinical expertise.

Challenge

With the congress held in Milan this time, exhibitors would have to adhere to the strict regulations the exhibition industry in Italy is bound by, where different treatment – in terms of visuals and layout configuration – must be given to exhibiting space dedicated to the promotion of approved drugs, drugs that are still in the research or development stages, as well as considering what approach to take for non promotional areas.

Having already launched their latest drug in the US, it was now time to launch it, with a different name*, in Europe. EADV Milan was the chosen forum for the launch, and it would also serve as the stage to promote other products and the overall LEO Pharma brand.

Another major element of this project would be to manage the expectations of the various LEO Pharma product owners as well as the R&D team and the Medical Affairs team, ensuring all their specific requirements were met.

Solution

The pharma trade show stand we designed for the 14m x 12.5m plot, delivered on the brief, and more.

Space planning was the first key consideration, taking into account position of the stand in the hall and the different ratios and proportions we would have to consider to maximise LEO Pharma’s investment in the show, while strictly adhering to Health & Safety and in-country pharma exhibition regulations.

The LEO Village immediately draws delegates in – an open plan space with a wide range of features and content to keep delegates engaged throughout their visit. As they walk through, delegates are presented with a clear structure to guide their journey and entice them deeper and deeper into the booth, a conscious design decision to ensure delegates wouldn’t feel lost or isolated in the open plan space, or overwhelmed by all the features and activities available to them.

A giant suspended high resolution LED screen commands attention with different content throughout the day: advertising symposia, product* promotion or inviting delegates to go over to the other side of the exhibition hall to the separate meeting rooms we had dressed and furnished.

The outward facing walls were cladded with images and messaging to promote the new product* being launched, whereas other areas focused on promoting well-established products.

Every aspect of the stand design is highly visual: built-in LED tiles on the raised platform floor are brought to life thanks to colourful moving chevrons that draw the eye in and up to the screen.

Every corner of the stand is filled with engaging content, whether printed or digital, some of it accessible via touch screens.

The inclusion of Pepper, an AI robot programmed to interact with delegates – even looking them in the eye and answering their questions – was a huge draw and talking point at the stand.

With the regulations being very clear about having to establish a clear divide between promotional and non promotional areas, we used different floor surfaces (wooden, carpeted) for different areas, and built a coffee bar to help split the two areas and create a natural break in the time delegates spent at the stand.

Round, comfortable seating is an irresistible pull, benefitting delegates by offering them a place to recharge, and charge their phones on the integrated stations. This feature also benefitted LEO Pharma as it increased delegate dwell time, enticing them to look around and plan the rest of their time at the stand.

Behind the coffee bar, another area offers a totally different atmosphere. Designed with the 1950s in mind to celebrate the anniversary of an important company milestone, the LEO Heritage area is a quirky, low tech space that invites delegates to step into a vintage-inspired “living room”. The unique wallpaper – a bespoke design created by our team – the neon LEO logo, and custom-made frames and furniture all contribute to a warm and homely feeling for delegates, who flocked to the space to take selfies with a real 1970s Polaroid camera. Loaded with real film, we also produced digital copies of each photograph for delegates to keep.

The custom-made frames housed screens with synchronised content – when content ended playing on the first screen, the second screen would then start, and so on – ensuring delegates were able to absorb everything in sequential order. The museum-style plaques beneath the frames include a QR code that could be scanned to get more information.

Another way to pull delegates in: a circular area enclosed by bumper bars invites delegates to immerse themselves in a Virtual Reality game, which we linked to a screen in front so other delegates could see exactly the same as what could be seen through the VR headset.

Another area of the stand is dedicated to generate awareness of the latest Research & Development projects. Impactful creative, a touch screen with interactive content, a QR code and iPad stands with built-in content all contribute to educating delegates on LEO’s latest research.

The Medical Information area is a promotion-free zone where delegates can hold private conversations with visiting Healthcare providers. The area also includes a room where all the AV equipment could be concealed and printed collateral stored. We even included a mirror as the space was big enough for staff to get changed every day before and after the show.

“Thank you for being such a great team and for supporting us. We have achieved a lot and it has been a pleasure to work with you on all these congresses.”

(*) – To comply with regulations around the promotion of pharmaceutical products, all references to specific product names have been omitted from copy and images.