What should happen when someone walks into your stand?
A stand needs more than a display. Visitors should be able to understand the subject quickly, ask a useful question and decide whether to stay. Your team needs enough space and a simple way to respond.
Start with the experience, then specify the physical elements and technology required.
1. Decide what the stand is for
Choose one main purpose and one or two supporting uses: showing documented results, discussing a policy issue, hosting partner conversations, demonstrating a tool, collecting feedback or introducing visitors to a programme.
Write down what you want a visitor to know or do after spending one minute in the space. If the answer is unclear, hold off on ordering screens and printed materials.
2. Plan three visitor paths
Consider:
- 30 seconds: A passer-by should identify the subject from the main visual and headline.
- 3 minutes: An interested visitor should find the core message, one supporting example and a person to speak with.
- 15 minutes: A partner or specialist should have space for a meaningful conversation or demonstration.
Walk through each route on a floor plan. Make sure the entrance, displays, seating and circulation do not obstruct one another.
3. Give the story a clear structure
Use one main message, two or three supporting facts, one concrete example and a useful next step. Avoid filling the walls with long paragraphs. Identify which claims are observed results, future targets or proposals, and make the scope visible.
Before production, ask someone unfamiliar with the project to explain the stand's main point after one minute.
4. Use interactions that fit the audience
An interaction should help answer a question. Options include a short climate-policy quiz, a comparison of local approaches, a feedback poll, an interactive map or a guided discussion prompt.
For each activity specify:
- What participants will learn or contribute
- How long it takes
- Who facilitates it
- Whether data is collected, and why
- What works if the internet or screen fails
A demo concept must not be presented as a deployed product.
A COP31-specific stand decision
Before commissioning a structure, ask whether you have a confirmed official exhibit allocation, a pavilion host agreement or space at an independent event. These are not interchangeable; approvals, access rules, technical specifications and responsibilities may differ. Use the actual host's latest handbook or contract as the production brief.
5. Check layout and accessibility
Consider wheelchair circulation, reach heights, legible text, audio levels, seating, clear signage and alternatives to screen-only participation. Confirm detailed requirements with the host venue or pavilion organiser. Booth dimension and construction rules vary by location; do not assume a standard layout across Blue Zone, Green Zone and independent venues.
6. Plan for staffing and daily operations
List each role: welcome, technical assistance, subject expert, meetings, replenishment and end-of-day reset. A stand that looks good at opening may fail when one colleague leaves for a meeting or a device stops working.
Keep operating instructions short: opening checklist, technical contacts, staff briefing, cleaning, material restocking and emergency procedures.
7. Review materials and claims together
Look at the environmental claims on the panels and at the choices made in production: materials, transport, giveaways, energy use and waste. Claims such as “zero impact” or “100% sustainable” need strong, specific substantiation and should not be used casually.
Ask whether a giveaway serves a purpose, whether it is likely to be kept and whether a lighter or digital option would work better.
8. Rehearse the real visitor experience
Test QR codes, touchscreens, offline fallback, accessibility and the first explanation staff will give. Practice with someone who has not seen the concept. Note where they hesitate, cannot read a screen or misunderstand a claim.
Final checklist
- Main objective and audience agreed
- 30-second, 3-minute and 15-minute visitor paths tested
- Messages and evidence reviewed
- Staff roles and meeting space planned
- Venue rules and accessibility checked
- Technology and offline alternative tested
- Materials and sustainability claims reviewed
- Daily operating plan and on-site owner confirmed
Related service — SICI: SICI can help design the visitor journey, clarify messages, review credibility risks and develop selected digital interactions or local coordination for COP31. Scope depends on the venue and brief. View the current service overview: Services.
Sources: UNFCCC side events and exhibits · COP31 participant information. Physical planning recommendations are editorial examples and must be checked against actual host requirements.