By Catherine Harvey

There has been some confusion reported in the press recently resulting from a plethora of trade shows. The Women’’s Institute in various areas have expressed concern over the exhibitionists visiting their local towns. The Women’’s Institute want to make it known that they are doing their utmost to uphold decency and morality within their areas and call a halt to the influx of these so-called ”exhibition stand designers”.

This is where the confusion has arisen. Exhibitionists are known for their habit of exposing body parts to unsuspecting members of the public for the shock factor and to gain a sexual kick from this disgusting fetish. When approached by an exhibitionist many women cry, children are mentally scarred for life and teenagers laugh and point.

Flashing is a term coined for exhibitionists that expose their bits either deliberately or ”by accident”. Exhibition stand designers have one worry over flashing and that is illumination of the product they are displaying at trade shows. Flashing lights are often detrimental to the overall effect.

An exhibition stand designer is an entirely different kettle of fish when it comes to what they show off. They expose no parts of their own anatomy. They expose other people’’s products in the best manner possible. When approached by an exhibition stand designer, the usual reaction is to yawn.

An exhibitionist will possibly get his fix from ‘’streaking”. This involves removing his/her clothes and running around in a public place completely starkas. This is also done for sexual gratification which can only be his own - can”t say I”m turned on by seeing anybody’’s bits swinging around in Sainsbury’’s car park!

An exhibition stand designer also has streaking concerns. The difference is that he is concerned with the graphics on his display streaking. This is different in that it is only colour and pictures that are streaking as opposed to bodily parts.

Mooning is a practice carried out by exhibitionists. This involves removing the clothing from their nether regions and exposing the gluteus maximus to onlookers. This is sometimes kept for protest purposes but often carried out after copious amounts of alcohol at the back of the bus returning them from a football match.

The only anxiety the rear end brings to an exhibition stand designer is the one of where to put others when they are getting bored or wandering round the trade show. Seating is a vital part of what they do because their job is to hold the attention of the customers customer as long as possible.

Of course, not everyone holds with the view of the Women’’s Institute that exhibitionism is a bad thing. Nightclubs and goth bars actively encourage mild exhibitionism to add to the atmosphere of their establishment. To know other people are looking at them is a real ego boost to these people.

The atmosphere of a trade show is well enhanced by the active participation of exhibition stand designers and there ego is also boosted when they see people flocking to the individual stands so it seems both parties do have something in common.

We have been contacted by a group of naturists who would like to make it known they are in no way connected to exhibitionists. They may walk around naked but it is not for cheap sexual gratification purposes. (We know, we”ve seen the entry costs to those parks - purely for research purposes!)

About The Author

Trade show expert Catherine Harvey looks at the difference betweenexhibition stand designers and exhibitionists.