PURE FISHING @ AFTA 2025

Client: Pure Fishing
Event: AFTA 2025, Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
Stand Size: 27m x 6m (162sqm)
Location: Stand 100, GCCEC

The Context

With brands like PENN, Abu Garcia, Berkley, and Plano under their belt, Pure Fishing has long commanded attention at the Australian Fishing Trade Association Show. But in 2025, they approached their exhibit with a different mindset.

Rather than go bigger, they chose to go sharper. This year’s stand was smaller than previous years — yet its impact, strategy, and execution marked a clear evolution in their exhibition approach.

The Brief

The brief centred around building an adaptable, brand-led showcase across four leading product lines, while updating key display zones with refreshed signage and layouts. This included:

• • Reorganising the spatial layout for better flow between zones
• • Enhancing product visibility through repositioned plinths and open lines of sight
• • Retaining core display assets from prior years, including slat walls, rod racks, and rigging banners
• • Introducing small design upgrades to streamline user engagement and refresh the visual impact

Pure Fishing wanted to show the industry how well-considered design could elevate even familiar assets.

Our Approach

Working from both the build plan and brand strategy, Grand Stand Events re-engineered the spatial logic of the stand. We aimed to drive traffic between brands intuitively, eliminate bottlenecks, and create defined dwell zones without heavy structures.

Key updates included:

• • Rotated the PENN section to flow more seamlessly from Berkley and Abu Garcia
• • Removed walling and replaced LED screens with new TV/branding clusters for cohesion
• • Used existing rigged cube and banners, but restructured signage for brand hierarchy
• • Introduced cleaner, more legible data points at product level to reduce clutter

“The design this year was all about restraint. We made fewer but smarter moves — and the result was a more confident, focused stand that supported both brand and buyer.”
— Sebastien Theut, Account Manager, Grand Stand Events

Design Evolution

Compared to previous builds, this stand was a lesson in design maturity:

Busy to deliberate: We streamlined product zoning, opened up high-traffic corridors, and removed visual congestion.

Static to strategic: Every asset had to work harder — rigging, plinths, and signage were rethought to align brand with function.

Asset-heavy to agile: We leveraged pre-owned materials and reconfigured them into a refreshed, performance-led layout.

This approach not only improved operational efficiency but reduced cost, waste, and logistics time.

Key Features

• • Full rigging structure with existing 3D cube banner and three branded header panels
• • 19 fishing rod plinths repositioned for traffic flow and accessibility
• • Signature Berkley tank display, Abu Garcia and PENN reel units
• • Black eco-flooring made from 100% recycled plastic
• • Integrated TV displays for each zone with refreshed signage for maximum brand clarity

Build and Delivery

Grand Stand Events managed the full design, build, delivery, and bump-in. Working with existing brand assets created logistical constraints but this pushed our team to think creatively.

• • 2-day bump-in
• • Custom under-floor spigot integration for wall support
• • Full signage handling, application, and post-show storage coordination

Results That Matter

Pure Fishing’s 2025 AFTA stand was a strategic downsize that proved bigger isn’t always better.

At Grand Stand Events, we don’t just build impressive spaces — we help brands understand how well they perform. For Pure Fishing, we deployed spatial analytics across two key zones to track visitor behaviour in real time.

The data told a clear story:

• • 3,798 total visitors passed by the stand
• • Nearly half actively engaged, with a conversion rate of 40.2%
• • Average dwell time exceeded 10 minutes per visit
• • Visitors returned an average of 1.48 times across the event

By combining smart design with data-backed performance, we help brands move beyond assumptions and build experiences that deliver. When you work with Grand Stand Events, you get more than just a stand — you get strategic insights that drive outcomes.

Final Thoughts

This project demonstrates what’s possible when strategic design meets trusted collaboration. It’s a case study in refinement: less footprint, more impact.

Every adjustment, from layout to branding to reusing key assets, was informed by experience and shaped for current objectives. The result was a streamlined and purposeful stand that reflected a brand in tune with its audience, but also an industry-recognised success, cemented by being awared the AFTA 2025 Best Large Stand. That’s 4 awards in 4 years for Pure Fishing!

See Pure Fishing’s Full AFTA Journey here

Watch the AFTA 2025 Wrap Up