Trade Shows on a Budget

The following is a great excerpt from an article I just read. It entails how to exhibit at a trade show on a budget.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or newbie to trade show exhibiting, you'll swiftly learn exhibiting at a trade show is a valuable way to showcase your wares to many new customers simultaneously. Though, whether you're tackling a major trade show or a smaller industry specific show, the show can be quite an expensive endeavor. Our author has been gracious enough to share a few tricks along the way to keep your budget in line.

Securing a space

First and foremost, you'll need to rent space. A standard 10x10 ft. space (typical size at trade shows) will run about $5,000 at a big show (PC Expo, etc.). At smaller shows, the rental cost can be less than half, or even free. Other additional expense may be carpeting(though this will most times set you apart from the crowd), furniture, and Internet access.

Display booths - buy or rent?

Besides the rental for your space you have the daunting task of stocking your booth with a display and/or accessories. If you are unsure of your future show itinerary ponder the notion of renting. You'll invest around $2,000- $5,000 to purchase a booth. But, rentals will lower that out-of-pocket cost $500-$900. Further, A Smash Hit Displays will apply the cost of your rental towards an after-the-show purchase. So, you enjoy the best of both worlds.

A Popup display or panel trade show exhibit can be as cheap as $3,000 for a basic 10-foot display. Alternative routes include fabric banner stands, backlit graphic displays, burst displays, and can run $250-$10,000.

Whether you buy or rent, customize your booth with tradeshow booth graphics to build your brand and give your booth extra curb appeal. We've seen it up close; eye banging graphic booths draw huge crowds.

Setting up

Remember you'll need to transport your display to the show.
If you ship directly there, the cost of delivery from the loading dock to your booth space, referred to as "dryage," will average about $20-$60 per 100 lbs. (it varies by city).
You can avoid dryage by having everything shipped to your hotel room and transporting them to the show yourself; your hotel and the trade show hall will likely have carts available.
Ask yourself whether you'll be using a computer for screen shots or demos? If so, bring your own equipment; renting devices at or around the show will cost big bling. And you can ship these beforehand as well.

Extras

Expect to frequent trade shows in the future? Consider investing in light equipment, like lighter pop-up booths i.e. Xpressions Pop Up, a space-saving flat-panel monitor (you can get one for as little as $1,000), or even accessories i.e. pedestal stands. Something to definitely make you stand out in the crowd is your own flooring like a digital printed carpet or a custom logo carpet which will run $600-$1600 for a 10' x 10' space.

In order to spare you from seeing 90% of your marketing material in the local trash bins, determine what you want visitors to remember about your business. Don't forget to include contact information and your Web address on every piece. And leave off event-specific information (like the show date or name) so you can reuse the leftovers.

Plan far in advance

Lastly, and we've covered this subject ad nauseum over the last few months, start planning a minimum six months in advance (some experts recommend as many as nine months) - at least in terms of your booth and space rental. If you begin with only a month to go you'll pay extra fees for space, inflated shipping costs, rush charges for creative work, and higher airfare.

Remember, A Smash Hit Displays is your local one-stop-shop for "all" your trade show needs and we also offer first rate consulting at no charge for all those industry specific questions.