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Budget
For
most trade show exhibitors, budget is a prime
consideration. The average exhibitor spends about $3,000
on booth displays, but a high-end custom booth display
can cost tens of thousands of dollars. These fees do not
include the high costs of shipping or assembling a
display booth. The cost difference between setting up
and shipping a portable 10'x 10' booth and a customized
10' x 20' display may be several thousand dollars per
show. With this in mind, some companies prefer to rent
exhibit components rather than purchase them. These
components can be completely customized with your
graphics, and you can dramatically reduce your show
budget. If you only plan to attend one trade show per
year, renting displays may be the way to go. In
addition, many suppliers allow you to apply a percentage
of your rental fees to an eventual purchase. This is
worth asking about. You can also save money by
purchasing refurbished (used) displays, though your
selection may be more limited.
Flexibility
Flexibility is of paramount importance if you will be
exhibiting in many different trade shows, as this allows
you to adjust the layout and design according to booth
shape and size as well as to modify the overall look and
feel of your booth. Modular exhibit components are best
in this regard, and they can be rearranged to suit the
available space quickly and easily. If you choose a
display that is too large and is not flexible, you may
not be able to attend smaller shows.
Portability
Because you’ll be traveling to trade shows, it’s
important that the exhibit components are highly
portable and that they are designed to make assembly and
packing quick and easy. Shipping a simple 10' x 10' pop
up will cost hundreds of dollars, not including shipping
computer monitors or additional equipment for your
display. Larger trade show displays take much more time
to assemble, and sometimes require the use of outside
labor - these costs can quickly increase the cost of
each show by thousands of dollars.
Many
manufacturers have developed exhibit systems with quick
set up and break down in mind, and when you use exhibits
that are easy to pack, ship and assemble, you’ll save
money on shipping, drayage, set-up and storage.
Durability
When
it comes to durability, exhibit components vary
dramatically. When you put a premium on portability,
one area that often suffers is durability. You can
offset this by making sure that your display supplier
stands behind their products, although it’s important to
pay attention to the fine print of the warranty. For
instance, even if a product is covered, the supplier may
require you to return the piece for repair, leaving you
without the display for an undetermined period of time.
It’s better to be able to take the display to a local
distributor for repair or replacement.
Suppliers understand that tradeshow displays are subject
to a lot of wear and tear: in the normal course of
assembly, disassembly, packing and shipping, some damage
is likely to occur sooner or later. Most commonly,
plastic joints that hold framed pieces together are
prone to break. Fortunately, these pieces are easy and
inexpensive to replace.
When
graphic panels get worn, scratched or damaged,
replacement is more involved, and, depending upon the
type of damage, the warranty most likely will not cover
replacement.
When
it comes to materials that cover exhibits, thin fabrics
may be lightweight, but they don’t wear well. For
maximum durability, look for heavier canvas for hanging
material and carpet for covered and upholstered exhibit
components.
Review
Whatever you decide to do with your booth, it is
important to spend the time and effort analyzing your
current as well as future needs.
Do
everything you can to make your tradeshow display look
as nice as possible and to customize your booth with
graphics to make it stand out from other exhibitors.
Remember to keep your booth design open and inviting.
Drawing the right visitors to your booth is the name of
the game, and you can improve your chances for a
successful trade show with the clever, intelligent use
of displays and exhibits. |