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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.
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