Posted by Jessica Davis on Mon, Aug 09, 2010
These days everyone is looking for ways to get more from their trade show budget. 
Since your competitors are probably tightening their budget too, it's the perfect time to take advantage of the situation with some creative thinking.
There are lots of ways to save money on your trade show budget – from managing travel and entertainment expenses to strategies for consolidating shipments to the show – but I’ll leave all of that to you. My focus is on ways to save money on your trade show booth without giving up any marketing impact. Here are a few tips on how your trade show booth can be high-impact for less money.
- Reduce transportation costs with a new lower-weight booth
Trade show design has really changed in the past few years. High energy and transportation costs have pushed design houses to rethink their approaches. New booths are constructed from light-weight, high strength materials, They are less expensive to ship and also have a sleeker, more contemporary look.
- Design for easy assembly
As designers have started to work with new materials and modular components, hard-to-assemble booths built with rigid infill panels and wooden construction are vanishing. Find a design firm with a proven track record of creating booths that have big graphic impact but do not require a cast of thousands to set up.
- Rent - don’t buy
Many large trade show design firms rent trade show components and booths. If your company only has one or two trade show events each year, or you need to get a larger booth just for one annual trade show, renting can be a great option.
- Buy a Used Trade Show Booth and Accessories
Some companies trade in or sell off trade show displays frequently in order to update their display to match their latest ad campaign. A smart buyer can pick up a like-new display for a fraction of the original price. If you take this route, be sure to buy from a provider who refurbishes and customizes displays.
- Update your current Trade Show Display
If your company already has trade show booths, take an objective look to see if they can be updated to fit your current needs for an affordable price. Also be careful about investing in an outdated booth that is very costly to transport, assemble and operate because it can be a false savings. But sometimes the most cost-effective path is to update graphics, fabric and add new components to an existing booth.
If you're ready to save money on your trade show budget, we can help you get started!
Posted by Alexis Exhibits on Fri, Feb 05, 2010
Combine Rental Items with Your Custom Tradeshow Booth and Save Money
Even if you have made the investment in a custom tradeshow booth and own your exhibit properties, it may make sense to explore the idea of renting additional items that you may need. Rental offers a cost-effective way to change or add to your tradeshow display to meet your specific requirements.
For example: an exhibitor normally reserves a small island booth space (20 x 20 or 20 x 30). They own a custom tradeshow booth and it serves them well in the 3 shows that they exhibit in annually in this configuration. However, they recently introduced a new product line that will debut at a major industry tradeshow. As a result, they plan to have several meetings with very important potential distributors for the new product line at the show. Providing a private area within the booth for these meetings is a necessity.
It was determined that the best way to accomplish these goals would be to use a double deck display. The upper level of the double deck would provide the space for these important private meetings without sacrificing valuable floor space.
The problem is that the cost of purchasing a multilevel structure would definitely blow the tradeshow budget. Instead, the exhibitor decided to rent an existing structure and surround it with the exhibit components that they already own.
Customize Trade Show Exhibit Rentals to Your Exact Specifications
This is just one example of combining rental items with purchased exhibits. Exhibitors frequently rent conference rooms, reception desks, workstations, towers and overhead signs. Finishes on rental items can be changed so that they match existing tradeshow booth materials.
This cost effective solution should always be a consideration when planning your tradeshow exhibit.
Need a piece to match an existing trade show booth? Want to expand your current concept? Starting from scratch, but know you won't be able to buy? We can help. Lets get started!