Exhibiting on a Budget

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Budget cuts don’t have to mean a lesser presence at a trade show or conference. Here’s how you can maintain a strong presence and engage visitors on a budget.

Stronger Presence for the Same Price
Trade show exhibitors have the opportunity to be a larger part of most any event. By offering one of your company’s experts to speak at the event, you will open your business up to a greater range of potential clients.

Be sure to check into speaking opportunities well in advance of the event. Speakers are generally booked months ahead and slots close quickly. If there are not any slots left for speakers, ask if your expert can be booked for the following year’s event. If your company is chosen to speak at an event, be sure to notify your clients and prospects through e-mail, press releases or direct mail. This will not only encourage their attendance at the event, but will send a strong message that you are industry leaders.

You can also inquire with the show’s organizers about other opportunities to get in front of attendees. There are often side events and activities that take place at various times throughout the conference that may present additional face-to-face opportunities with prospects.

Stretching Your Display Dollar
Today, there are plenty of great display design options that will showcase your product/service without breaking the bank. If you are looking for a new display but don’t have a large budget, below are some display options that may work for you.

Fabric Pop-Ups
Fabric pop-up displays are among the most popular form of displays for exhibitors. They provide an almost instant and dramatic display that can be designed in a number of ways.
Fabric pop-ups can be set up and taken down in a matter of minutes and often come in carrying or shipping cases that double as a podium or literature stand. Tension fabric keeps the display lightweight and the fabric panels can be changed for an updated appearance at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new display. Also, fabric displays can be washed and ironed without compromising the color or shape.

Banner Stands
Banner stand displays (sometimes called Roll-ups) can stand on a table or the floor; indoors or out. They are lightweight and portable, and often come in cases that can be carried onto a plane offering supreme convenience. Banner stands can be used individually to accent a display, or multiple banner stands can be used together to create a complete display.

Rentals
Rental Displays Deciding to rent your exhibit booth rather than purchasing it can be a very good economic decision. Not only can you choose a design specific to an individual event, but transportation and storage are no longer issues that you need to worry about.
These days, rental booth components can create the custom designed booth of your dreams at a lower cost than purchasing the same components.

Rental displays are a great, cost-effective option for exhibitors that don’t necessarily exhibit enough to warrant the purchase of a display, or those who may want to change the size and style of their display on a regular basis. If you’re considering the economics of a rental vs. a purchase, you can determine which would benefit you more by multiplying the number of days you intend to use the display times the cost of renting per day. Then multiply that number by the number of years you intent to use the display.

For example, if you determine that you would use a specific standard 10-foot display for 3 consecutive exhibiting years, and you exhibit twice each year for 3 days at a time, and your rental cost is $500 per day, you calculation would be as follows:

2 (times exhibiting each year) x 3 (consecutive days) = 6 (exhibiting days per year) x 3 (consecutive years) = 18 (exhibit days) x $500 (per day) = $9,000 vs. a purchase price of $10,500.

Note: this equation does not take any storage costs or the cost to produce graphics into consideration. You may need to factor those additional amounts in as well.