EXHIB-IT! Trade Show Marketing Experts

Define Your Exhibit Marketing Strategy
Plan Ahead so You Can Save Money and Make Smarter Decisions
Don’t Let the Exhibit Buying Experience be Intimidating
Be Prepared for Sticker Shock as Exhibits Can be Expensive
Where to Buy
Put Everything in Writing

Define Your Exhibit Marketing Strategy

Your exhibit marketing objectives, goals and strategy should include your purpose for exhibit marketing needs. This should be a first step before you are influenced by budget parameters. Your exhibit strategy should be consistent with your overall marketing strategy. Creating an exhibit marketing strategy will help reveal what type of exhibit or exhibits are best matched for your company. If your company plans to attend numerous back-to-back shows using a 10 x 10 booth space, then you may want to evaluate portable or modular exhibits as they allow more flexibility as your needs change. If your company exhibits at a number of smaller inline booth spaces along with a few major shows, then you’ll want to consider portable/modular or hybrid modular exhibits. If your strategy is to make a huge impact at a major industry show, then you’ll want to evaluate portable exhibit, modular exhibit, hybrid exhibit, and custom modular exhibits.

Plan Ahead so You Can Save Money and Make Smarter Decisions

Allowing time to plan ahead will save you stress and money. Most importantly, planning ahead helps you avoid making quick decisions that may not be the right decisions for long term. Some exhibit companies offer a discount for longer lead times. This allows them to use their resources and their staff more efficiently, especially during the busy trade show seasons. Planning ahead also provides enough time to correct possible errors and make last minute improvements (which are not uncommon) regardless of your careful planning.

Don’t Let the Exhibit Buying Experience be Intimidating.

To keep things simple, let’s assume that exhibit marketing is a new experience for you. You don’t need a marketing degree to be successful at exhibit marketing. However, it does help to get advice from exhibit marketing experts so you make the right choices.

When buying your first exhibit, it can raise more questions than answers as there are different types of exhibits on the market and many different types of exhibiting. To make the right choice for your exhibit purchase, you will need to determine how you plan to use the exhibit display, the brand and image you want to project, and a budget you have to work with.

Chances are you will start your Internet Search and Local Search. There are many exhibit companies that have been around for decades but knowing which ones will understand trade shows, conferences, and be able to match an exhibit design with your company’s overall needs can be quite intimidating. Originally, exhibits were mostly custom-crafted and quite heavy. Then, as the exhibit industry changed and companies needed displays that were much more diversified, exhibit systems evolved as an alternative to the high cost of custom craftsmanship. On the market today, there are multiple exhibit categories. Exhibit systems, which includes portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits, are evolving towards custom-crafted exhibits, and custom-crafted exhibits are evolving towards exhibit systems.

All these choices have apparent advantages and exhibit companies work hard to carve out distinct niches along the portable, modular and custom spectrum. The exhibit (or exhibits) that best fit your company’s exhibit marketing strategy will fit in somewhere along this spectrum. This is where an exhibit consultant can be very useful in helping you make the right purchase decision for your company. Ultimately, an trade show exhibit consultant wants to help you maximize your exhibit marketing potential so you will continue to use them as your needs change and develop a long-lasting relationship for your exhibit and graphic needs.

Be Prepared for Sticker Shock as Exhibits Can be Expensive

Be prepared for sticker shock. Many first time buyers are shocked by the price of even a 10 ft. portable or modular exhibit.

On average, a leading portable exhibit design will cost you between $20 to $150 per-square-foot (psf), a leading modular exhibit design between $50 up to $300 psf, and a custom exhibit from a leading custom house between $100 and $300 psf. The more customized the exhibit system, the closer the price will be to a custom exhibit price.

Where to Buy

Where to buy depends on your marketing objectives and goals. Do you need a large custom exhibit booth? Or do you need a portable, modular, or hybrid exhibit trade show booth?

If you plan to exhibit more than once or twice a year, chances are you’ll work closely with an experienced trade show exhibit consultant for several years. Shop around and base your buying decision on more than just price. Sometimes price seems better up front but the back end fees will cost you in the long run. Trade Show exhibit consultants have years of experience about design, graphics, marketing, and trade show tactics. Their overall industry knowledge will help you avoid the pitfalls that most inexperienced trade show marketers make. This will help you avoid the expensive pitfalls. Working with a knowledgeable trade show exhibit consultant will save you money over time.

Most exhibit companies have websites and many allow you to order exhibits on their website with a credit card. Up front consultation and an initial black and white design are traditionally free. Lead times for portable, modular and hybrid exhibit systems range from a few days to a month, but rarely exceed five weeks unless the project is large and/or complex with a lot of custom features. Custom exhibit lead times range from a month to two months, depending on the complexity of the exhibit, the time of year, and other production jobs already in-house.

Put Everything in Writing

Once you’ve determined the exhibit, graphics or service, request a quote from a professional exhibit consultant. In the case of designing an exhibit that best fits your company image, that is not a kit design, you might work through several design modifications and quotes until the exhibit design suits you perfectly. This process is generally free. When you’re ready to buy, insist that everything is put in writing and never depend on a conversation alone as it may lead to misunderstandings in deliverables. Most exhibit trade show exhibit companies know this and will provide you with a detailed written quote and will take the time to review it with you.

For more information about trade show exhibits or trade show marketing, give us a call or send us an email. We welcome the opportunity to assist you with your next event.

About DJ Heckes, Author of Full BRAIN Marketing and Owner of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

DJ Heckes is CEO of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts and Full BRAIN Marketing. She focuses on educating and training companies to significantly improve their Small Business Marketing strategies. DJ Heckes also presents customized training programs for Business Marketing, Social Media, Leadership and Trade Show Marketing. Learn more at www.EXHIB-IT.com and www.fullBRAINMarketing.com. Be sure to follow us!