Selecting a Booth Space

When selecting a booth space, review the floor plan for the show and consider where you want to be in relation to the following*:

• Competitors: How close do you want to be to your competitors? Do you want to be near an industry leader that will draw traffic to the surrounding area?
• Entrances and exits. Do people enter and exit the hall by the same doorway? If so, you will gain added exposure by choosing a spot nearby this high-traffic area. Also, find out which entrance is closest to the registration area. This will be the hall that attendees are most likely to visit first. You'll catch them when they're still fresh.
• Restrooms. Yes, they draw traffic. But experience shows that attendees visiting these areas have other things on their minds.
• Food service. You face the same problems as with locating near the restrooms. Visitors are distracted. Another issue is garbage. If you're too close to food service, your exhibit could become an easy dumping ground for paper cups, napkins and plastic wrap. 
• Escalators and elevators. Which are used most frequently to access different levels? Given a choice, you might take a space near a down escalator over a spot next to an enclosed elevator. The view of your exhibit is better as attendees descend into the hall. 
• Corners. Front corners of the hall are OK; back corners are a n0-no.
• Windows. Beware of strong sunlight that could wash out your backlit graphics and AV presentations.
• Seminars. Where are the seminar rooms located? Will attendees be pouring into the hall from the same entrance following each seminar?
• Utilities. Does your booth have any special needs that require it to be located near power, water, gas, or air sources?  

Areas to avoid include the following:

• Obstructing columns
• Low ceilings
• Dark or poorly lit areas
• Ceiling water pipes
• Dead-end aisles
• Loading docks and freight doors
• Late setup areas

*Information obtained from Exhibitornet.com.

For additional information, go to www.tradeideasinc.com.

Selecting the Right Show

OK, so you have a trade show budget, a booth, and preliminary plans for the year, now what? What shows are you attending? Do you have any idea where to start? What to do? Each year, more and more shows are introduced and the competition among them is fierce. Here are a few steps to help make that decision process a little easier.

1. Research national and international shows. There are a few websites that list trade shows not only by location, but by industry as well. Try www.tsnn.com for an up-to-date, complete listing of thousands of trade shows throughout the year. Read the descriptions and find out costs, audience, exhibitors, etc.
2. Before exhibiting at an unfamiliar show, attend the show as a visitor and register for some of the courses to determine if it would be worthwhile for your company to exhibit next year. 
3. Contact other (non-competitive) exhibitors to find out if they thought the show was valuable and if they would recommend it to other companies. Talk with show management for additional information, but do not fully rely on the information they provide you - remember, their job is to register people for booth space, so they may or may not give you the full story.
4. Other questions to consider when selecting a show include the following:

--- What are your trade show objectives?

--- Who is the show's audience?

--- Who do you want to target?

--- What is the estimated attendance?

--- Does the cost of the show fall within your budget?

--- What level of participation is available?

--- Who else will be exhibiting?

--- What advertising and public relations opportunities will be provided before and after the show to increase awareness and traffic?

For more information, go to www.tradeideasinc.com.

Trade Show Planning

To ensure that your trade shows are managed efficiently and that you make the most of your dollar, proper planning is essential to the success of your program. There are many components that require a lot of attention, so it's easy to forget a thing or two when planning for the year. To help in this planning process, we have outlined the major components and provided tips and reminders that should be addressed. 

BUDGET

• Roughly 18% of the average company's annual budget is dedicated to the trade show industry.
• This budget includes items such as exhibit booth, graphics, trade show registration, travel, shipping and giveaways.
• Proper planning for the year can save thousands of dollars, so it's important to consider all aspects of trade show exhibiting:

1. space rental
2. shipping and storage
3. show services
4. booth equipment
5. personnel
6. marketing and promotion
7. travel, lodging, meals
8. miscellaneous exhibiting fees

BOOTH

• When building a new booth, share the real budget with the designer.
• Discuss company objectives and share some likes and dislikes of exhibits you have seen at other shows. This will help the designer create a selection that is in your range, both physically and financially.
• Avoid competitive bids; select one vendor and work with them to create a booth that meets your needs.
• Ask the builder to include the shipping and setup costs for the proposed design.
• Ask the building the following questions: 

1. Will the design require a forklift for setup, special electricity or additional crating?
2. Is it heavier or larger than other options, thereby costing more to ship and/or store?
3. Does it use an unusual (specialty) material that will be costly to repair or replace?
4. Does the exhibit house charge a high fee for drayage from the storage warehouse to the trade show?
5. Will the exhibit need regular inspections, and if so, how much will that cost?

• Request that the exhibit house forward the booth set up drawings and specs in advance to the lead person for review.
• Have your own set of booth drawings and specs.
• Keep photos of the booth taken during and after setup.
• Create a list of the number and content of the boxes being shipped to the show. 
• Make sure you receive several full sets of keys to your exhibit. Also, try to make sure that all locks in your exhibit are the same.

GRAPHICS

• Plan on spending between $1,000 and $4,000 for graphic production per 10 feet of linear exhibit space (these numbers do not include the cost of acquiring or creating images, just producing them). The following are eight factors to consider when estimating graphic production:

1. booth size
2. image complexity
3. flexibility of graphic material
4. reflective or backlit graphics
5. production-ready art
6. special gradation requirements
7. quality level
8. lead times

• Ask your vendor what format they prefer to receive artwork so you can provide them with clean art or a compatible disk - this will save time and money.
• When design graphics, the visibility rule is one-inch font height for every three feet away from the sign or photo.
• Order graphics as early as possible.
• Keep all copy points brief.
• Use bullet points when using a lot of copy.
• Use a simple, easy-to-read font in a common typeface.
• Enhance graphics with color. Use light-colored graphics with a dark-colored exhibit.
• Before you leave for the show, load the fonts you use in your graphic layouts onto a laptop computer just in case something happens to your originals and you need a local sign shop to  print backups. 
• Take digital versions of your principal product logos, too.
• Purchase a "Swiffer" to clean graphics without damaging the surface.

TRAVEL

• Reinforce safety travel issues with staff.
• Keep a list of everything packed for insurance purposes.
• Provide show books to the staff with everything they need to know about the show.
• Arrive at the airport at least an hour early, so you can change planes if necessary.
• Fly on Saturday to save money on the airfare and enjoy a day in the city.
• Fly early to increase your chances of on-time arrival.
• If possible, select "weather-friendly" cities for connections.
• Know which alternative airlines and flights service your destination and have a backup plan. 
• Fly smaller, less-crowded airports to decrease your chances of getting delayed. 
• Fly direct.
• Avoid morning and evening peaks, when air traffic is heaviest.

SHIPPING

• Use laser print labels on service orders to fill in repetitive information.
• If possible, use black or non-transparent shrink-wrap to conceal valuables.
• If you ship direct to the show site, make sure that incoming boxes are palletized. Otherwise, you'll pay drayage on each box, no matter how small or large they may be.
• Talk to your carrier. If you have several shows in the same city that are a few weeks apart, ask your carrier to hold your freight. Most good carriers will do this for up to three weeks at no storage charge. Keep in mind that they will not accept pad wrapped freight. 
• Pack your carpet and pad last. They will be the first items removed from the truck and carried to the booth space.
• Get competitive rates for inbound and outbound shipments. If you ship large amounts of product literature or giveaways, negotiate with your general contractor to adjust your outbound drayage invoice. Ask for this in advance and get it in writing. Anticipate how many cartons you will not be shipping back from the show, and inform your general contractor.
• Consolidate all your 100-pound packages by shrink-wrapping them onto a pallet rather than sending several boxes via UPS or FedEx. This will save money in drayage fees and you'll have everything in one place.

For more information, go to www.tradeideasinc.com.

Five Steps to a Great Trade Show

Trade shows can be a large investment, so make the most of your marketing dollars. Here are five tips to maximize your investments.

1. Build a checklist and stick to it. Your checklist should include everything from the shipping information down to the materials ordered for your booth. The best bet is to appoint one person whose chief responsibility is to make sure everything is carried out to the last detail. Good communication between the trade show coordinator and the sales staff is key!

2. Promote your company. Prior to the show, send out promotional literature to your clients as well as prospects. Be sure to indicate your booth assignment. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, about 25 percent of trade show visitors are searching out a specific company. Investigate any on-site advertising opportunities that might be offered such as having your literature displayed at or near the hall entrance. 

3. Arrive early. Check out the exhibits and make sure everything you need is easily accessible. Test all computer equipment, lead management systems and any functioning marketing materials. Scout the exhibits next to yours, and make sure they're not doing anything that will affect your positive clients. 

4. Listen first, talk last. Don't begin by talking about your company to your prospects. Ask them about their company and stay focused on the qualification process. This allows you to quickly qualify your audience and determine how much time to spend with them. You can even set a goal of how many people to talk to within an hour. Remember that the reason you are there is to meet as many potential clients as possible. 

5. Always follow up. Immediately upon returning from the show, send follow-up correspondence to those potential clients. The most common error made by exhibitors is failure to follow up with their potential clients in a timely manner. A quick follow-up phone call allows you to touch base with your potential clients while you're still fresh in their minds. 

For more information, go to www.tradeideasinc.com.

Selecting the Best Location for your Booth

When selecting your booth location, it is important to remember a few things before you sign that space contract. Careful consideration of booth space is key to a successful show. 

1. Traffic Patterns: Review the layout of the floor plan to understand where most of the traffic will move within the exhibit hall. For example, note entrances and/or exits, show service areas, stages for special attractions, food and break areas, major hallways/aisles and restrooms. You should also pay close attention to the location of loading docks, visibility barriers such as columns and counters and most importantly, empty booths. 

2. Location of Competitors: This is a tricky one. Some exhibitors enjoy being right next to their competitors because they enjoy exhibit rivalry. Other exhibitors, however, feel more comfortable with having their competition in sight, but not in close proximity. The safest bet: select a booth space close to the competition, but at a respectable distance. This will allow you to show off your products and/or services, maintain friendly competition and minimize any unnecessary friction that could occur between you and your neighbor.

3. Prominent company identification: If your exhibit utilizes hanging signs, towers, canopies, banners, etc., make sure that these elements comply with show regulations. Most building facilities have height regulations that must be followed during show hours. There is nothing more frustrating than getting an important booth element to the show and then finding out it can not be used.

For more information, go to www.tradeideasinc.com.