The Exhibitor's Resource – Trade Show Marketing Blog

When experienced trade show coordinators hear the words “Custom Trade Show Display,” they may think of the heavy wood construction of traditional trade show display designs. Similarly, when they hear the phrase “Portable Display” they no doubt think of the convenient, but generic looking curved pop-up trade show display that has become a staple on the show floor. Although each of those still has its place in the broad trade show marketing world, there are exciting new alternatives that are combining the benefits of each type of display into new options for exhibitors.

Case in point: the Custom Portable trade show display. “But wait,” you may say “how can a display be custom AND portable?” Great question. It starts with the foundation – a new innovation from Nomadic Displays. The foundation platform is what elevates a basic pop-up display into a custom solution and supports the shelving, monitor mounts, demo stations and other accessories that give exhibitors the custom functionality they need. Custom portable trade show displays are easy to reconfigure from show to show and allow for a custom-tailored style depending on the audience and the floor space. They pack down small, avoiding the need to ship in crates, and require no tools or a simple allen key for setup. They provide the same wonderful graphic impact of pop-up back walls plus the scalability of a custom modular hybrid display.

Check out what you can do with a portable display, customized by Exhibit Resources:

Popularity: 15% [?]

Rental trade show programs are an increasingly popular way exhibitors are participating in trade shows. But how does an exhibitor evaluate and select a trade show display rental provider? Here are some questions a trade show coordinator should consider when deciding on a rental trade show display agency:

Does the exhibit house have sufficient experience with custom rental projects?
Trade show display rental agencies with longevity are a better bet for reliability and satisfaction than a startup. The ability to demonstrate past successful rental projects should be a prerequisite for any exhibit house you are considering renting from. A trade show design agency should be able to provide a portfolio of past client projects, including photos from the show and summaries of how the rental program met budget constraints.

Is a standard rental package a good fit for my program?
You may consider renting from a selection of standard kits or packages, plus a short list of options. It’s becoming the norm that these standard trade show display rental solutions can meet exhibitors’ needs well, even without much customization, thereby reducing overall cost. There may be a range of display rental packages pegged to a tiered pricing structure, each level offering a little more in terms of design features, included services, and level of support.

What if more flexibility is required?
Although there are increasingly more sophisticated standardized rental packages available and more options to choose from, in order to allow further flexibility, you may decide that a trade show rental house that can also deliver custom components to pair with the standard kits is the way to go. This is where a creative rental trade show display house can really make the difference by figuring out how to maximize the use of standard components and saving cost there, but spending any extra budget on just the right custom elements to deliver a unique look.

Will you have adequate support on the trade show floor?
Trade show exhibitors should remember Murphy’s Law when selecting a display rental partner. The range of services that a trade show display rental company offers to its clients is an important factor to weigh when deciding on a rental display solution. Should something go wrong, can your rental provider promptly correct the problem by making immediate arrangements for repairs or replacements? What is their contingency plan and how do they manage the process of implementing Plan B? Will they be on-site to take care of your needs?

Popularity: 12% [?]

Making all of the arrangements to exhibit at a trade show can seem a daunting task. However, having the right information and resources at hand can be a tremendous help in planning.

But where does one begin? We recommend that trade show coordinators start with the Show FAQ often available on the show’s website. This is a quick overview of the who, what, when and where of the trade show.

Once the basics are reviewed, the official exhibitor service manual for the trade show is the next go-to document for exhibitors and their exhibit management firm.  The exhibitor service manual is a comprehensive guide to all of the details of the trade show. Show floor rules and hall regulations, exhibitor service forms, designated contractor contacts and forms, and shipping information are included in the Exhibitor Service Manual. Be sure to make note of all deadlines outlined in the manual, and go over corresponding timelines with your exhibit house.

Becoming familiar with the show details as outlined in the service manual will save you time and money, and help you avoid trade show logistics related headaches. Because trade show agencies like Exhibit Resources work with exhibit service manuals and the service contractors involved on a regular basis, they can help exhibitors make all arrangements quickly and accurately.

Popularity: 8% [?]

North Carolina businesses have been taking the show on the road this year. Trade show displays for Greensboro and RTP based Syngenta have made it to over 150 trade shows this year, including over 75 farm shows, from the of vines of California to the citrus groves of Florida, and from the soybean fields of North Carolina to the potato fields of Idaho. Durham, NC based Burt’s Bees sent their Award Winning Green trade show display just returned from Natural Products Expo East. Cary, NC based Cornerstone Therapeutics just debuted their new Exhibit Resources trade show display at the 25th Annual NANN show. In fact, Exhibit Resources represents many North Carolina companies at trade shows across the country and the world. It’s no surprise, with large metropolitan areas such as the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill plus RTP, Cary, Morrisville and the rest of Wake and surrounding counties), the Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point plus the rest of Guilford and surrounding counties), and the greater Charlotte Mecklenburg area, there are a lot of businesses with national and international reach based here in North Carolina. Be on the lookout for a North Carolina display at a trade show near you!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Trade show displays used to be restricted in one way or another by graphics, either by dimension constraints or other limitations the graphic output option being used. Creative trade show display designers figured out how to work around many of those issues, but there was always a limit to how wide a continuous graphic panel could be or how vivid certain colors could be printed. However, in the past 10 years, large format printing has come a long way, baby. Whether it’s advances in graphic output resolution (how many dots per inch could be crammed into an inch), or it’s dramatic increases in continuous media width, there have been some very exciting improvements in trade show display graphics even in just the last few years. And without a doubt, THE biggest game-changer for trade show display design is fabric printing technology. It’s the new textiles and other woven media, plus the ink technology that goes with it that has turned fabric into stunning graphic murals, back lit display structure, and whimsical other-worldly exhibit forms. Very often now, a printed fabric skin is a viable alternative to just about any other trade show display material. Fabric printing technology for trade show displays has gotten so good that it really is the case that the graphics and the message are all that the audience sees. And of course, the ability to print on fabric has made modular displays even more lightweight and manageable. Best of all, even as the quality of the graphic output improves, the overall cost of exhibiting comes down, in large part due to the savings that are realized with lightweight, fabric-based trade show display architecture.

Popularity: 13% [?]

If you are rolling out a new product or are re-launching your brand, you are probably anxious to get out on the road and in front of new customers, prospects and the industry media. But no matter what the focus of your trade show effort is, you should put thoughtful consideration into which trade shows you exhibit at.  Research has shown that picking trade shows or events that are a good fit is a major factor in the number of qualified trade show leads acquired at the show. Below are some tips to help narrow the list of trade shows you plan to exhibit at:

1. Get Answers to Your Questions
Basic trade show questions include “What audience do I want to reach at this trade show?” and “What outcome will make this trade show a success?”

2. Do Some Legwork
To determine whether a trade show might be a good fit, find as much as possible about the show demographics. Check the list of previous exhibitors and cross reference the information provided by the trade show management company. Try to connect with past exhibitors and attendees to get a feel for how successful previous shows have been. Read news articles about past shows and try to learn if the show is growing or not.

3. Consider the Venue’s Geographic Location
Typically 40-60% of trade show attendees are from within a 200-mile radius of the trade show site. Think about your distribution area and target customer and determine whether the attendees match that target audience.

4. Large or Small Trade Show?
Try to think about what type of trade show traffic you would ideally like and then compare large shows with smaller, vertical market shows. It’s possible that your business model would benefit from a trade show with smaller attendance numbers, but with more relevant attendee traffic. Niche trade show audiences may include key decision makers looking for your particular offering.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Preparation for exhibiting at academic and professional conferences is similar to that of trade shows or expos, but there are some subtle differences that an organization may want to consider.

One common difference is that the venue may not accommodate as large a display as you might set up on the trade show floor or in an expo hall. Working with an exhibit agency such as Exhibit Resources will help you successfully translate the look and feel of your larger exhibit space to the smaller scale that might be required. There are several approaches to small space branding, depending on what is offered at the conference. One uses the conference-supplied table, usually 6ft or 8ft long, for which you will want to develop a professional table top display, including a branded table cover or table runner. Another scenario is a 10′ conference exhibit space in a ballroom or large lobby without a table. A good option for this space is a fabric pop-up display, which can be shipped in a small case to the hotel and then transported to the conference and set up by one or two reps. For more restricted spaces, either narrower or lower than a standard 10′ wide and 8′ high portable backwall display would fit, exhibitors can set up two or three banner stands to approximate the look of a backwall, but with some adjustability in height and width.

Aside from space considerations, the wording of messages may need to be developed specifically for the audience of the conference. Depending on the type of conference, the tone of the message may be need to be more targeted to the specific niche, or it might benefit from a more academic or trust-building focus. Bold yet conservative graphics could be more effective than the in-your-face attention grabbers that may play better on trade show floors.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Trade show marketing professionals know that life on the road can be draining and take it out of you. Sometimes you’ll need to take a personal day to go to the spa and rejuvenate the mind and body (with an emphasis on those feet). The same goes for the trade show display you’ve been shipping all over the country or the world. If possible, you’ll want your exhibit house to inspect your display when it comes back from each show, taking care of any minor adjustments or fixes to make it ready for the next trade show or event. But beyond those regular inspections, sometimes more extensive display cleaning and even reconstructive work to your exhibit is in order. Be sure to build routine trade show display refurbishment into your budget and your schedule, especially for frequently used display properties. The protective shipping container, whether it’s a wood crate or a plastic case or tub, may need to be repaired. Display materials need to be periodically spot-cleaned and any damage fixed. Fabric graphics are incredibly durable, but may eventually need to be professionally cleaned and ironed according to manufacturer specifications, as well as have any necessary sewing repairs made. An exhibit agency like Exhibit Resources will keep your trade show display in like-new condition for each new show, ensuring that you and your business maintain the polished presence you’ve worked hard to achieve.

Popularity: 7% [?]