Sometimes marketing budgets are stretched thin. With limited resources, how do you produce a beautiful trade show exhibit under budget? The good news is there are multiple ways your brand can save money on your next trade show exhibit.
Plan Your Trade Show Exhibit In Advance
You’d be surprised how much advanced planning can save you money. When you plan in advance, it’s more likely you’ll catch a special the exhibit house is offering. Additionally, when an exhibit house is less busy, you’re more likely to be offered an express discount if you sign sooner and they can plan your trade show exhibit build far in advance.
If you’re a procrastinator, you may find you’re faced with rush fees, overtime fees in the busy season, and more. So do yourself a favor and plan ahead.
Don’t Make Day Of Show Changes to Your Exhibit
At nearly every single trade show, there’s at least a handful of exhibitors who are panicked because they forgot they needed another television in their trade show exhibit. For these kinds of requests, the trade show is happy to provide you with one at a very steep cost. Where you could’ve rented one from your exhibit house for cheap, you could pay more than 5-10x that amount on the day of the trade show. Again, this boils down to preparation. They say fortune favors the prepared and in this case it certainly does.
Another source of changes are when decision makers who weren’t a part of the original design show up and request last minute fabrication. This can cause rush fees, overtime fees, and increased drayage costs because they weren’t a part of the process. If the budget isn’t massive, try not to make day of the trade show changes.
Select a System Exhibit
System exhibits are perfect for brands that want to save money. A system trade show exhibit is often the entry level exhibit for exhibitors. When rented, they feature 100% reusable structures and materials. An exhibitor will have to adapt to the exhibit instead of the other way around, but they provide a functional exhibit of which your brand can be proud.
Choose Printed Fabric Instead of Heavier Items Like Wood
Printed fabric is an excellent way to save money on your trade show exhibit. It is lighter weight, so your installation will be easier and faster, costing less. Additionally, a lighter material will mean less in drayage costs to get it to the show floor. Because printing is so sophisticated, you can simulate wood and metal with fabric. You’ll not only be cutting edge on the show floor, but you’ll also be able to save a little on your trade show exhibit.
Rent, Don’t Buy
For brands that don’t exhibit multiple times a year, renting your trade show exhibit can save you money in comparison to buying a trade show exhibit. When you purchase an exhibit, there are many additional costs for storage, maintenance, drayage and installation that can accumulate over time. Renting an exhibit can save you more money if you’re only going to exhibit once a year.
There are many ways in which you can save money on your trade show exhibit, but these are just some of the most obvious ones that you can try. For more great ideas, work closely with your Account Executive and Designer to ensure you’re well within your budget while producing a beautiful trade show exhibit.