Trade Show Booth Options and Ideas

Coming up with trade show booth ideas is fairly easy, the challenge is doing it inexpensively. After all, there are companies who's whole purpose is to design and build booth for other businesses. Of course, this route could be ultra-expensive. Most small business would like ideas of how to save money.

There are businesses who will design very elaborate custom booths. Most of the full-service companies serve the Fortune 500. They serve the businesses that can afford single-use, multi-story exhibits for the big, industry conventions. These exhibits allow the Fortune 500 to dominate a convention but at a huge price.

The next display business sells what most small business use- reusable, freestanding, and portable displays. These are the displays that can be set-up by one person in minutes and put into a portable carrying case. These are no small investment either. A portable display, full floor model, will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of ,000 to ,000 just for the display. Then one will need to add graphics and will have the option to add things like a podium or lights. This adds to the expense. The investment can be cost prohibitive for small business that may need it infrequently.

Trade Show Booth Options and Ideas

One trade show booth idea is to use cheaper forms of branding a booth and then to focus upon what is given away at a booth. A trade show display is essentially only a backdrop anyway. To start with, a business can use a well-designed printed banner and a table runner. With a quality staff working the booth no one will remember what a business's booth looked liked anyway.

This is not to say a small business should never invest in a trade show display. A good display can add credibility to a business as trade show attendees pass through and see a pleasant presentation. However, making that investment may come when the business is more flush and will be using the display more often.

Another idea is to focus on using trade show products or promotional items to draw traffic. Trade show attendees love free stuff and not another catalog, cut sheet, or brochure. Plus, something usable like a t-shirt or a coffee cup will make it home and be used often. It will be a daily reminder of the business even if the user is not aware of it. Plus, promotional products are a hit at trade events and bring in the traffic for those seeking a free t-shirt or coffee cup. Of course, this gives your business the opportunity to gain contact information for follow-up. It is a kind of trade, they get the premium item and you get their contact information for follow-up. This makes a good way to build a contact list of influential prospects.