Recently updated on January 20th, 2023
If you’re looking for a way to stand out at trade shows, a custom trade show booth is it. A custom trade booth showcases your company’s unique personality. At a trade show, which is packed with vendors and visitors, a custom trade show booth helps you stand out from the crowd. A custom booth is a win-win solution, as it gives you an eye-catching display that is also cost-effective.
Selecting a Trade Booth Manufacturer
If you’re looking for a custom booth, finding a company to provide the booth you want is just as important as the booth that you choose.
A trade booth manufacturer will be able to build a booth according to your needs and offer plenty of options for a custom finish.
Tips for Getting a Custom Trade Show Booth
Once you’ve decided that getting a custom booth makes sense for your company’s trade show needs and end goals, you’ll want to keep these tips in mind to cut overall costs while making your booth attract as many visitors as possible.
- Keep it on point with your goal
- Maximize open space
- Creating compelling signs
- Minimize expenses
- Incorporate modern elements
- Electricity and setup fees
Size Matters
Many people think that they need a large booth in order to draw crowds and attract attention. However, the reality is that having a smaller booth can be just as advantageous, if not more, to stand out among the crowd. The goal should be to have a well-designed booth that emphasizes quality oversize. Provided you follow the same basic rules of advertising with a smaller booth, you will have no problem attracting visitors.
Utilize Open Space
Although it sounds counter-intuitive, you should aim to maximize space whenever possible. Keeping the space free of clutter, which includes reducing the amount of furniture and large objects in your display area, will minimize clutter and give the appearance of a larger booth. If the booth has built-in storage areas, use them to store personal belongings such as brochures and promotional materials. In addition to reducing clutter, focus on creating eye-catching visual displays that showcase your company’s best (or newest) products and services. If you’re offering giveaways or other perks for people visiting your booth, put them front-and-center to add appeal.
Put Up Signs
Statistics show you have under three seconds to catch the eye of a passerby at a trade show. Therefore, you need a booth that stands out and makes an effective, immediate impact. Creating attractive signs is one of the simplest and most cost-effective things you can do to create a standout booth. While signs can be one of the more expensive elements of a booth, the investment that you put into creating a sign pays off when you see that it starts drawing traffic. When creating a sign, be sure to put your company’s logo on each piece of printed material. This creates a consistent image and helps people remember your company. Having creative business cards to hand out further distinguishes your company from the pack.
Reduce Graphics
When you’re preparing visual displays for a booth, it is important to not make the display too overwhelming. Creating full-scale visual displays can be quite expensive. Having a booth plastered with posters or text-heavy displays won’t catch the eye of people walking by. Minimalism is key to success when creating a poster for your trade show. Any visual material that you produce should prominently display your company’s logo. If you have other images for your posters, use solid colors and fewer bold patterns.
Minimize Flooring Costs
Although it’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind, you’ll need to think about flooring materials too. Since the floor is not the main focal point of the display, you don’t have to spend a fortune on making it look good. In fact, carefully selecting flooring material can be a great way to reduce your overall expenses and still have an attractive setup. Instead of hardwood flooring, for instance, consider premium vinyl flooring as an alternative. High-end vinyl has a similar appearance to hardwood, but it has a much lower cost. Another consideration is carpeting, which varies in price and can create a nice look for a lower cost. If you’re concerned that the carpet alone won’t be comfortable enough, add a few layers of padding to create more cushioning instead of spending more on carpeting or comfort tiling.
Embrace Technology
Today, more people are using (and influenced by) technology than ever before. The advantage of having a custom booth is that you get to choose which technological elements to use at each show. Furthermore, bringing your own technology can cut the cost of renting technological devices at the show, which ultimately cuts down on costs. You’ll also know how to use it. The ancillary expenses associated with technology are another consideration. Quite often you need to pay extra for getting an expert to set up the technological components of your trade show booth. It costs more to have personnel set up speakers, computer screens, and other electronics that if you take care of it yourself. If you are working with a restrictive budget, you can save money by setting up your own electronics and technology. Being selective about your technology and reducing the overall amount of technology at your tradeshow booth can also help. For instance, consider using just one large-screen television instead of a wall of monitors.
Electricity and Special Features for your Custom Trade Show Booth
When you are planning a booth for a trade show, remember that you’ll also need access to electricity and other amenities. Electricity is not offered for free at every trade show, and it can be a feature that vendors have to pay quite a bit extra for. Along with electricity, you might have the option to purchase other props and accessories to complete your trade show booth. This includes buying skirts and tablecloths for the booth, purchasing lighting configurations, buying electrical cord extensions or using electrical outlets, and choosing between either flatscreen televisions or larger monitors with digital displays. Audio systems and audio setups may also be available, but you might very well have to pay extra for those amenities, too. When planning a custom booth for your trade show, be sure to keep these factors in mind as you’re planning logistics and a budget. If adding amenities like sound and electricity looks like it will be expensive, it might make sense to choose a different display that doesn’t require as many amenities.
How to Create A Custom Trade Show Booth
Customizing a booth is an involved process. From start to finish, you want to make sure that your booth will attract attention, help meet your trade show goals, and not go over your budget. If you plan to rent a booth, you’ll want to think about specifics like the length and size of the table, too. Knowing the size of the display booth that you will use is important for determining the type and dimensions of any special effects and decorative components that you use. Custom trade show booth manufacturers understand these precise needs, and they’ll help you build a booth accordingly.
Look at Portfolios
Every person (and company) has a personal preference for aesthetics, materials, and even budget when preparing for a trade show. Trade show booth manufacturers do, too. Just as you wouldn’t hire an interior designer or an artist without seeing his or her work, you would not want to hire a trade show booth manufacturer without getting a preview of the company’s past work. When you start searching for trade show booth manufacturers, an effective way to narrow down your options is by interviewing companies who work with businesses in your industry. These companies have a better understanding of how to advertise your brand in a manner that will effectively reach consumers. It’s also a good idea to choose a company with plenty of experience to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Showcase Your Company to Manufacturers
Even if a trade show booth manufacturer is familiar with your industry, the company still doesn’t know your company, which has its own identity, personality, and trade show goals. Therefore, it’s important to take time to explain your company to prospective trade show booth manufacturers. They’ll get a better understanding of who your company is and how they can help you out. You’ll be able to ask them if they can help meet your specific goals, too. Introducing your company beforehand makes trade show booth manufacturers aware of your precise needs as well. They can even help you plan a booth based on their industry knowledge and insider’s knowledge of the specific trade show that you’re attending.
Create a Checklist and Make Calls
Once you’ve identified what elements you’d like to have in your tradeshow booth, and ideally narrowed down companies that can help turn your dreams into reality, you’ll want to have some common point of comparison to find a company that is the best match. A good way to establish benchmarks is by creating a checklist that you can use to compare the services, capabilities, and prices of all the companies you consider. This way you’ll have a base standard for comparing the services of all manufacturers, which gives you a better idea of how they can specifically help you. Once you’ve created a checklist to work off of, you can start making some phone calls to various trade show booth manufacturers. This will give you a sense for which manufacturers can best meet your company’s needs.
Sign a Proposal for your Custom Trade Show Booth
After finding a trade show manufacturer that you think will work for your company, it’s time to start building a formal partnership. This starts with signing a proposal that details the scope of work that the company will provide. The proposal will outline specific information about your trade show booth and give you a good idea of what to expect from the end product. The proposal that you sign will also outline the costs associated with the booth and provide an estimate of when the work will be complete. Some custom trade show booth manufacturers will also provide you with a quote beforehand that outlines the specifics of the project and your total payment. This is a good way to ensure both companies are on the same page.
What to Include in Your Custom Trade Show Booth
Statistics show that people spend an average of nine hours each day walking around a trade show. During that span of time, they have dozens of vendors, if not more, to visit. So in the sea of vendors at a trade show, how do you create a booth that really stands out and lures visitors to your booth instead of a neighbor’s? You might have a vision on your own of what elements to put in your trade show booth and what you want the end product to look like. But a trade show booth manufacturer can suggest details and features include that might not have crossed your mind. Ultimately, you’ll end up with a trade show booth that caters to your target audience and leaves a positive lasting impression.
Given the precious little time you have to draw attention at a trade show, it’s important to have a trade show booth that really stands out. Incorporating these elements into your display is a surefire way to attract attention and sell your products or services:
- Games and giveaways
- Experiential displays
- Novel tech demonstrations
- Games and Giveaways
If there’s one item that makes everyone a “winner” at a trade show, it’s an enviable giveaway item. However, not everyone knows what kind of giveaway to offer at their trade show booth. If this predicament sounds familiar, just note that keeping things simple is key. Initially, aim to lure visitors in from the main floor with the prospect of getting a key giveaway item. Once you’ve gotten their attention, offer a branded giveaway item that they’ll want to have. After getting their initial attention, use the opportunity to inform them more about your brand and sell your products or services. If you offer something visitors want, they will be more compelled to trust your company and more interested to see what you have to offer. Making a trade show “fun” by adding in a game or two works wonders in attracting attention, too. A game can be a simple one or an innovative game based on the latest technology. Regardless of which avenue you choose, keep it fun and entertaining. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to draw attention that way.
Custom Trade Show Booth Experiential Displays
About 65% of the world’s population consists of visual learners. Therefore, creating experiential displays that showcase your company’s products are a good way to create enthusiasm for your business and make the trade show more fun for visitors. Experiential displays give visitors the opportunity to see your new products and learn more about current ones. When you showcase multiple products in a display, trade show attendees can see the features and benefits that each product provides, which allows them to find one that best meets their needs.
Custom Trade Show Booth Tech Demos
If your business is in the tech industry, it makes sense to incorporate an element of technology into your custom display. Tech-centric displays are useful for companies looking to showcase software, large products, and tech-based services. You can set up a tech display highlighting your products using an in-booth display, a display outside of the booth, or both. Some ideas for an interactive experience including creating augmented and virtual reality exhibits, hands-on software demonstrations, product immersion stations, and interactive LCD displays. Your demonstrations can be produced through several channels, including using touchscreen displays, iPhone and iPad displays, video walls, and more. Before unveiling your products and product demos to the masses, be sure to test out your technology first. This ensures everything is working properly, and it also makes you appear to be a confident expert in your own products. Naturally, that gives passersby a sense that they can trust your company and its products. Technology demos can also be incorporated into fun packages like light shows or set up to background music to create an even more memorable and lasting impact.
Whether you’re planning to do a trade show as once-annually way to drum up business or you attend every industry trade show out there, there are many good reasons to consider getting a custom trade show booth. A custom trade show booth can be designed and accessorized in many ways, which gives your business a better chance of standing out in the crowd. Simple but effective cost-saving measures, such as minimizing graphics and choosing less expensive flooring material, goes a long way in cutting costs without sacrificing the quality of your display. Integrating technology, giveaways, and fun prizes into your booth engage customers and leave a positive lasting impression. No matter what your trade show goals are, a custom trade show booth manufacturer can help you meet them and ultimately boost your bottom line.
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