Plan Well in Advance

You can never to be too prepared for a trade show. Preparation does not start one or two days, or even one or two weeks before the show either, if you want to be sufficiently prepared you should start planning months in advance. Research is important. If you think you would like to attend a specific trade show it is very helpful to attend a similar trade show as an attendee only, as you can learn a lot from looking at what other exhibitors are doing. You can also check out the demographics of who is attending so that you can plan your exhibits and your booth display with that section of the population in mind. If the show is open to the public for certain days, check out what section of society attends. Look at where the most popular booths are located.

When it comes to the actual trade show, one of the earliest things you should do is book your booth location. The earlier you are able to do this, the better location you will most likely be allocated. It is an investment to attend a trade fair, but do not over-extend yourself, or your budget. If it is your first trade show, start relatively small; do not invest more into the show than you can comfortably afford to lose without any returns. While everybody always hopes for some returns from attending a trade show, it does not always happen the first time. Go for a smaller sized booth in a good location.

Setting Up Your Trade Show Booth Displays

It is a great idea if you can plan the basic layout of your booth before you go to set it up. Decide how much table space you will need, what shelving is needed, whether you will have any audio-visual presentations and if so, where they will be located. You should also decide in advance where your posters and display stands would be placed. The more you can map these things out in advance, the easier it will be for you on the set-up days prior to the exhibition opening.

Decide on your color scheme for your booth and booth displays. Either have it revolve around the basic colors used in your logo and branding, or coordinate it around your products. Try to have a consistent color theme throughout all of your display stands, posters, table-covers and any other items on display. You should stick to using two or three main colors only, as too many colors can tend to look garish rather than professional.

You will also need to decide on whether you will have a table at the front of the booth, or if you will design your booth to be more open. If you are starting out with a smaller booth, you will want to provide easy access into and out of your booth. If you must have a table at the front of the booth, have it flush against one of the booth walls, as that will hopefully avoid a lot of traffic walking directly behind you. Try using round tables with chairs scattered around them, rather than a long table.

Rather than buying all the items needed for your display booths, you could consider either renting your trade show display booth or the shelving and tables you will use. You can often rent pop up display booths or portable display booths fairly cheaply, oftentimes from the people who are organizing the exhibition. A pop up display booth is very easy to set up, which is a real plus if you do not have a lot of time available for the actual set up. Renting trade show display booths is a good option if you are not sure how often you will be attending and exhibiting at a trade fair.

It is also possible to purchased used display booths that have all the items needed for relatively good prices. However, the downside of this is that sometimes they are not in very good condition. Before buying a used booth make sure to examine it carefully first. You may end up paying more for buying the used booth and making the needed repairs and redecorating than you would if you bought a brand new one.

Careful planning in advance should ensure that your first exhibition is not only a success, but an enjoyable experience as well.

Used trade show items of any kind can be a bit tricky to buy. It is impossible to say across the board if they are a good buy or bad buy, as there are a good number of different kinds and in different conditions too. What can be said for certain is that many people who go to your booth or even walk past it will be forming their impression of your company or business by looking at your booth. If your booth looks shoddy or it looks obvious that the booths“title=”" >display booth is old and used, it will be counterproductive, to say the least. You need to have something there that is good quality, even if it has been used before. It needs to look very nice and there should be nothing broken or ripped on it.

There are many reputable places that sell used trade show equipment and if you are buying used displays then it pays to check them out thoroughly and make sure they are in tip top condition. While many people oft for buying what they need online, when buying used display booths this puts you at a disadvantage, as you will not be able to check out what you are considering buying. It is also important to note that the item or items you are buying may not have any kind of warranty to them and if for any reason something breaks, you may be stuck with a large bill to fix it, or in the worse case scenario, have to buy something all over again. This is why it is important to seriously consider the pros and cons and whether buying used trade show display booths is a good idea.

It is also possible to rent the display booth or booths that you need and many companies that sell the items new will offer you the option of renting the display booths if you so desire. This offers a number of advantages in that you do not have to worry about the high cost of buying what you need, as even used equipment can be quite expensive if it is in good condition. Renting the items you need also allows you flexibility in that you do not have to re-use the same trade show display booths and banners and the next trade show; you will have a totally different set up. However, renting the trade show items you are planning to use also has its disadvantages, the main one being that it will end up costing you more over time to keep renting the items you need as opposed to buying them and having what you need.

Whether you end up choosing used or new display booths, it is important that you get the right size. Measure your booth early on and plan out what you want it to look like – where the tables will be and how long they will be, if you will have shelves and where they will go and then, plan where the display booths will go. You do not want them to be either too small or too large, or to block out the TV if you have on set up as part of your booth. Measure the space the displays will go in so that you know what size you should be looking for.

When buying used displays, it is also important to buy as far in advance as possible. You may find that with used displays, you do not have as large a selection of good quality displays as you would have with new displays. You absolutely have to get something that is good quality, something that does not look old and used and the earlier you decide what you need, the more likely you are of getting what you had in mind. If you wait until the last minute, it is quite likely that what you are looking for may be unavailable.

Used displays or other used equipment can be a great asset to your booth if it is in good condition, as then you have a good quality booth set up at a low price, or it could be a detriment if it is old and does not compliment the look of the booth, so make sure to choose carefully.

I have attended trade shows, and I know how important it is for your tradeshow display booth to be set in a good location. Here are some suggestions of good locations for booth displays:

* Corner booths –  Corner booths are great because you get traffic from two aisles at the same time. Double exposure really can be a big help.
* Facing incoming people — If you are fortunate enough to get a booth close to either an entrance to the trade show or an exit, you will enjoy a lot of people dropping by your booth.
* Beside other busy booths — Yes, that is right! People may target your competitors, but chances are if your booth is nearby, they will drop by your booth as they leave.
* Where you do not want to be! — At the very end of the hall, or on the very last aisle, or near a service entrance.

Sometimes there is not a lot you can do about your location, as in some instances you are simply assigned a location without being able to specify exactly where you would like to be. In other situations, you get what you pay for. If you want a top location, then you need to be willing to fork out top bucks for it.

Setting Up the Booth

You will need to set up your trade show display booth well in advance. Depending on the size of the actual trade show and the number of attendees, you will be given one or two days in advance of the opening of the show to set up your booth.  It can be a lot of fun setting up display booths, providing you have done all the needed work and preparation beforehand. One of the most stressful situations you can find yourself in is waiting at the trade show for either your display posters, or new display stands to arrive.  There will invariably be delays in getting things ready for the show, so give yourself plenty of time. Trade shows can be very exciting, but they are also a lot of hard work where you are often on your feet for over twelve hours at a time, sometimes longer. They can be stressful and tiring, so do yourself a favor and prepare well in advance.

The exact layout and design of trade show display booths depends on what is being showcased. Do you have products, or do you provide a service. Chances are, if you sell products you will have shelves and counter-tops displaying samples of your goods. If you are a service company, you may be more likely to have large poster displays, and audio visual presentations. One thing that is often overlooked for first time trade show attendees is having a table and chair set where you can sit down, on site, with respective clients. If someone comes to your booth, interested in what you have to offer, you will want to sit down with him or her right away, then and there.

Many different things can help make your life much easier when it comes to setting up your display. Purchasing a pop up display booth will greatly simplify the whole initial set up time, and you can buy additional accessories that match exactly with the display, which gives your how booth and display a very professional and coordinated touch.  This portable display booth is really a great idea if you are short on people to set up and man the booth too, as it is very simple and easy to put together.

If you want to cut costs, you can also quite often buy used display booths, quite often from the same companies that sell portable booths or who sell booth accessories.  If you shop around, it is possible to find used booths that are still in very good condition.

Generally, when setting up trade show booth displays it is a good idea to have bold, colorful large sized posters set around the back of the display booth. You also need to make sure that you have sufficient smaller display stands and decide if you need a floor display stand. Sometimes it is enough to have shelves, with one rotating display stand on the corner counter for example.  Layout is very important, you want to first have something that will immediately catch someone’s eye, and then lead him or her into your display area. A good way to do this is by using smaller photo displays, or a poster up with interesting text that people stop to read.