Setting the Stage: How to Set Up A Booth At A Trade Show Like A Pro

The trade show has received inadequate responses throughout its existence. A trade show can give a company opportunities to gain information and increase sales or the company brand. All this by simply creating an effective booth that displays the best company products and services.

There are a few tips and tricks on how to set up a trade show booth. The aim should be to satisfy the customer or attendee at all times. The team must create a cost-effective booth and that represents the company brand and values in total. The company must, however, work within guidelines and a budget.

The team must create concise goals that they will be able to achieve. The return on investments must be worth it through observing and obtaining the goals set by the company leaders and management. Direction and action steps will allow the team to create the ideal booth throughout the preparation.

Why Should You Care To Have A Good Booth At A Trade Show?

A booth at a trade show is a direct connection with the company brand. The trade show attendees will connect the quality and look of the booth to the company that created and used the cubicles.

A sound booth will provide the attendees with a clear representation of the company brand and the quality of the company. Many attendees will only pass low-quality or bad-looking booths, knowing that the products, services, and company will not be worth their time. The trade show display will impact attendee attention, leading to a fall in sales and leads. 

On the other hand, a company that created a great booth will have more attendees visiting the booth due to the quality of information, look, and feel of the booth. The attendees might not need any products or services from the company but will engage solely based on the outer representation of the booth.

How To Set Up A Trade Show Booth That Will Attract Customers

The first objective for setting up a trade show display must be the company goals for the booth. The team must determine what they want to achieve through the booth. With this in mind, the team will have guidance throughout the decision to design the booth. If attendee engagement is a goal, the booth must be able to hold a large group of attendees at once. There must be space for the entire booth staff and potential clients.

After the goals and objectives are set, the company can focus on the budget for the booth. Allowing the team to decide on size, material, and other structures within the booth. The team can use previous booths as guidance, or if this is the first booth, they can use the internet to find the best-suited booth that will fit their every need.

What Do You Need For Your Booth?

A successful booth requires more than just a beautiful layout. A few facets are essential to building and creating a successful booth at a trade show. The team will have to develop and design every part of the booth according to the company brand and management desires, which will be used as advertisement and marketing content throughout the trade show.

Signage is the very first addition that companies must focus on. Companies can use multiple signage options to attract attendees to the booth. The company can start with outdoor signage. Outdoor signage will allow potential customers to identify the company outside the trade show. The customers will then, in return, attend the trade show based on the outdoor signage.

Indoor signage within the trade show. It is excellent that customers and potential clients want to visit the company’s booth. It can, however, be frustrating if they need help finding it. The marketing team must design indoor signage to provide all attendees with clear directions to the booth.

The third and most critical signage type is booth signage. Display the name and company stand to the attendees. This signage will announce that the attendees have arrived at the booth. Signage will be present all over the stall. Digital signage will allow the team to communicate information and knowledge that the company wants to share with the attendees and booth visitors.

The marketing team must design signage according to the company colors and brand. The signage should not confuse or distract the attendees from the company or the booth. Thus focusing on the company colors to emphasize the values and principles of the company is of utmost importance. The team must promote the conference to ensure existing customers can enjoy the trade show booth with the company.

Check Out Vendor Booth Tips I Wish I Knew Before Displaying At A Trade Show:

Look at the Booth Location

The trade show display location plays a critical role in the booth’s success within the trade show. The place will provide the booth with maximum traffic, or a lack thereof. If the site is close to the bathroom, there might be an increase in foot traffic.

The booth location should not be at the entrance of a trade show exhibit. There will be a chaotic flow of attendees entering or exiting. While the foot traffic is high, many attendees will focus on moving away from the traffic, so they will not be looking at any booth.

Some of the best booth locations are on the right side of an aisle. Studies have shown that attendees will walk on the same side they drive. Thus being on the right side will lead to more booth attendees. Another focus should be to place the booth close to cafes, food courts, or restrooms. Not in those areas, but relatively close. The people waiting for food will make hasty decisions due to their hunger.

The last ideal location to positively impact the booth visitors is to pick a corner. A corner location will be highly effective due to the stream of foot traffic. The corner will have either two or four directions of attendees flowing past. Allowing the booth to have the advantage of traffic flow will provide the team to gain leads or build sales.

Some companies prefer to place the booth close to other competitors within the industry. Allowing the attendee to compare the competitive companies at the booth directly. Another strategy is to set the booth between well-known brands or tech companies. Placing the booth between the big names will mean that there will be foot traffic, seeing that many will want to observe and visit the industry leaders.

Define a Trade Show Budget for Your Booth

A trade show budget will set the foundation for the team to build and create the ideal booth according to the company boundaries. The event budget will be a guideline to ensure the team has enough money to develop and build the booth.

There are, however, critical aspects that must be included within the trade show budget. The first expense in the realistic budget is the booth renting space on the trade show floor. This will allow the team to determine the best location according to the financial support that the company provides.

The booth design will be the second item on the realistic budget. The team will have to determine what type of material they will use and the walls and banners that will be included. The budget will have to include flooring for the booth as well as lighting to ensure that the attendees will be able to see and experience the entire booth. The design consists of the external company that creates and builds the booth for the team.

After the entire booth is created, the team must focus on the shipment of the booth parts or other added equipment and furniture. The shipping cost can influence the initial budget if the company ship and transport every bit of the booth to the trade show.

The company must include furniture, equipment, and tablets or screens on a realistic budget. This will give the team the necessary equipment to obtain leads or make sales. This will include plants, seats, or tables to decorate and fill empty spaces within the booth.

The last part of the event budget must focus on the marketing team and advertisement. The crew on the trade show floor will need business cards, information sheets, and products to display or give away. This will all be included in this section of the event budget. This will consist of social media marketing, advertisement, and other forms of marketing.

The company can include the booth breakdown if an external team will be paid to do that job. The team must find reusable products and equipment to ensure that they can save money for any future trade show events.

Create Project Proposal, Review and Approve

A project proposal is a document that clearly states the project, why the company wants to create and finish the project, and all the benefits connected to the project. This proposal will be sent to the company’s top management, including the CEO and other executives, who will evaluate and review the submission.

After the review, the proposal will be sent back to the team with good news in the form of approval. The assessment can state that the proposal is declined or that the team must make specific adjustments to ensure acceptance of the future proposal.

The layout of a proposal can be simplistic, with all the significant requirements being present within the document. The team must start by clearly stating the type of event and what the booth will entail within the event. The paper must include the team that will be involved. Naming each individual as well as identifying their role within the event.

The document must include a thorough planning and budget plan. This will give the managers insight into how much money will be needed to create the event. The team can end with the date and the times as well as the reason and the benefits of the event. This will then be reviewed, and the proposal will be accepted or declined based on specific grounds.

Booth Building

The planning has been completed, and all the materials and items have been purchased. The aim now is to build the booth exactly to the planning. This process will produce the booth that all the event attendees will experience and see.

The company should design and create a unique booth that aligns with the company’s values. A fantastic booth will draw the attention of the event attendees. The team can use equipment, tool, or colors to create the booth’s uniqueness. The team can use reusable materials and equipment, but the focus should be to stand out among the competitors and other booths within the trade show. The focus should be on creating a visually appealing booth.

When designing the booth, the team must incorporate promotional product spaces and set locations for the ideal products. Identifying the critical aspect that must be present in the booth must be included in the design and build of the booth. The team will have to include the furniture and equipment management to ensure that the team that builds the booth knows precisely what will be inside the booth.

The last focus should include technology and set spaces within the booth for informative material. The technology and informative banners will have a fixed location and space needed within the booth. The builders must include these spaces to ensure that the booth looks neat and organized because this will distract the attendees.

How to Look for the Right Booth Builder

The perfect builder does not exist. The team will have to analyze and interview multiple builders to find the right type of builder. The team can ask a set of questions to the building team to ensure that they are the right fit for the job.

The company must look at primary factors that can impact the quality of the booth. The first will be experienced. The team must evaluate whether the builder has the expertise, knowledge, and experience to build the booth.

Pricing and service will be the second factors to be inspected. The company has a set budget that can be maintained. Thus, hiring a team within the price range will be key. The pricing will impact the service. Service refers to communication, building, finishing project rate, and company satisfaction. The team must review reviews to identify whether the company has excellent service.

Dismantle Trade Show Booth

Dismantling the trade show booth is a requirement and falls on the booth owner’s shoulders. The team must dismantle the trade show booth delicately and protectively. This will protect the equipment and material which will be used in any future trade show booths.

The dismantling of the booth must occur within a set amount of time that trade show planners will set. The planner will provide the team with both setup and breakdown times where their team can build or break their booth. The key is to break the booth so every part can be reused.

Some companies need to break the booth down as quickly as possible. The aim is to break down the booth rapidly without caring about any materials, walls, flooring, or other parts. This will damage the elements, which can not be reused. The company will have to pay for the future booth’s complete setup.

Understand the Booth Design Options

Designing a booth is more complex than putting a few walls together. The team must determine a layout out of the multiple options within the booth-building industry. The booth size and design will have the most significant impact.

The team must select the style and size based on the booth space they are renting and the goals they want to achieve. The focus should be placed on the company’s strengths and products. If the company wants to sell leadership themes and conferences, the booth must be equipped to advertise and showcase the top products and venues.

Design a Powerful Booth that Fits Your Brand

The team will have a few classical design options that will be able to fit with the company brand. The focus is to create a booth design that fits the aim and the team’s desired engagement.

Inline Booth

The inline booth refers to a straight line of stalls next to each other. The booths will have the same trade show floor space and be placed right next to each other. The Inline booths will also have another company’s booth right behind them. The only open space will be in front of the booth, which will be the walking aisle. An inline booth can become a busy expo floor with limited space within the booth. A backlit exhibit can create the expectation of a deep and open inline booth. 

Perimeter Booth

The perimeter is similar to the inline booth. The big difference is that the perimeter booth will have a solid wall or no booth behind them. There will be booths next to the space. These booths will only be located at the side of the booth. There will be either a wall or an open space located right behind the booth. This will allow the company to capitalize on the event floor through client interaction. 

Cross Aisle Booth

A cross-aisle booth is a combination of two inline or perimeter booths. The company will have two locations across from one another, with a crossing or a walking aisle between them. There are a few reasons why companies would prefer this style of booth. The booth will have two access points from two sides, and the attendees can come from the top or the bottom of the trade show. The booth will cover both ways.

Island Booth

This is one of the rarest forms of booths in the trade show industry. The island booth has four available entries, which will be from each side. The booth is a stand-alone booth with no other booth around it. These booths attract the most attendees due to their open floor plan and accessibility from multiple sides. Both booth designs are elegant and will not always be available at every trade show.

Corner Booth

A corner booth is a booth that will be located on the corner of the aisle. Walkways and stalls on both sides will surround these booths. The benefit of this booth is that there will be multiple walkways crossing in front of the booth, leading to higher food traffic. The corner booth design will look different due to the need for more walls and booths surrounding this specific booth. These corner booths have more floor space and might cost more to rent.

Peninsula Booth

A peninsula booth is the best booth to rent. This booth can be accessed from three different sides and have ample floor space for attendees to enjoy. The booth will stand at the end of an aisle, and the three entrances are the front and both sides of the booth. The booth will have a backside with two inline or another peninsula booths. This is a scarce booth space to rent, thus being one of the more expensive booths at the trade show.

Standard Sizes of Booths

A few standard booth sizes will be available at every trade show. This excludes the custom-size booths. The standard size will be available to purchase for exhibitors to use as a trade show location booth.

10′ x 10′

The standard trade show rental space is a 10 x 10 location. This will fall into the category of both the inline and perimeter booth. The team will have this space to use for a custom-built booth to draw customers throughout the show.

10′ x 20′

This is a one-up standard from the 10 x 10 square ft booth. This will provide the team with more floor space that can be used to run demos or advertise more of the company’s quality products. The team will have more room for shelves, extra walls, or banners to fill the entire floor space.

20′ x 20′ & UP

The 20 x 20 booth provides more space. This is true for the floor space and includes the booth’s top. The team can use signage on top of the booth to draw more customers. Attendees can access these booths from multiple angles, and companies can set up separate meeting locations for the sales team to ensure that everything runs smoothly and smoothly when collecting the contact details of the attendees. The options are unlimited when using a 20 x 20 and up booth.

How to Choose the Right Trade Show Booths

Determining the best-suited trade show booth for the company can take time and effort. The team must start with a few set factors. The first focus should be placed on the budget. The budget will provide a clear indication of what the team can afford.

Secondly, the team can focus on the type of booth. There are single openings and double or open floor plan booth options. The opening will allow the attendees to enter the booth, which might lead to a chaotic collision or a simple walk flow that will leave every team member and attendee happy.

The final decision will be placed on the location of the booth. Many companies will prefer the peninsula booth. This, however, can be a struggle to fill with equipment and products. The team must identify the number of products and sales members present at the booth and pick a style that fits it. A corner booth is one of the better options due to its access and space.

What Can Conference Source Do For You?

A conference source is an organization that takes pride in its ability to plan and run an entire trade show for a company. They are an external planning team that will take a lot of stress and management off of the company throughout the process.

Conferences source has a wide range of expertise. The company has a well-diverse team that will be able to create events, meetings, conferences, and trade shows. The company is well known for its leadership conferences and team-building experiences. The team will bring the best out of the trade show booth, leading to high attending numbers and tremendous leads and sales.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

Some factors must be considered when planning and developing a trade show booth. The team must define their goals and budget, leaving them with designing and developing the perfect booth. Companies can access many potential customers through a trade show, which can lead to customers or future clients. The booth provides marketing opportunities to engage and inform their target market.