Investing in trade show displays, and attending shows, demands careful planning and consideration of all the issues before you embark on exhibiting or spending your budget. Success relies entirely on prior planning and a great deal of determination and motivation if you are to reap the rewards which millions of exhibitors enjoy from using trade shows. Ask a lot of questions - you can glean a lot of information that will help you with your tradeshow strategy.
Pricing & Payment
Cost is a key issue because it determines the base yardstick for financial success and your final Return on Investment (ROI is a term you are going to hear a lot about with trade show exhibiting).
Ask about pricing guarantees on the equipment you purchase. Will the supplier match price levels you may find elsewhere? What payment options are on offer? Are installment plans or lease-purchase options available? What sales taxes will be levied? On this last note, remember that the supplier may not be located in the same town as you.
Graphics and Creative Questions
The creative input from a trade show partner is essential and will make a huge difference to the overall impact and hence, success, of your trade show attendance. You are entitled to ask for advice about the supplier's prior experience - make sure you listen to the answers carefully and make sure they have a good understanding of what works and doesn't work for your type of business.
Many suppliers will work from files sent over the internet but you need to know what formats they will use for artwork and graphical reproduction. Ask them how the different formats will affect the end-quality of the product as well and ensure their technology is capable of rendering hi-quality images and results.
Shipping Questions
After the initial relief at the low prices being quoted to produce the displays and source the accessories you are not yet out of the woods! You have to take into account the shipping costs and more than this, how will they be shipped? There are also the issues concerning the insurance and responsibility for loss or damage during transit, not only when you are initially purchasing the equipment but when you are transporting it to and from trade show locations.
General Questions
Cost is important when it comes to choosing your display and materials but just as important is how easy it is to use and the impact on your team’s selling time. How easy is it to set up the display and take it down? Remember if your team has to do this and it takes hours, that cuts into their selling time or if they are not going to be at their very best when it comes to the long day on the trade show floor and you need them firing on all cylinders to attract and close business. If the team is not setting up the display, you’re going to be paying for someone else to do it – the longer it takes the greater the cost. Ideally, you are looking for no more than 15 minutes to set up and take down once you have become familiar with the display.
You should also find out how long you can expect your display to last. Your display should be adaptable enough to undergo modification and extension so you can maximize the life of the equipment in terms of your own use but also the resale value when it comes time to trade up.
About Ben Janke