Topic

Booth Design & Graphics

Booth design, exhibits, lighting and graphics that stop people in the aisle and tell your story in seconds.

Your booth has to make its point quickly: who you are, what you do and how you can help the people walking the aisle. Think of it like a billboard on the highway. If it's packed with copy, nobody reads it. Keep the main graphic to a short message and a clear image, and save the details for the conversation in the booth.

Design for shipping, not just for the show floor

How your exhibit packs affects what you pay to get it there. Custom modular exhibits pack into fewer and smaller crates than a traditional build, which can lower your freight costs and your material handling (drayage) charges at the show. If you only exhibit a few times a year, renting the exhibit, carpet or A/V equipment means you aren't paying to store it between shows.

Light it well

LED fixtures run cooler and use less energy than older lighting, and they make your graphics look brighter. On larger exhibits they can also mean fewer fixtures and fewer cords to hide. I've covered this and a few other savings in cut energy costs at tradeshows.

Get the order forms right

Electrical for your lights and screens is ordered through the show, and the details matter. If you order the wrong amount of power, changing it on the show floor is expensive, and even more so on a weekend. Order before the discount deadline in your exhibitor manual. My guide to the exhibitor manual deadlines that save the most walks through which forms to file first.

Know when it's time for a new exhibit

An exhibit that keeps breaking down, or that no longer tells the story your company tells today, costs you conversations. When the repairs and workarounds start piling up, price out a new one or a rental before your next big show.