As anyone in this industry knows, all kinds of issues can crop up that can be detrimental to a successful trade show exhibiting experience. The thought of a major trade show failure can be exponentially more frightening than Freddie Krueger or Michael Myers. We have talked about some of the specific haunts of trade shows in numerous past October blogs, so I wanted to provide tips to keep your booth space haunt-free.
Supervise
Usually, trade show exhibits move across a variety of locations and are handled by different labor crews. The one consistency is likely the team using the booth. Have someone take point to supervise and instruct anyone handling anything in the booth during setup. That person can keep the setup running smoothly by anticipating common issues (ex., this graphic is always tricky to install, the counter key is here when we need it, set up our promo and literature this way). Little things can stall progress and add costly hours. If the booth properties are hopping show-to-show, this person can also be on top of damaged or missing pieces and parts between shows. Our clients who suffer the least on-site headaches are the ones who know their booth best. If you’re in a scenario like a one-time-use exhibit, a first-time exhibit, or your team doesn’t have anyone to do this, we can help! When we go on-site, we can manage these things on your behalf, get parts, call manufacturers; whatever it takes to right the ship.
Maintain
Trade show exhibits never come home the way they left, even if only for one show. Look over the booth properties when they get back from the show to see if there is any dirt, damage, or missing parts. Check again before it goes back out to make sure everything is ready for the show. This is a standard part of our storage service, so once again, we’d be happy to step in if we can help! We can clean graphics, repair crates, and replace parts in our warehouse to keep your mind at ease.
Plan Ahead
Far too often, trade show planning is rushed or done at the last minute. Things may be partially completed or planned, but the remainder is rushed and can create issues. Plan fully ahead for logistics, graphics, promotional items, literature, team apparel, etc. Our most successful clients map out the show schedule in advance and plan the details, so when the show comes around, it’s time to place orders and ship. If you know things will be last minute, anticipate what that could mean and create contingencies. For example, we had a client whose product was awaiting an FDA approval decision DURING their show and needed to react to that decision.
Trade shows can be overwhelming and cause a lot of anxiety for those who end up being on the hook for their success (our clients/you 🙂 ). Hopefully these tips help you create a less fearful trade show plan. If you’re new to all of this, or don’t have the bandwidth, lean on our expertise and service opportunities to help you create trade show success for your organization.