Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Choosing a trade show booth that reflects your corporate style

By Eric Lindmeier


Picking out a portable trade show booth for your company can be a difficult and challenging endeavor. Follow these simple hints and suggestions to make your booth selection process go more smoothly.

When your company participates in a trade show, your trade show booth says more about your corporate image than you might imagine. How you're represented makes an impact on important people in your industry - the people who make the decisions. It's important to make the best impression you can but how? You need a professionally designed trade show booth that grabs attention - in a positive way.

But it seems like there are half a bazillion trade show booth options to choose from. You can get a portable trade show booth in just about any size, with nearly any configuration of components - on a budget or over the top. So, with all those choices, how do you pick the one that's right for you and for your business? First of all, you want to consider size, style and price range.

Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes: You can go with a small 10x10-foot booth or a monster 30x100-foot booth that will dwarf all the surrounding displays. You can even splurge on an extravagant 50x50-foot booth. Of course, the booth you select (or design) will ultimately rest on the needs of your business, its overall corporate style and budgetary constraints.

The style of your portable trade show booth depends largely on the image you wish to present. Are you looking for a simple backdrop with a few countertops for table-top displays? Or are you in the market for something really elaborate maybe a booth with shelving and partitions and small meeting and display rooms? Overhead banners? Large signage? The style options are practically endless!

Whatever you decide, you have to make sure your trade show booth characterizes your business well - and that it's approachable. Ensure that your booth adequately represents the company culture, its products and overall goals.

Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes and that means they come with all size price tags. But, just because you may be on a budget, doesn't mean you can't design a nice trade show booth in the $400-500 range.

But, if you're looking to go really high end, how about custom designing a portable trade show booth with the potential to eat all the others alive? For about $240,000, you can get a custom-made double-deck booth with every imaginable feature. Okay, so maybe you're not the marketing director for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs. Let's think a little smaller.

Ah, here's a nice middle ground! Consider a nicely appointed portable trade show booth that won't put a permanent dent in your marketing department's budget. If you're willing to spend a few thousand dollars (to upwards of $15 or $20,000), you can get a really nice trade show booth that will showcase your company and its corporate image in a positive light.

And whatever size and style you go with, the one thing you want to do is ensure your trade show booth meets your needs and represents your firm well within your particular industry. If you choose wisely, you'll have a portable trade show booth you can be proud of for years into the future.

The idea gallery at Expo Marketing (www.expomarketing.com) should be your first stop when looking for a trade show booth. Expo Marketing's design pros will work with you to develop the ideal booth for you and your company.

About the Author:

No comments: