Evaluating Your Current Trade Show Display

So you have decided things have settled down a bit and now is the time to start thinking about what you can do to tweak or improve your trade show booth.  You don’t want to do a full makeover or buy a completely new setup.  We get it.  The economy is slow to improve.  You have to do the trade show or people will forget about you and you always do come home with a few good prospects.  In fact,  getting these new prospects to stop by the booth and most importantly remember you after the show is what is going to give your business the boost it needs.

So let’s break it down to the key areas you should first address:

1. Does your current setup clearly tell your prospects who you are? This includes your company name, brand promise, and what you do.
   
   A good example of a clean basic booth setup[
2. Do you have signage that specifically tells a prospect in a clear concise manner what products or services you offer?
3. Are your display materials in good working order?
   This means no creases in your popup panels, your lights work, and your tabletop or roll-up banners still look professional and are in working order.

If your answers are no to any of the above,  then you should first address these issues. Make sure whatever signage is being displayed has the correct logos.   You want your customers to visually connect your logo and company name.  You want to also make sure that any verbiage used on your banners, table covers or backdrop is current.  No one wants to explain that this is our old product or that an important change has been made that is not highlighted.

If you have not considered or do not already have your brand promise prominently displayed, consider adding one.  Being able to clearly inform a new prospect about what is unique about your organization can be a deciding point for clients when selecting a new vendor.  An easy way to do this is by adding a retractable banner stand to your display.  Retractable or roll-up banners are a great way to add your logo and brand to your current display.  For less than $250, display stands are also a perfect way to include your updated offering in your current trade show booth.

If your popup panels or frame need some repair,  now is the perfect time to consider replacing them.  In the past couple of years,  some very compelling options for pop-ups have been developed.  The most notable of these is a popup frame that is covered with a fabric graphic.  This combines the ease of set from the pop-up frame and takes it one step further.  Fabric pop-ups are even easier to set up and tear down because the graphics do not need to be removed.  These systems are also lighter and easier to transport than old-style pop-ups.  You might also be surprised at the cost of replacing your aging pop-up unit.  Most new units can be purchased for less than $1500 and some are available for less than $900.  If it is in the budget,  a new Fabric pop-up is a great way to update your trade show display.