We’re stating the obvious when saying you need an eye-catching custom trade show booth to stand out at your next business exhibition or trade show. Whether you’re new to this or a seasoned trade show veteran, you know a compelling booth is a large part in fostering connections and leaving a lasting impression.
I know what you’re thinking now: “Easier said than done,” right?
There are a handful of problems and painpoints along the journey of conceptualizing a unique booth design to the successful execution of that booth.
As an American manufacturer of custom trade show booth, we know a thing or two about booth budgets, timeline pressures, and all of the logistics around getting a booth to a client. And that means we also know the best-possible solutions to those problems.
Let’s tackle those problems head-on.
Trade Show Booths Are Expensive And My Budget Is Tight
When it comes to professional trade show booths, businesses need to seriously look at their budgets and determine if the investment is worth the squeeze. On average, a large trade show exhibit setup can run as much as $30,000. It’s actually not uncommon for some activations to reach and eclipse six figures.
The obvious solution starts with careful budget planning. It’s estimated that trade-show-attending businesses allocate one-third — if not more — of their marketing budget toward trade shows.
But more important, you need to look for solutions that check your design boxes without breaking the bank.
At TentCraft, we love custom projects and create trade show booths by mixing and matching our existing products, from SEG lightboxes to unique canopy tents, to create inviting booths and activations. You’d be surprised how far you can get with a $10,000 budget.
Related: The Best Trade Show Tents
There can certainly be complacency within the trade show industry. Companies may have spent big dollars a decade ago and experienced some success, so they feel the need to retain that status quo. Exploring other vendors can open your eyes up to new solutions and soften the blow on your business’ bottom line.
And your cherry on top: Our solutions are manufactured and printed in the U.S., allowing us to control the quality instead of importing it from overseas. Learn more about TentCraft costs.
Design Challenges: Staying On Brand, But Also Standing Out
Staying on brand is one thing. Creating an engaging and inviting atmosphere is another.
Striking that balance can be a huge challenge — especially for marketing teams with minimal design experience.
We recommend collaborating with experienced designers who can take your brand guidelines and translate it into a booth that attracts attendees and generates leads.
At TentCraft, we not only have a team of creative designers who are talented in bringing your vision to life, but also a robust team of engineers who can ensure you’re investing in a quality solution that easily assembles and tears down, and one that is safe. There are no extra fees for working with those teams, and turnaround times on renderings and proofs are quick enough to keep your stakeholders in the loop.
Logistics & Shipping
Designing your trade show booth is one thing.
Making sure it arrives (figuratively) in one piece — and on time! — is a whole other thing.
In order to confidently ensure everything arrives on time and to the right place, you need to give yourself plenty of time for planning, building, and delivery. It’s never a good idea to plan a booth at the last second.
But, hey, there are always special circumstances and exceptions. Sometimes these trade show projects fall on your desk at the last minute and you need an expert who can turn around things quickly.
As a manufacturer that prides itself on quick turntimes, we’ve had our fair share of emergency jobs and shipments that arrived JUST in time. The point is, you need to work with a company that understands the complexities of logistics and can give you an almost-guarantee on when your booth can be built and shipped out.
Timeline Pressure
Sometimes, you have a week or two to put together a custom trade show booth. Even if it’s a basic pop-up trade show booth, it’s still a lot of work to find the right vendor that can handle that type of quickturn.
Because TentCraft manufactures all of its solutions in the U.S. — Traverse City, Michigan, to be exact — and follows a build-to-order business model, we’re able to turn around most trade show booth projects in three to five days. In the most extreme situations (and if capacity allows), we can potentially finish your project in as little as a day.
The best advice is to plan ahead if possible. That eliminates a lot of stress from the beginning.
Storage & Maintenance
Larger trade show exhibits are recycled after a major show using a fee you likely paid for at the time of registration. This is a convenient, because who wants to break down and haul elements of these activations back home with them?
But that’s typically reserved for larger shows. A majority of trade shows featuring small- to medium-sized businesses exhibiting in 10x10 and 20x20 footprints, are responsible for their assets. That means they need to not only pack it up, but also need storage after the show if they choose to continue using that booth.
To help with that, there are several TentCraft solutions that are considered “pop-up” elements designed for easy storage and transporation. The MONARCHSTALL, for instance, is a quick-deploy market stall that gives businesses an incredible branded solution that can also collapse and be carried in a bag slung around a shoulder.
Custom pop-up canopy tents used for trade shows easily collapse into a heavy-duty transport bag that includes an easy-to-roll wheel kit.
And all of those remaining must-have trade show assets — from table covers to backdrops — are designed to take up minimal room.
So, before investing in a large exhibit that likely couldn’t be used twice (not easily, at least), consider a higher-quality solution that can easily be stored, maintained, and used more than once.
Renting vs. Buying
Do you want the same booth for all of the shows on your docket? Do you need something that can be reused year after year after year?
Deciding whether to rent or buy a trade show booth is as important as price and budgets. In other words, it’s a decision you need to make carefully.
Renting doesn’t tie you down to hardware and assets for the long term, which can be advantageous for businesses who don’t want to worry about storage. It could also, to a certain extent, save you money if you’re part of a company that doesn’t exhibit every year.
Renting, however, can limit your customization options. And you might have to deal with limited inventory if you’re ordering from outfits that rely on what’s in their warehouse.
Buying might be the better option if you’re attending multiple shows and don’t want to change your design.
The biggest advantage of buying, though, is the ability to customize. Obviously, you’re more limited with rental equipment.
One thing to keep in mind with TentCraft trade show booths is that you can work with us the next year to print new branding using existing hardware so you can change things up at future shows. That is significantly cheaper than investing in new hardware altogether.
Start Your Trade Show Booth Project Today
Have a trade show booth problem you need solved? Work with TentCraft on your next custom trade show booth. Request a quote today.
