What are the Hidden Costs of Exhibiting at a Trade Show?

One of the most frequent questions we receive is “What does it cost to participate in a trade show?”

 The costs are straight forward:

• Trade Show Display, graphics, flooring, AV & furniture.
• Show Services: Material Handling, Electrical, IP Address, Lead Retrieval, Daily Cleaning & Plants
• Travel Expenses & Personnel
• Collateral & Giveaways

These are items easily identified and budgeted for and in most cases, the benefits of participating in a trade show and the direct contact with potential customers far outweighs the expense.

But what about the hidden costs that are not as easily identified? What are they and how can you minimize the financial expense?

•  Planning. The amount of details associated with planning, executing, participating and following up from a trade show add up quickly. Unless your company has a person specifically assigned to manage trade show participation; partnering with a trade show consultant saves time, money, effort, and reduces errors.
• Set up and Tear Down. When exhibiting in an unfamiliar venue there may be unexpected costs for labor. A trade show consultant has long standing relationships with all the major exhibit halls across the United States and can save time and money as well as the stress of trying to manage the participation from a distance.
• Shipping and storage. Be aware that if your event is on the weekend, there may be additional shipping costs involved. Planning ahead or using a third party to not only manage the shipping to and from the event but can also offer off season warehouse storage is another cost savings solution.
• Sales Literature. Offering product information to trade show attendees is not only critical but expected. However the recurring costs of development, printing and shipping sales sheets can add up quickly. Technology now offers the ability to save these costs by utilizing a mobile iPad trade show app which displays and immediately sends, via email, to prospects and customers.

E&E Exhibit Solution’s trade show consultants help save time and reduce hidden costs by partnering with you from the beginning of the process.

Call your E&E Exhibit Solutions sales representative or our customer service line to learn more.

480-966-9873 or 800-709-6935

Your trade show displays and the shows you attend with it depend on your sales and marketing objectives, target market and budget. Review your marketing plan and see if exhibiting trade show booths fit into the mix.

To come up with a list of shows, ask your customers which trade shows they attend. You can also search online for trade shows using our trade show calendar. You’ll come up with a handful of events for trade show booths that will have the potential to reach your target market.

Then, you’ll want to review the attendee profile for each show. Most shows provide detailed attendee demographics. You can examine data on the industries, titles and purchasing power of the show’s attendees.

Next, estimate the costs associated with rental space for trade show booths, show services, shipping, booth installation, travel, accommodations and marketing. With this information, you can rank the shows accordingly and choose the best ones.

Check out the Convention Center Information page to see what trade show convention centers are the most popular.