Trade Show Emporium

Have you ever attended a trade show and noticed unused booth spaces? Those are either companies that did not show up or space the convention center could not rent. Have you noticed how horrible it looks when there is an empty space at the show? You’re not alone. The convention center management notices too and they rather have the spaces filled then be empty because it makes the overall show look more successful.

Next time you are at a show and notice an empty booth, and you have the extra trade show materials, ask the show management if you could take over the empty booth. This is really crucial if your neighbor decides not to show up. You could rent a 10′ x 10′ booth and wind up with a 10′ x 20′ booth. It never hurts to ask!

Most convention centers will gladly rent you carpet to use during the trade show for between $200 and $500 a day. The rental agreement will likely include a clause requiring you to cover any damage to the carpet – which could cost you even more.

You can save money and cuts costs by purchasing your own trade show flooring. The beauty is that the flooring comes in 2′ x 2′ inter lockable pieces that fit together to form the desired configuration. These squares come in a variety of colors and effortlessly pack into a transport case for easy shipping and transport. Plus if a spill occurs, you can replace the square or squares for cents on the dollar versus replacing an entire traditional carpet.

Interlocking carpet tiles are a great alternative to renting carpet and you can own your own carpet for the price of renting carpet for 1 show.

If you want to get really creative you can even print your company logo on your trade show flooring.

Contact one of Trade Show Emporium’s customer service representatives for details on the types of trade show flooring available.

Realtors have used scent to sell homes for decades, heating a bowl of vanilla in the over during a showing can inspire a buyer to subconsciously thing about the delicious treats they too can bake in this oven… once they buy the home.

Do the same thing at your next trade show.

Instead of transporting fake plants or flowers to the show, use live plants and fresh cut flowers. Not only are live plants less expensive than fake plants but they will add a pleasant fragrance your trade show booth. (Daisies would be the exception!)

Display your floral arrangements or plants attractively on podiums or countertops—all available through Trade Show Emporium.

Plus, the best part is that you can give away the flowers to a trade show attendee in a last minute drawing. That trade show attendee is sure to remember you for the gift! Or take the flowers and plants home with you to enjoy yourself.

Here are 10 trade show money saving tips:

1. When purchasing a trade show display consider banner stands. Banner stands are a great way to have great looking graphics that are easy to set up and take down, and cost a fraction of the price of pop up displays.
2. Table top displays are a great way to cut costs over a full height floor displays. You can get a table throw with your company name on it and a graphic table top pop up display, making your table attractive and color coordinated, but you’ll pay less for your overall display than a full-height 8 ft. display.
3. Fabric pop up displays are a great economical option. You can get a fabric pop up display that will allow you to Velcro anything to it and the fabric comes in dozens of colors to chose from. This is a great option that gives you versatility as you use your display now and in the future—especially for young companies who may be changing messages soon. Companies that share a pop up between departments find that a fabric pop up doesn’t limit the message presented at each trade show either.
4. If you are looking for something that is very portable, Velcro compatible, and easy on the budget then the folding table top displays are a great option. These panel systems come in a variety of sizes and colors and nothing is easier to put up and transport.
5. Fabric panel systems are a great alternative to pricier custom modular systems. The fabric panel systems come in different sizes and configurations, are Velcro compatible, and can be accessorized with shelf kits, clothing hooks, waterfall racks, LCD screens, backbit headers, lockable storage, and even laminated counters.
6. When getting artwork designed use a firm or a designer that you trust and count on. We’ve been in the business long enough to know that a design firm that knows how to design for a large format trade show booth can save time (and ultimately money) not having to re-do the design and using up the majority of the trade show budget on design. Get with a designer that will charge you fairly and the more direction you give them the less time they will bill you creating things from scratch. Also make sure the designer is creating your artwork to the specifications provided by the printer. If the designer spends hours on your artwork and then it is unusable to the printer then they have wasted their time and your money. Make sure they follow the provided guidelines and refer to the specification sheets for correct sizing.
7. When printing graphics make sure what you submit is REALLY what you want. Once the artwork is printed, is not the time to “proof” your art for changes. Reprinting simply means spending unnecessary funds. Save money by making sure what you want is REALLY what you want before you approve it for printing.
8. Don’t wait until the last minute to order your booth or graphics! Yes, there are times a presence at a trade show can take you by surprise and overnight shipping or rush charges can’t be avoided. But advance planning can save time and money. If you wait until the last minute to order your trade show display, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Waiting to the last minute could rush the design process (you really don’t like the design but you have no choice at this point), you might have to pay a rush fee for getting your printing expedited (if printing can even be done in that limited amount of time), and the express shipping will be 4 times the amount that ground shipping would have been. Three months in advance of your show is not too soon to start the trade show booth selection process.
9. Make sure the trade show display you buy come in a transportable case with wheels and a handle for easy transportation. Transportable cases that can be managed and moved by a single person can save you money simply because you can roll it onto the trade show floor yourself, eliminating union labor costs. Trade show venues often require union assistance to move displays and product in and out of the venue or required union assistance if assembly of your booth takes over one hour. Pop up trade show booths in wheeled cases can eliminate that expense.
10. Most of all, choose an exhibit producer that will get you a trade show display that is under your budget but beyond your expectations. Choose a company like Trade Show Emporium that will invest the time consulting with you BEFORE you make a purchase to discover what is best for your company and budget. Trade Show Emporium will share its years of trade show intelligence with you to arrive at a booth that suits your needs perfectly.

Q. Trade shows provide the best face-to-face marketing conceivable to attract potential clients to your business. But I don’t think just showing up at the trade show is enough. What can I do to improve my presence at my upcoming trade show?

A. If you are aware of the top five trends in trade shows, it will help you improve the odds that you’ll feel like attending the show was worthwhile.

Shows and then more shows

Globalization has opened the doors to new and expanded shows around the world. The greatest increases are in China, India and other parts of the Asian marketplace.

Trade Shows are not the only type of events anymore

Trade shows face competition from an increasing number of corporate and association events, including golf outings, fund-raisers, networking opportunities, incentive trips, and consumer-driven marketing activities.

Trade Show Organizers are changing focus

From major owners to small shows, show management firms are selling to larger firms or specialist organizers. When owners and organizers realize they can’t keep up with new technology, rapidly growing markets, or shifts in association demographics or industry economics, they increasingly use outside experts to handle all or part of the trade show job.

More options for what type of show to attend

Companies may opt to decrease space at big shows and spread the dollars among smaller regional or local shows, utilizing dealer, agent and representative networks to spread the word about the company

Technology and Marketing at your trade show

Thanks to technology, there are more outlets for marketing – e-mail, blogs, iPods and RFID follow-through – plus retro (but much appreciated) hand-written invitations. Smart exhibitors know trade show trends, their markets and how to reach them.

Attending a trade show is a big investment. Choosing the show, purchasing a trade show display, and planning the logistics of getting both your staff and your trade show display to the convention are leading concerns of most exhibitors.

Smaller considerations boil down to pre-show preparation, and believe it or not, these smaller activities are ones that really make attending trade shows worth the expense.

Invitations: Create a good looking invitation to send out to attendees and potential new clients alerting them that you will be in attendance. Remember, some of your fellow attendees can be converted to customers too, so don’t limit your thinking to those who will be walking through the trade show aisles. Send invitations to your current clients advising them you will be attending the show as a vendor. Let them know they will be V.I.P. at your booth and include some kind of incentive reward to them for stopping by your booth. For example a you can say, “Bring this invitation for a chance to win….or bring this invitation for a free gift.” Using incentives and also friendly reminders, an email a few days before the show or a phone call, will greatly increase your chances of people making a point to stop at your booth. Track who comes to your booth and follow up with a thank you note. You’ll see results in your improved numbers.

Public Relations: If the show venue offers it, get in contact with the show promoter and see if you can feature your company and booth number in show guide or other show print materials. You can also see if you can advertise on that particular trade show website. Some shows will have a special press hour where only press are let into the show. If this is the case prepare a media kit with extra information on your company; graphs, charts, DVD’s, awards, and other information that will help the media understand who you are. This improves your chances of getting into the news later!

Training your staff to manage a trade show is one of the most important pre-show activities. Make sure to send your employees that get along with everyone, are personable, know their product, and conduct themselves in a respectable and professional manner. These people may not know the product as well as the engineers but this person will be able to draw people into your booth, engage them in conversation, inform them with qualified information, and sell your product or service with their charm. Make sure that you are dressed in a professional manner and never wear too much perfume or cologne as you never know who might offend. Also instruct your staff to stand up during the trade show, leaving the seating for passers by. And remind your staff to keep the personal conversations for later, after the show, and instead smile and make eye contact with passers by to let them know you welcome their questions about your product.

Put these smaller pre-show activities into motion and you net greater return on your trade show investment.

Convention center trade shows are managed and controlled by a designated convention production company – one that imposes restrictions that all participants must adhere to. It’s customary to see variations between the regulations show to show, but usually there is a basis that is common to all shows – especially those requiring union tradesmen to help set up and tear down the show.

Knowing what will be expected in advance of the show is helpful. It’s a lot like knowing the driving laws before you get behind the wheel. Ignorance on the streets will net you a traffic violation; ignorance at a trade show will likely cost you money.

Expect that union laborers will be required to help set up your trade show booth. If your display is under 100 pounds, you can usually transport it yourself onto the convention center floor. Over that weight, the convention management company will likely require you to use their union laborers to transport, set up and tear down your display. The cost of these services are usually based on the size, weight, and amount of man power/time it takes. It’s called drayage and it can be expensive.

Another word to the wise: many convention management groups will limit trade show participants to one single trip into the convention center. If you can transport your booth in one trip, you may not be required to employ union help to transport your display onto the floor. One convention attendee tells the story that after she rolled her 95-pound display (in a wheeled case) onto the convention center floor and set up her display, she and her sales reps were thirsty and hungry. The convention center food services division was not yet open, so the business owner left the convention center, drove to a nearby market and bought sandwiches and canned sodas for her team. Upon her return to the convention center, the management company and union reps weren’t going to let her walk her own fast food into the center because they were counting her second entrance as two trips.

Believe it or not.

As the story goes, she pitched a fit and complained legitimately that there was no other resource for food or beverage available. Finally the union workers relented and let her back onto the floor with the turkey sandwiches and sodas she’d brought back to her staff.

It could have been an expensive lunch if the union had not finally given in and let her carry a second “load,” as they called it, onto the floor.

The beauty of portable displays is that they can be designed to have huge visual impact and as well fit into one shipping container. Portable displays, the type sold by Trade Show Emporium, fill this bill.

Trade Show Emporium has a full line of portable displays ranging from 6’ table-top displays to 20’ pop-up displays, Burst Mural Displays, Topper Table Top Displays, Alumalite Displays, Fabric Panel Displays and Banner Stands. Because of our compact packaging and portability, all of our products can be set up with no union help or elevated drayage costs.

If you are looking to create a one-of-a-kind display, then designing a custom modular display is the right choice. If you are looking for a display that will still set you apart from the crowd but save you time and money, then portable trade show displays is the direction to go.

To find out what type of display will best suit your needs, please contact one of Trade Show Emporium’s sales consultants and they will gladly walk you through the selection process to identify the best display booth suited to your specific purposes. Please contact sales@tradeshowemporium.com or 866.764.2968.

Apple does a great job at branding their products and making sure their trademarked “Apple” logo is seared into everyone’s brains. Like Levi’s jeans, Bell Telephone and Nike, Apple’s logo has a powerful message and it is the only thing the company needs to put on the front of their stores because everyone knows exactly who they are.

When you prepare to attend a trade show you should be thinking “Apple.” Try to design your trade show booth so your graphics literally stop people in their tracks. The dictionary’s definition of showstopper: A performance or performer that evokes so much applause from the audience that the show is temporarily interrupted. If you can design your trade show display so people will see it from afar, down the aisle or across the convention hall, and it lures them in and they stop in their tracks when they see your booth up close—then, and only then, do you have a showstopper that will generate more leads then you possibly can process.

The secret is having your trade show display be simple, yet eye catching so people will step into the area around your booth and then into the footprint of your booth. A powerful logo combined with a compelling 7-word tag line is much more effective than a display with paragraphs describing every part of your company and every service you offer. If your design includes too many words, no one will read it. Seriously less is more in this case. Nobody will take the time to stand still and read more than one sentence. Your objective is to get them to pause just long enough at your booth to be intrigued by your service or product and to give you and your reps time enough to engage the passerby in conversation. Once you have them in your booth and are talking to them about your product or service, that is the moment to give them a catalog or pamphlet describing in more detail the products or services that you offer.

Designing eye-catching graphics underscored by great tag lines is only part of the secret to achieving the showstopper status. If you want a showstopper at your next trade show, try using types of displays that will distinguish you from the crowd. Trade Show Emporium carries Alumalite Displays, Topper Displays, Burst Mural Displays. And we at Trade Show Emporium can design you a custom modular display that will be totally unique, setting your company apart even more. Custom modular trade show exhibits are on the expensive side when contrasted with budget trade show booths, but they also have the greatest power of all booths to be a showstopper.

Let Trade Show Emporium design you a trade show exhibit that will be the showstopper of your next trade show. Contact us at sales@tradeshowemporium.com or call 866-764-2968.

Located in booming Lodo in Denver, Colorado, Trade Show Emporium was established to provide consulting to individuals and companies in the process of designing and purchasing trade show exhibits and accessories. Trade Show Emporium was formed by Willis A. Wood, Jr. He began his career in trade show industry sales working for one of the leading trade show distributors and then moved up to one of the largest trade show exhibit manufacturers in the United States. Wood managed a sales division and learned everything there is to know about the manufacturing side of trade show exhibits. He is not only trained in the components and materials that are best to create the ideal trade show exhibit, but he has extensive sales and customer service experience and enjoys working with all industries and companies.

“After working for these leading display companies, I felt like there was something missing,” says Wood of his experience prior to founding Trade Show Emporium. “In many cases, customers were not guided toward making selections and purchases that were best for their company, and I saw far too much inefficient spending on solutions. I believe that if I provide a customer with the best solution for their unique situation and do so in a way to maximize their investment, they will become a repeat customer. Trade Show Emporium desires to become a partner to the companies and industries it services for all of their trade show needs. Our goal is to make your show a success,” notes Wood.
The basis of founding Trade Show Emporium became for Wood providing consultation and advice to buyers. Wood’s singular goal was and is achieving the appropriate trade show display to meet and exceed the needs of the buyer for his/her specific trade show experience.

“After working in the industry for many years, I noticed that there were numerous trade show companies that are indistinguishable from each other in that all they are is a reseller of trade show products. They will sell any product in their catalog without regard for the needs of the specific client. At Trade Show Emporium, we want to make sure our client’s show is successful as a result of the solution we provide. We recognize that a trade show purchase is an investment and we want that to be the most significant investment done in the most appropriately manner possible to achieve the results they desire from the show they attend,” Wood stresses.

“I want to take clients’ unique requirements and advise them based on my tenure in this industry and their unique goals. I want to achieve a solution that falls under my client’s budget and yet exceeds my client’s expectations. I wanted to bring freshness to the industry. After being responsible for numerous large trade show exhibit sales, all I could consider was starting my own company so that I could really look out for my customers and make sure they understood every step of the trade show process,” Wood says.

Denver, Colorado is newly one of the hottest locales in the convention world. The fact that the Democratic National Convention has selected Denver as its 2008 site says a lot about the Mile High City’s ability to match purpose with achievement. The Lower Downtown area (called LoDo) is experiencing a sort of gentrification process that makes it lately one of the trendiest place to work (and live) in this city of nearly 2 million residents. Denver just recently added a brand new convention center that rivals the largest in the country. The convention center is booking types of conventions that once were never even on this city’s radar. Trade Show Emporium is located exactly 1 mile—only 12 short blocks—from the new Colorado Convention Center.

The new Colorado Convention Center was built to adapt to use and purpose, suitable for any size convention or meeting. The exhibit level offers 584,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space that can be divided into six individual halls varying in size from 90,000 to 106,000 square feet. There are 63 meeting rooms, totaling 100,000 square feet, all on one level. A total of 85,000 square feet of hotel quality ballroom space is also available. A 35,000 square feet ballroom that is divisible in half or thirds, and a 50,000 square feet ballroom that is divisible into eighteen individual meeting rooms or literally hundreds of possible configurations. Another feature is the Wells Fargo Theater, a 5000 seat theater that can be used as a lecture hall for trade shows or for family and comedy shows. The new convention center also has a new Light Rail Train Station located under the attached 1,000 space parking garage. The new light rail goes all over downtown and is a great way to get back to the hotel after the show. The Colorado Convention Center is located within easy walking distance of 6,400 hotel rooms. It is also within safe walking distance of 300 restaurants, nine theatres of the Denver Performing Arts Complex and a wide variety of shopping opportunities.

Wood adds, “I am thrilled to locate my business in Denver at the epicenter of convention activity. I am a member of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and look forward to working with fellow members on all the upcoming shows coming to Denver.”
Please visit our website: www.tradeshowemporium.com for information about Trade Show Emporium. Speak directly with the owner of Trade Show Emporium at: willis@tradeshowemporium.com or call 866-764-2968

When you are registering for your next trade show event play close attention to where you booth will be located on the convention floor. Here are a few places to avoid:

• Restrooms – Even though people have to pass by you to get to the restroom they are usually concentrated on the task on hand not on your trade show display.
• Near a stage or speaker – If your trade show booth is near a stage or speaker it can distract your prospects and they will turn their back on your booth to see what is on stage.
• Corners or the end of aisle. Avoid areas that people avoid like the corners of the convention center or the end of an aisle.
• Storage areas or loading docks – Try not to be near any storage areas or loading docks as these areas tend to be dirty, loud, and distracting.
• Poles, power supplies – If you can locate where any ugly or obtrusive items are on the convention floor it can save you from having your booth next to a buzzing power supply or a big pole that blocks your backlit header.

If all else fails and you end up with a less than desirable location, don’t fret. Put together a pre-trade show plan that you can plan ideas how to go beyond what your neighbors will do to make sure you can get a steady stream of traffic to your trade show booth.