How Much Does a Trade Show Booth Cost?

So you’ve already determined you need to attend several upcoming tradeshows because you know its the venue for sharing your product to hundreds of potential customer, you plan on checking industry trends, and you know you’ll get to strengthen the bonds of certain business relationships. These are all valid arguments for exhibiting at an upcoming show, however, you have a specified amount set aside in the budget for your expected ROI.

So, how much does a trade show booth alone really cost? Costs will vary significantly depending on the overall  size, and the vision you have for the caliber of client and visibility you’ll want.  Take, for instance, upscale homeowners may like to install  a commercial grade gas range, such as the Vulcan. These ranges might cost three times the price of an ordinary range, plus the added expense of required upgraded electrical service (for 220 volts). Plus this bad boy range will  put out more than twice the normal thermal units. This likely means you’ll  need an industrial capacity range hood to draw out the excess heat in the summer. My bad for using an expensive item to compare with a trade show booth, but you get my drift. The purchase of a trade show booth varies depending on the make, the model,  and whatever  bells and whistles you’ll need to represent your company and its product well.

Consider the use and longevity of your investment. What kind of shelf life are you expecting? Is it wise to spend your budgeted investment on the cheapest tool on the market? If you are thinking like this, then perhaps you should consider a booth rental until the budget has grown.

Realize that you’ll plan on at least re-using your the booth hardware you purchased for at least a three to seven years, depending on how much traffic its had. You’ll want to pick out a booth that meets the needs of your company. How involved will you be in the set up and take down? Will you be hiring someone to do this or will you yourself be the one performing this task. If so, you’ll want to know how difficult or easy this will be.What about the maintenance on booth hardware? You’ll want booth hardware that is made with good standards and is reputable. It will need to stand up to the travel abuse it will take. You’ll want a reputable distributor of that hardware selling it to you, so that when you do have a problem; they can resolve it for you or at least get the replacement part you might need.

Sadly, some folks focus on finding the “cheapest” supplier. Although the short run might be gratifying that you saved a few bucks, but in the long run you may experience regret when you realize you sacrificed a bargain for a product that is substandard in durability, overall quality, ease of maintenance and finding replacement parts, and perhaps even the overall look of the frame itself.

What kind of display are you looking for?

• Large or Small
• Kit or Custom

What type of display?

• Portable, Modular, combo custom modular, or custom design
• Portable: laminated graphics or tension graphics

Features affecting your trade show booth:

• Photography and design of the graphic
• Graphic design to combine images and type
• File preparation for any supplied file (checking file types, resolution, crop marks)
• Lighting
• Suspended signs & booth headers
• Literature racks & iPad stands
• Imprinted table throws
• Lightboxes for backlit graphics
• Counter tops & counter cases
• Monitor mounts
• Booth furniture such as stools & chairs
• Cases & crate

Do not forget to consider there are other associated expenses beyond the booth fixture itself. They are: the cost of the booth space, drayage, material handling, electric, lead retrieval machine of some form, shipping, carpet, chair rentals, tchotchke giveaways, flight, hotel, meals & entertainment.

Some of the features discussed above may leave opportunities for price negotiation as well as early bird specials. When it comes to planning for a show, the more lead time you allow, such as six months to a year prior; the greater the opportunity for price reductions and discounts. But that’s a whole other blog.

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