Are you a first time exhibitor or event manager that is struggling with enhancing your next trade show? The first keys to success are often knowing the right questions to ask your trade show booth designer. Some of the most important questions involve cost, timeline, feasibility and design.
Cost
One of the quickest ways to burn your budget are hidden costs such as material handling. Knowing all these hidden costs will save you from headaches down the road. Rather than just focusing on pricing options, remember to ask:
- Do you consolidate shipments to reduce costs?
- Can you explain the handling rates?
- What are the setup fees?
- Do you provide booth staff, hosts/hostesses, presenters and brand ambassadors?
- Are there any items or services not included?
Timeline
Ensuring your event goes off without a hitch requires that your trade show booth designer follows a specific timeline. To avoid a fiasco, every element in the process needs to fall into place at the right time. Ask your designer:
- Do you provide on-site event management?
- Do you handle coordination with labor, electricians, the foreman, and unions?
- Can you work with the venue’s specific schedule and requirements?
- How will you provide the event schedule, and handle adjustments as needed?
- What are some timeline conflicts you’ve experienced, and how were they remedied?
Feasibility
Every trade show is its own unique event with individual project requirements, regulations and challenges. To ensure your convention day is hassle-free, have your trade show booth designer answer:
- Are you familiar with the specific venue in question and their tradeshow setup process?
- Have you worked with that particular trade show previously?
- Are you aware of the facility layout and what floor spots may be optimal for me?
- Do you know all relevant statutes and laws pertaining to the specific location?
- Are you able to work within the venues given timeline and can you budget accordingly with their union costs?
Design
To maximize your marketing impact you need your brand to speak throughout every exhibit detail, meaning that custom exhibit fabrication may be the only way to go. Having your branding presented in a seamless, logical way is easier when you ask your trade show booth designer several key questions:
- What is the overall design process you offer?
- How do you see integrating our brand and the essence of our product as a cohesive unit?
- Will our product impact the materials and components used?
- Will the booth location, traffic flow, spacing and size and venue be figured into the design plan?
- Can you provide a visual representation of your preliminary plan?
