Most of our clients are new to trade shows and events. Below are 10 tips for trade show success – Go make your next trade show more efficient and cost effective!

1. Rent Carpet and Pad: This eliminates the need to purchase, store, clean, repair and transport it to a show. This way you can also change carpet colors as needed.

2. Use LED Lighting: LED Lighting is cool and is accepted in all convention centers. The old style halogen stem lights are not legal for use in some Las Vegas and other venues due to the heat they generate.

3. Don’t invest in a lot of printed literature. Most trade show attendees don’t want to carry anything around and it is easier to use your company’s website to showcase your products. In addition, you will not have to hassle with shipping and paying material handling on boxes of trade show literature.

4. Order all your show services in advance to get the best pricing possible. This includes show services such as material handling, electrical, rigging, floral, catering, booth cleaning, furniture, wastebaskets, etc…

5. Make sure you have your insurance submitted well in advance of the show. Most shows require exhibitors to have insurance. Check with your association for the proper procedure for your trade show.

6. Always pay for show services with a credit card. This way you have protection from your card issuer. It’s much easier and faster to get a refund too if you happen to overpay.

7. Ship your exhibit to advanced receiving warehouse if possible. This ensures that the exhibit will be in your booth space on the first day of setup. This also eliminates delays with direct freight coming in.

8. When scheduling installation and dismantle labor. Always, use the 4 hour rule of thumb. If your booth moves in at 8AM on a certain day then schedule the start time for 1Pm that day. This will allow you to make sure your electrical and carpet are installed prior to the I&D team starting. No wasted hours waiting on other contractors.

9. When running electrical always use “home runs” which means one line to each point from a centralized accessible location in the booth space. This way if you have an electrical problem, it can be easily diagnosed and usually fixed at the power source.

10. If using a hanging sign. Be sure to send the sign to advanced receiving so that it can be installed as early as possible. Make sure you have a simple drawing show it’s location and the height it is to be installed from the floor to the top of the sign. It’s also a good idea to include a structural integrity statement from the manufacturer so there is no delays in installation.

Hopefully, these tips will help your company. Keep us in mind if you need anything trade show related.

In addition, if you don’t see what you need – just call us – we can probably get exactly what you need at less cost than what you would pay with a conventional exhibit house.