Trade Show Display Planning: Should You Use Rental Services?
Trade Conference producers want the highest return on their investment (just as you do!), so they offer various services for their exhibitors. The decision to utilize these services is completely dependent on your particular display stand, your trade show display needs, and, of course, your budget.
Key services include display stand rental and carpet rental. Producers also offer trade show display install & dismantle services. Most also offer miscellaneous support, including food & drinks, professional photographers, audio/visual services, etc.
If you intend to showcase your booth in future publications or on your organization’s website, you may want to consider taking advantage of the photography offered at the event (most managers do not allow visitors to take pictures during the show). Professional photographs of your display stand at its best can be used in company reports as well as to help you keep track of what your display stand looked like from year to year. If you use your booth multiple times, you can publish the photo in future trade convention guides so that attendees know what to look for when they arrive. Having the photo published on your organization’s website can also help prospects find you at a convention.
Are you going to have to leave high-dollar items in your exhibit overnight? If so, you might want to consider renting additional security for your booth. Most trade shows do provide some security overnight. However, if you have to leave valuable equipment in your booth, you may want to secure it with a locked cage or a safe.
Are you still only dipping your toes into the trade convention waters? Are you double-booked for two different trade shows but own only one quality display stand? These might be reasons that you would consider renting the entire trade show display. There are many shows that will rent their exhibitors an entire display stand, from signage to furniture. Taking advantage of this service can make good sense for a company who wants to “try out” trade show exhibiting before investing in a display. It can also make it possible for a company to exhibit at two shows simultaneously without incurring the larger expense of buying two separate quality trade show displays. Finally, as a fall-back plan, if you arrive at a show and find that your own display stand has been destroyed (or lost) in shipping, renting an exhibition stand may help you save your investment.
Before you actually order any services or additional equipment, you need to familiarize yourself with the booth package you’ve purchased from the show. Each package comes with a certain number of services included. You don’t want to order a service for an additional fee that’s already included in the package that you’ve purchased.
Once you’ve had a chance to investigate all of the services available for rent at the trade show, you have to sit down and actually place your orders. Some trade shows make this ordering possible directly online at the trade show’s website. Some, however, still use traditional paper order forms. If you’re ordering services or renting equipment from vendors designated by the show’s producers that are being handled separately from the rest of the show’s fees, you’ll have to complete separate forms for each of these vendors and follow the instructions they provided in the exhibitor’s kit regarding the placement of orders. You can also shop for these services – outside vendors typically charge significantly lower rental fees, but the lower cost may be offset by shipping costs or other considerations.
When it comes to ordering services and equipment, the two main considerations are time and money. When you began exploring the idea of exhibiting at a trade show, you developed a budget. That will likely be your biggest guide when it comes to ordering or declining services. However, your time is valuable too, so if ordering a service frees up your time or the time of your booth staffers for more important work, it might be worth purchasing that service. In addition, renting equipment from the show ensures that it won’t be damaged or lost in transit and that trouble-shooting any problems that may arise with it will be easy.
Each service that a trade show makes available to its exhibitors is another way for the show’s producers to increase their ROI. However, if you choose these services wisely, they can also help you increase yours – everything you order for your trade show booth should be ordered with the goal to maximize your results and ensure that you make the most of your trade show investment.
For more, check out stand design planning or our article on trade show planning for newbies.