Tips on Planning a Trade Show Budget

How to Make a Trade Show Budget

Going to trade shows and conventions is a proven way to reach potential customers, clients and vendors, and they’ve consistently shown to have an excellent return on investment. To present yourself in the best light, though, can require a substantial investment — and if you’re new to the trade show circuit, you might not realize all the costs associated with attending.

What should you consider when planning a budget for a trade show? Let’s go over the most important considerations so you know what to expect.

Trade Show Exhibit

This is the most obvious cost for a trade show, but it’s still worth mentioning. Although most businesses have exhibits they can use at multiple shows, you may want to invest in special graphics for a certain show or add monitors and other accessories to increase visibility. The design may also need some tweaking if your selling point differs from previous shows.

Space Rental

The best trade show display is worthless without a place to display it. You will need to rent a booth at the venue, with costs depending on the square footage, the location and how popular the event is. A larger, well-placed booth can certainly give you more exposure, but it will be more expensive. Services such as WiFi, electrical outlets and water will likely cost extra, too, and these small expenses can add up fast if you’re not careful.

Logistics

Next, you need to budget for getting everything to the show. This includes shipping/transportation costs and insurance for your display and the staff attending. If you’re going to a show in another country, you will need to pay customs costs, and if you have a complex display, you may need to pay someone else to set it up.

Marketing Materials

Attendees can’t bring your display with them, which is why you need good promotional materials and swag to hand out. You will need to factor in the cost of good brochures and pamphlets to tell people about your company as well as logo gifts like keychains, bags and drinkware. If you want to take out an ad in the show’s official program or do a digital marketing campaign to let people know you’ll be there, this should be included in your budget as well. Don’t forget to invest in email marketing and social media campaigns to make sure your audience is well informed.

Show Staff

Finally, you need to take care of the team that will be working hard for you at the show. Along with their wages, this includes training, apparel, hotel rooms and food. You may want to include some money in the budget as well for “wining and dining” prospects or so staff can attend a fun event that helps them decompress after a long day.

Summary

There are a lot of costs associated with a trade show, but going the extra mile gets the maximum impact. By setting the budget appropriately, you will be prepared for a successful event. Monster Displays can answer budgeting questions as we assist with designing a gorgeous display kit.