Not so long ago, huge custom booths were the sign of corporate success. A 60 X 60 space complete with trendy furniture, a café and an entertainment act on the hour told everyone that your company was an important leader in the market - a force to be reckoned with. Although somewhere inside, many of us have a love for the dramatic, the need to demonstrate favorable ROI and to spread marketing budgets in many new directions has led some of the smartest companies to downsize booths at least at some shows.
Although trade show investments and corresponding ROI need to be calculated for each show you participate in, the following are five reasons to consider downsizing your next trade show booth.
Free Budget for Experimentation
Marketing budgets fund a wider range of marketing activities than ever before, including both online and offline efforts. In addition, many industries now have a greater number of smaller, niche trade show and conference events. Downsizing your booth at one show can free budget to experiment with new events. Or, downsizing your booth might allow you to launch the social media program that has been on hold awaiting funds.
Show Attendance Is Down
Shows across many industries now have significantly lower attendance. This does not mean the show is unimportant and that you should not participate. Rather, lower attendance may simply be a result of merger and acquisition activity resulting in fewer professionals within the market. Also, many organizations operate more leanly than before making it difficult for professionals and other senior executives to attend events. If you are likely to host fewer visitors at your booth, you can probably downsize.
Pre-Show Marketing
All too often, exhibitors scrape together every penny of budget to fund the biggest booth possible. With the entire event budget sunk into the cost of the booth itself, no funds remain for pre-show marketing. A study conducted by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research found that approximately 70% of show attendees create a list of companies to visit before arriving on the trade show floor. Additionally, their research found that the conversion of booth visitors to qualified leads increased 50% when a pre-show promotional program was implemented. Spending on the booth space and the booth itself should never be so great as to force you to eliminate pre-show marketing.
Host or Sponsor a Non-Booth Event
Your booth at the trade show is critically important, but there are a lot of opportunities outside of your booth. Maybe downsizing your booth creates budget to host a breakfast workshop, sponsor a cocktail party or treat a larger group of prospective customers to dinner at the local hot spot.
Conflicting Trade Shows
Unfortunately, sometimes you will face conflicting events requiring you to downsize your booth for at least one of the events. Or, maybe you will need to downsize your booth for both events to accommodate your budget.
The take away here is downsizing can be a strategic move that keeps you at the trade show and increases ROI. Display manufacturers know this. The array of smaller, versatile backdrops, counters, shelving and kiosks is growing by leaps and bounds. And remember, good things come in small packages. Don't be afraid to be the great small package on the trade show floor.
Are you thinking of downsizing your booth? Need help finding appropriate display options?Call us! Our experts would love to help you find the right fit for you. 888-777-0223 or visit our website: www.aceexhibits.com
About Ace Exhibits
Ace Exhibits is on a mission to become the #1 resource for portable trade show displays in the United States and Canada. Our products are made in the USA and meet the highest quality standards in the industry. Based in Los Angeles, CA, we source local materials to reduce our carbon footprint and keep our costs low thereby keeping our prices as competitive as possible.
In business for over ten years, we thrive on innovation and change. We're constantly developing new printing techniques and continually experimenting with design and materials to keep our displays practical, relevant and cutting-edge. We offer three-day order-to-floor shipping and all our products have a limited lifetime guarantee.
From simple stand alone displays to complex all-in-one packages with frame, graphic, lighting, and accessories. our team can help you design the perfect display for you. Call us at 888-777-0223 or use the Live Chat feature on our website to speak with one of our helpful customer service representatives.
