Creating an accurate trade show budget that allows you to achieve forecasted ROI takes a bit of practice and experience. It's easy to overlook small expenditures that can quickly erode your budget forecast. In addition, unexpected costs often surface on-site due to shipping damages or a forgotten item (our Checklist for a Successful Trade Show is a helpful reminder resource). This is part of the trade show package. You have to anticipate it. Further complicating the process is the time-consuming and number-crunching that is predicting lead levels and conversions via historical data. Very tricky.

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.

Trade shows are one of the biggest annual marketing expenses a company incurs. Not only are trade shows one of the best ways to gain brand exposure, they're also great opportunities to develop new business relationships and land new clients. It's no wonder companies from around the world devote a large portion of their marketing budgets to designing head-turning booths and securing prime real estate at their industry's hottest trade shows.

Few investments a marketer makes are more difficult to pin down and predict than trade shows. However, trade shows are a critical part of the marketing mix for most companies. Setting goals, calculating ROI and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are extremely important for effective marketing program management.  

Just some of the challenges a marketer faces in calculating and predicting trade show ROI include:

The competition is heavy at a trade show, so it's easy to get lost in the crowd.

If you want to get noticed, you'll have to do a little more than simply show up and set up shop. Gone are the days when "booth babes" were all the rage. Companies are now required to put in the time and energy into figuring out how to organically attract more visitors to their booths.

Oh the humanity!

To save you the time and energy, we've compiled a list of 7 tactics to help you get more trade show foot traffic to your booth.

Trade shows are prime opportunities to nurture existing business relationships and form new ones. It’s not often that the industry's finest are all gathered together in one place at the same time.

We've got a story to share with you about two exhibitors and their successful trade show booths.

Let’s start our story in October 2015, in Austin, Texas at the Realty Round Up hosted by the Austin Board of REALTORS. Approximately 200 exhibitors serving the Central Texas Real Estate market exhibited and more than 2,000 real estate professionals attended.

2016 is under way and you may be asking yourself, like most marketers are: "Where do trade shows, conferences and other in-person events fit within my marketing mix?" This post uncovers trade show trends and looks at factors that will impact the trade show and events industry. Be prepared to forecast your trade show ROI in 2016. 

The whole objective for exhibiting at a trade show is to attract new opportunities that will prove promising for your brand.

In order to do that, you must create a presence at the show that is eye-catching and worthwhile. While the concept of "go big, or go home" applies somewhat to trade show booth designs, there's a bit more method to the madness than throwing a bunch of money to have the most outrageous booth.

Remember, you want your trade show display design to be eye-catching, not an eyesore.

Here are some helpful tips on how to create head-turning trade show layouts so that your brand doesn't get lost in the crowd.

If your company is taking the time, money and energy to invest in exhibiting at a trade show, then you're going to want to make sure that you're getting your money's worth.