The Biggest Problem With Trade Shows, And How You Can Fix It
If you are like many other business professionals, you head out to trade shows for one main purpose. You want to meet and greet new customers and forge new relationships. While your main goal may be to collect business cards or contact information from prospective clients, you ultimately want to boost profits from the time, effort and money you spend hosting a booth.
When you have a great booth design and a friendly presence at the show, you generally can expect at least a decent return on your investment. Nonetheless, some people absolutely dread hosting a booth at a trade show for one reason. That reason is that setting up and tearing down booths can be a major hassle.
The Burden of Hauling Heavy Equipment and Gear
Some professionals will host a tiny booth simply because they lack the desire or financial resources to set up a huge booth. Of course, small booths may easily be passed over by attendees, so this can work against you.
With a large booth, however, you typically need to fill the space with large gear and heavy equipment. You may need strong, sturdy braces and frames to hold your lights, displays and posters or banners. Many trade shows and exhibits are held in large convention centers in urban areas, and loading and unloading the equipment in a busy area with limited parking can be a drag. In some cases, you may be forced to haul your gear several city blocks or more before you reach the trade show site.
The Time and Effort to Set Up and Tear Down a Booth
Of course, once you get all your gear to your booth site, the real work begins. Your gear likely will be packed up in storage containers, bins and boxes. You will need to unload it, assemble it and make it look attractive.
This all needs to be accomplished in record-breaking time before the attendees begin to arrive. Setting up a booth can be stressful and exhausting, but so can tearing it down. After all, you often have a short period of time to break down your booth and pack your gear up.
This must be accomplished just after you spent long hours or days hosting your booth. You may already be exhausted, but the work continues.
Simplifying Your Efforts
There are clear and obvious reasons why trade shows can be beneficial to your company, but there are just as many reasons why many people simply dread having to attend them and host a booth. If you can relate to these common complaints about hosting a booth at trade shows, the problem may actually lie with your gear. Booth design is a prime concern when you host a booth. After all, you want your booth to get noticed by passersby.
Otherwise, there simply is no reason for you to waste your time standing at the booth at all. However, you do not need to have the heaviest gear or even the largest gear in order to get recognized. The fact is that simplifying your efforts and finding enjoyment in hosting a booth may be as easy as upgrading your equipment.
For example, rather than use heavy-duty steel frames, you may be able to find a more affordable and equally as durable material that is lightweight and that meets your needs.
You may not want to sacrifice the benefits associated with hosting a trade show booth, but that does not mean you have to make the process more exhausting than it needs to be. You can upgrade your equipment and gear today with some of the most innovative materials on the market. This simple step can make your next booth a true pleasure to host.
