Marshall Yard:

I’ve recently begun work with a trade show coordinator who has a very astute perspective with regards to the design of his company’s trade show booth. It was with very little surprise that he revealed to us (during the design input meeting) that he’s been designing trade show exhibits for much of his career. Only recently had he begun coordinating exhibits for his company.

As a designer, he understands how the trade show exhibit space functions - the balance between aesthetics, function, and marketing message. He advises his team on how to value the various designs that exhibit houses have created for an upcoming show. In this case, it’s for the Worldwide Food Expo, held in October at McCormick Place. The WWFE is largely an equipment and product show for restaurateurs of various stripes. The demands placed on exhibits are similar to other shows where product and equipment demonstration rules, and visibility, marketing message, and architecture must all revolve around the placement of a large machine, or a number of smaller products. In order to get attendees to see your widget, you need to separate yourself from the crowded “skyline” of hanging signs, towers, and video monitors. Something exceptionally pleasing needs to draw the eye of those passing through, and this coordinator understands that. (more…)

I have a checklist that I go through before I’ll ever bring an exhibitor into a dialogue with one of our trade show exhibit designers. The checklist isn’t without exceptions - sometimes special situations merit special treatment of prospective clients - but the checklist is not intended to preserve the schedules of our designers, but to improve the effectiveness of the booths they create. One of the most important questions I ask is where the booth is located on the tradeshow hall floor.

Booth orientation has serious implications for the success of your trade show. Factors to consider include  the location of entrances, internet stations, concessions, main aisles, competitors, partners, large exhibitors, and pop-up/portable “mazes.” Ceilings heights, the character of a particular hall’s “scale” of exhibits, and the presence of any natural light (versus harsh show-hall lights). All of these factors play a distinct role in how your exhibit should be designed. Is your designer weighting these issues, or are they merely interested in how many widgets they need to fit into your space, versus how many you can afford? If the focus is on the widgets, do you think you exhibit will be a success? (more…)

Sorry for the awkward humor, but I’m heading to the second game of the White Sox’ double header today (weather permitting). The main pitch [sorry] of today’s trade show blog post hits at the three distinct business models present in our industry. First, there are design agencies, who design home run exhibits, and must broker out the manufacturing of the exhibit to various other vendors. Next, there are exhibit companies, who also create championship booth designs, but who possess the internal capabilities to create the displays that have been rendered for clients. Lastly, there are companies who are neither of the above: They contract with design firms - who then design exhibits for the exhibit company’s clientelle, later to be built by the exhibit firm. What are the advantages or disadvantages of these three business models?

Let’s consider the cost of designing: The agency will likely bill the exhibitor for design time. The exhibit company with in-house designers will [sometimes] consider design part of the exhibit overhead. Buried in the price of your exhibit is the time spent on your custom design, but based on a very rough estimate of how many hours any project of a certain scope would take to create. Other companies with in-house capabilities will still charge hourly for design time, so this second group is actually varied with how they handle design time. The third group - who contract their designs through a third party vendor - is similarly varied. Some may handle the design cost in the price of the exhibit - likely marked up to account for the risk therein. Others may charge up-front for design. When it comes to how designing is charged to exhibitors, it would be a smart idea to get clarification of this detail up front (like on the FIRST conversation with an exhibitor). In some occasions I would even try to get this information in writing. With a sour trade show economy, there are floundering firms whose behavior leaves something to be desired. What do you think the best business model is for your needs? Up front design charges, overhead treatment of designing, or direct billing, after the fact? More importantly, how do these business models affect execution or implementation of your exhibit design to a working, walking, talking exhibit booth? (more…)

TGIF … With NPE approaching, a mammoth trade show that occurs at McCormick Place in Chicago once every three years, things got a bit hectic this past week at our facility. Thankfully, we have a great group of exhibitors going to the show, who understand our process, and how critical deadlines are to the effort. It makes for a well orchestrated build-up, and not a chaotic one!

I had a pleasant conversation with a prospective client who is considering our 20×20 standard rental exhibit, which is renting for $10,000. After going through most of the details of what the rental includes he asked a very pointed question:

Tim: Ok, I know from experience that sometimes I’ll see a rendering, and it looks really bold and slick, and then the thing gets to the show, and the booth is just - the beams look like 6×6 inch on the renderings, and you get to the expo and they’re 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 - and it looks flimsy and just awful. What are these made out of? How big are they? (more…)