Marshall Yard:

We, on occassion, are pitted against show contractors - National organizations hired by show management to service exhibitors on site. These organizations, however convenient, don’t often offer the same level of design or service as we do.

Don’t get me wrong; you can certainly get what you need from show contractors (and, as an added bonus, reduce or avoid some service costs like shipping and drayage) but if you’re interested in making an impact on the floor, keep your eyes open to differences such as:

Design Preparation: we’ll discuss your marketing objectives, functional requirements, logistical needs and aesthetic preferences before we create your design. The show contractor will likely have you submit an “I need” form and configure the environment based on that.

Onsite Service: The show contractor will inevitabely service 100+ exhibitors throughout the course of the show, which makes personalized service difficult. We typically service 3-5 exhibitors per show…and assign a dedicated Account Manager to each.

Logistics Management: You will work with the same account team no matter how, when or where you exhibit. The show contractor employs different people in each city. So you’ll most likely have to reiterate your concern to several people before it’s resolved.

I would like to engage anyone in conversation that has exhibited at trade shows in the past year or two.  I would like to know your disappointments with your custom exhibit, rental exhibit and anything that you found frustrating on the trade show floor.  Is there a certain element missing from your exhibiting experience? Was there something you needed while on the show floor that you couldn’t find? Was there a lack of traffic during any specific time period?

I would love to hear from you.