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Choosing the right trade show booth

Most people find floor displays the most effective, and they feel they get the most impact for the money.  When choosing between Pop Up Displays and Panel System Displays you should consider overall display weight, number of employees to setup and who is managing your tradeshows.  If you're 5'2" and 95 pounds you're much better off with a pop-up display than a panel system.  In the end though, you can always have the convention setup your display, no matter the size or complexity for a fee.

A Smash Hit sells trade show displays and accessories at reasonable prices. Another great source for trade show displays is eBay.

How to Select an Exhibit Designer/Producer

Types of Exhibit Designer/Producer Firms

Exhibit designer/producer firms provide a variety of products and services for the creation of three-dimensional communication devices...exhibits. There are numerous exhibit designer/producer firms varying in size and capabilities from small, single location companies with less than a dozen employees to large, multi-location firms with several hundred employees. Some firms offer very limited service while others offer a full range of trade show marketing functions. The balance of capabilities and services you choose depends on your company's needs and preferences.

The types of firms are:

• Total Trade Show Marketing Firm
• Full-Service Designer/Producer
• Exhibit Builder
• Systems Marketer
• Independent Design Firm
• Marketing Communications Agency
• Advertising Agency

Services

Proper selection of a designer/producer firm begins with a clear understanding of the services offered, and how those services match up with your program requirements. It is important to understand that not all firms offer a complete selection of the services, however, many firms have experience with procurement of these services within the trade show medium.

A few of the services offered:

• Budgeting
• Show Selection
• Space Selection
• Exhibit Design and Strategy
• Graphic Design and Production
• Exhibit Production
• Show Service Logistics
• Refurbishing
• Storage
• Sales Training
• Show Site Supervision
• Lead Management

When You Need an Exhibit Designer/Producer Firm

Whether your trade show program is small or very large, you may need an exhibit designer/producer. These firms have people on their staffs who are trained and experienced in specific segments of the overall process of exhibit design, fabrication, development and service.

If you are a company with a relatively small exhibit program, you may be able to purchase a portable exhibit and some signage and, more or less, "do it yourself." But even at this level, more and more companies are hiring designer/producer firms to provide the exhibit and develop the display and the graphics.

How to Start Looking for a Designer/Producer Firm

The decision-making process in selecting a designer/producer will vary depending upon the size and structure of the exhibiting organizations. The decision may be made by the owner, president, marketing specialists or a committee of them all.

Prior to the commencement of the selection process, it is important that everyone involved understands and agrees on the following:

• Trade show marketing objectives
• Point of contact or committee chairperson
• Selection criteria - review process
• Uniform interview process

After organizing your thoughts and procedures, the next step is selecting firms to interview.

There are several ways to locate these companies.

• Pull the "file"
• Consult your peers
• Observe others at shows
• Check publications
• Contact professional associations
• Attend trade show marketing trade shows

Use caution. A little caution at the beginning can save a lot of time throughout the process.

Initial Selection Factors

Begin with an initial list of three to five potential firms. More than five will generally overburden the process. Consider the following:

• Location
• General size and capability
• Financial stability
• Staff
• Pulse on the future

Initially, conduct a brief phone interview, ask specific questions and request specific followup.

Screening and Qualifying

Once you have determined your requirements for a designer/producer and compiled a preliminary list, your selection team should reduce the list to no more than three firms. Face-to-face interviews are suggested rather than conducting the process by mail or phone. Make a preliminary visit to the designer/producer's facility and tour the entire facility, including their offices, design area, fabrication facility, graphic area and warehouse. Contact some of the designer/producer's customers, discuss their programs and ask their opinions. After you have done these things, reduce your number of prospects if there are firms which are questionable.

Presentations

Now that you have conducted the interviews, visited the operations and checked references, the remaining firms should present their ideas to you. Before they can do this, you must present them with the necessary information to formulate their presentation.

Ask each designer/producer to respond with a proposal (not a design), explaining how they would develop your exhibit program. To help them do this, prepare a request for proposal (RFP) for the remaining designer/producers on your list. The RFP defines your overall project and outlines specific program objectives.

The response from the designer/producer should demonstrate how their ideas will meet the specific needs and goals outlined in your RFP. At this point, you are not looking for a design. Expect a verbal presentation with ideas outlined and written, but not drawn.

Select your designer/producer at this point and begin the design process from here. This eliminates the costly and often misleading speculative design process. Should you require designs from several candidates prior to final selection, offer to pay the firms for their design time. Speculative design results in higher costs. Recent industry surveys indicate that less than 50% of speculative designs are sold. The cost of a speculative presentation often exceeds the industry average of approximately $5,000. Speculative design costs are eventually absorbed by the client, increasing the cost of every exhibit panel, cabinet or graphic that is sold. (In reality, the free speculative design is not free at all.) Selecting your designer/producer at this point will provide many benefits.

Compensation for Services

Today, most designer/producer firms do much more for their clients than simply design and build exhibits. They provide a full array of services. Compensation for these products and services can take place in a variety of ways.

Know what your specific requirements are. Discuss compensation methods and preferences with your designer/producer during the early stages of design and development.

Check the companies fire safety specifications

Make sure that the company you chose to supply your trade show display uses:

Flame Retardant Characteristics
ASTM E84-91a "Tunnel Test": Complies with NFPA class A and UBC Class I,
UBC 8-2 (fully Lined protocol): Meets "acceptance criteria"

Allow set up time

Set up usually takes about 15-20 minutes but inevitably, something usually goes wrong. Leave yourself 3 hours before the tradeshow opens to fix your booth

The warranty  you can expect from your trade show display

Basically, you should be offered a lifetime warranty on the frames of Pop Up displays and a manufacturers defect on all other components.  Wear and tear from shipping, use at conventions and other misuse is not covered under most  warranties.

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