Exhibition Essentials – Why Exhibition Planning Is Worth the Time

Picture the scene – you have committed your budget and resources to a trade show or exhibition, making it the central lynchpin of this year’s marketing efforts. You have a new product to launch and a strategy in place that you have calculated should propel your brand forward. You pitch up at the exhibition only to find important items have been forgotten.

Worst still, you can’t use some of your equipment because it doesn’t conform to standards.

It’s a nightmare…

Avoiding exhibition nightmares

At Envisage, we work at exhibitions, conference, trade shows and expos across the UK, familiar with all major venues and event organisation companies. Likewise, we also have a wide knowledge of shows on the continent and beyond.

And there is one thing we know: EVERY exhibition is organised differently. What one event venue allows is a no-no at the other. Events may be similar but if they are organised by different companies, the rule book for exhibitors will be different.

What one event organiser supplies as part of hiring a trade show booth, another will not. So whilst you had a booth with lighting at one show, you may not have at the next show you attend.

Getting Organised Tips

Planning your trade show attendance is essential. But organising your thoughts into actions can is hard. With so much to think about, just where do you start?

It’s important to check when you book a trade show or exhibition…

• What you are paying for – when you hire a trade show booth, the event organiser should make it clear what this cost includes and what it doesn’t. If you are unsure, ask. At some exhibitions, the cost of hiring a booth will literally be the cost of hiring a small amount of space (check the dimensions!) and nothing more. You will need to furnish and dress it at additional cost to you.
• The rule book – many venues and organisers will have ‘rules’ about what can and cannot be included as part of a booth set up. Some organisers will allocate one or two electrical socket points per booth (more if it’s bigger) but anything electrical will need to have a current PAT test sticker on it. Some venues/organisers insist that their own electrical equipment is used and for health and safety reasons, a kettle behind the scenes for much-needed coffee are not allowed! Always ask because you really need electricity in a booth or on an exhibition stand.
• Furnishing – in most cases, booths don’t come with comfortable seating options and you are expected to bring and use your own. But again, some organisers will insist you hire, at extra cost, furniture from them.
• Things you never thought you would need – thinking of your exhibition booth or stand as an office for a day or two can help in refining your thinking. For example, as well as a chair or two for you to rest your weary legs, what about other accouterments such as tissues to pens, to wet wipes to bottled water…?

The Envisage Exhibition Checklist

And then you have transport all these things… set it up… there is so much to think about but at Envisage, we want every client to get the most from every trade show or exhibition they attend.

Download our free, PDF checklist, a simple yet effective planning tool guaranteed to make planning making your next trade show much easier. Click here to download.