March 14, 2009

Tradeshow Booth Function

Function (fungk’sh?n): the action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed.

a. Assigned duty or activity.

b. A specific occupation or role: in your function as race car driver.

Just because your tradeshow booth LOOKS good, ATTRACTS people and WOWS the judges at the show, doesn’t mean you had a successful show.

There are other elements, such as: did you bring home more leads than you anticipated? Are you following up on those leads? Did your staff learn something good and useful for next show?

And perhaps most importantly: did your booth FUNCTION as it should have?

To determine if your booth is designed with more than just pretty graphics and a ‘wow’ factor to draw in the rubes (er, uh, show attendees), your designer should ask a lot of pertinent questions about the function of your booth.

Some typical functions you might need:

* Product display
* Internet access
* To serve samples, such as food or drink
* Storage, refrigeration, extra electricity
* semi -private area to discuss business
* Show off your product via a plasma screen or laptop
* Interact with your product (such as software) so visitors can get the feel for it

Function is getting down to the bottom line. If you need to sit down with clients or prospects and go over a product line or discuss aspects of business, you’ll need a place to do that. That’ll likely mean a small table that 3 or 4 people can sit down and chat at least a few feet away from the main traffic of the show.

If your business needs to let prospective customers get their hands on a computer mouse and play with the software to see how it applies to their business, you’ll need to make sure there’s room (and power) for the computer.

Or perhaps your booth needs room for a demo that can accommodate a dozen or more people. That space and accommodations need to be worked into the design.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s still an important consideration. Many folks purchase a small booth display and go to great lengths and expense to make it look good. But if there’s a vital element missing that impairs your overall function, the time to discover that is not on the show floor!

Go over your show objectives as you sit down with your designer. If they’re sharp (as we hope all designers are, right?), they’ll make sure that your booth’s design incorporates all the essential functions that your booth will need to serve. And with such a collaborative effort between your tradeshow team and your booth design team you will ensure that all of the booth’s function needs have been met.

Tim Patterson is the VP of Sales and Marketing at Interpretive Exhibits in Salem, Oregon. Contact us at Interpretive Exhibits, Inc. if you would like to find out more details: info(at)interpexhibits.com or 503-371-9411.

Building a Custom Booth

Are you considering a custom tradeshow exhibit?

There are a number of reasons to strongly consider a custom tradeshow exhibit vs. a modular or manufactured exhibit.

First, a custom tradeshow exhibit means that your company will have a unique, one-of-a-kind presentation. No one else will look like you. You’ll stand out in a crowd!

Second, a custom booth can be designed and fabricated from the outset to accomodate a variety of needs and intended usages. For instance, if you have an exhibition schedule that demands you exhibit in a 10′ x 20′ space in one show, and a 20′ x 20′ space in another show, and a 10′ x 10′ space in yet another show, the components of the custom tradeshow exhibit can be easily designed to accomodate those needs.

Next, your design team is really starting with a blank slate. A good tradeshow designer will start by asking questions – a lot of questions! So many in fact, that you’ll probably wish they would stop! Actually, it’s all good – it means they care about creating the booth that you really want. One that works for your company from many angles: the ‘look and feel,’ the functionality and the branding.

Finally, a custom tradeshow exhibit will give you those intangibles: pride of ownership, unique corporate identity and a feeling that really can’t be beat!

What about pricing? Since your budget is perhaps the most critical issue with your new booth, let’s address it: in almost all cases, you can purchase an ‘off-the-shelf’ tradeshow booth that will cost less than a custom booth. But that doesn’t mean your custom tradeshow exhibit has to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, at Interpretive Exhibits, we pride ourselves on offering custom prices for tradeshow design and fabrication that is typically under the industry averages. We’re able to do that because the cost of living in Salem, Oregon is not as high as a major metropolitan metro area, which means our overhead is noticeably lower.

Are you ready for the next step? If you are seriously considering a custom tradeshow exhibit, give us a call at 503-371-9411 and talk to one of our designers or account representatives to find out how we may help you.

Briefly, the process would generally unfold like this:

Discussion of needs and priorities and your specific tradeshow objectives

Budgeting

Design and feedback

Design approval

Fabrication

Of course there are other considerations, such as graphic design and production, time schedule, shipping logistics, and more. But in a nutshell that’s the process.

Custom exhibit

Tradeshow Booth Function

Building a Custom Booth