In-Depth Guide to Trade Show Event Budgeting

Proactive planning and resource allocation will underpin your business’s success with trade show displays at upcoming events.

Best Displays can help guide the budgeting process.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at the key elements to consider when budgeting for your next trade show event.

Trade show exhibit

Carefully review the total cost for your trade show exhibit. This cost should include the time it takes to design the exhibit and the work involved in building it. Elements that could add to the cost of the display include the complexity of your display. For example, integrating digital screens and social media within your display will add to the cost.

You may also be forced to pay more for rapid delivery, so make sure you leave plenty of time for the design and production work to help reduce the overall cost.

Venue space

Before attending the event, you have to book the space at the venue. Ensure that you review the options before choosing the right space for your business. When booking the space, consider the value provided. Are there easy connections for your electronic displays? Will you have wireless access at the venue? How easy will it be to get the display in and out of the venue? Addressing each of these questions before booking can help you save money on additional show services.

Shipping, installation, and dismantling

The cost to ship your trade show display can rise significantly if you don’t plan ahead. Ensure that you have a shipping provider set up. Speak with your provider about the timeline for the shipping process and ensure it matches your team’s requirements.

Installation is another important process to consider. If you don’t have professional installation and dismantling services at the event, your team won’t have time for promotional activities.

Best Displays can help you ensure that each of your display elements is set up and ready to go on event day. We’ll build the display at the venue and connect all digital screens. We’ll make sure the stage is set for your marketing team. After the event, we’ll help you dismantle the display, reducing the cost of the work.

Staff training

The staff you select for your event will be responsible for its success. Allocate significant resources to the training process so that your team knows their role on the event day. To improve the value of staff training, ensure you select team members with previous event experience. Those with a strong sales record will also have the ideal foundation for event promotions.

Event marketing

Before the event, ensure you use low-cost, high-value promotional tools such as social media to promote your company’s presence at the venue.

The best way to maximize each dollar of your event marketing budget is to track your costs daily and then manage funds based on the level of engagement within your campaigns. Make sure you also capitalize on post-event marketing processes.

By building a lead-generation strategy in advance, you’ll ensure your marketing team optimizes their content both before and after the event. This strategy should include a process for building audience numbers at the event and qualifying leads during the event. Afterward, you can then retarget qualified leads with precise content designed specifically to build upon their relationship with your brand.

Through precise planning and comprehensive communication, you can maximize your resources and reduce your trade show event costs.

Looking for more information about trade show marketing? Reach out to our trade show display experts today.