All companies – including ours – want to know what they get from their marketing efforts. Trade show marketing expenses are no different – companies want to know what they get for all the money spent. Frequently, we hear from customers who are skeptical that they get value. But most companies, if they track the right metrics, would realize trade shows can be very effective investments. Here are some pointers.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that trade shows are about sales at the show. Sure, it can happen. But think about the complexity of a sale from a buyer’s perspective – they need to identify the best set of product needs and match that with the available products and then determine the optimal timing. Even in a perfect world, that would rarely all come together in the course of a 3 day trade show. Look, if it does, run with it. But just because it doesn’t, don’t think trade shows aren’t for you.

Instead of sales, think about leads – and leads are just future sales. They represent potential future customers for your company’s products. Many businesses that focus solely on sales don’t spend enough time filling the lead funnel – and the lead funnel is the future of your business. That’s where trade shows have such benefit.
In a typical product evaluation your customers are usually remote – they’re looking on the web or they have your brochure. If they have information on your competitor’s products it’s also usually just collateral. The best thing about a trade show is that they are in person which is a benefit for them and for you. Being in person gives your customer a “ 3-dimensional” experience with your products. They can see a demo, pick it up, check it out. And being in person gives your company an opportunity to engage in their process of gaining knowledge – and you can build a relationship. And this is an active selling process – you have an opportunity to direct the discussion and evaluation.

The result is that your likelihood of closing can go up dramatically versus a passive process. The thing that muddies the issue is that your customer then leaves. Now what? You follow up post show. You get the additional information they asked about. You find out how their evaluation went and if they identified new criteria for their decision. And you get an update on timing and plan a follow up with them. And all of these steps improve your odds of closing.

It’s often hard to calculate the return on all of this – it’s a bit “squishy.” But the average company in a 100 square foot booth can get as many as 50-100 qualified leads in the trade show booth over a 3 day show. You’ll close some proportion of these leads (they came to see you, after all), but they are all potential future customers. The average 10 x 10 booth and expenses will cost $6,000-$8,000 so that works out to be as little as $80 per qualified lead. And even if you ignore the fact that the trade show environment is far superior to making progress than a 1:1 call, there’s no way your 1:1 sales calls cost as little as $80.

Trade shows are among the most effective types of marketing investments. The buyers are on the trade show floor, your company has 3-dimensional opportunity to promote and you get significant relationship building opportunities. The returns, in terms of lead acquisition, are generally much less than most other types of face to face marketing.

Impact Displays sells trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. The Company also offers trade show tips to improve your trade show success. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

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With summer nearly here we expect a lot of outdoor events over the next several months. These are great – you can promote your brand and your company while enjoying sunshine and (often) some type of event or fair. For all the potential that outdoor events offer, we often see exhibitors that use a generic white tent or a solid drape backdrop. There are easy ways to make your outdoor presence known – here are some outdoor event ideas.

Start with the basics – get a good outdoor tent that showcases your brand. At a minimum, get a solid color canopy with a digital print of your logo or company name on the valence (the horizontal part) or the peak. This is an easy and inexpensive way to stand out from the uniformity of the white tent top crowd. You can get a more customized and memorable tent if you get a full dye sub top – your logo, your colors, your brand. This is a very professional look and will make an impression on the crowd. You’ll have a choice between steel and aluminum frames – we recommend aluminum since it’s lightweight, won’t rust and looks great. Steel will work well and save a few bucks, but it will weigh twice as much.

Besides the basic tent, you can add back wall and sidewall panels that give you some privacy and separation from your fellow vendors. These, too, can be imprinted your logo (careful not to make the interior look too “busy.”) You may want to add a table at the front of your tent for product samples and if so, you should get a printed table cover – a relatively inexpensive way to make a folding table look customized.

What else is useful in outdoor displays? If you have some space, teardrop or feather flags are very effective at getting attention. Since you don’t have a structure to get up above the 10-12’ tent peak, these are often your best or only method for creating visibility. You can get digital print or dye sub flags that tie in with your company logo or brand – or send a different marketing message.
There are also great banner stands and outdoor signs – depending on the format these may be effective. If it’s a street fair your company is participating in, these might not be useful since those tend to be crowded and the signage is often overlooked. But if there is green space or the area is open – typical at an outdoor event or sporting event – banner stands and signs can be effective. You also might consider using indoor banner stands if the weather is certain to be clear and mild, although these aren’t designed for outdoor use.

You can also use other, larger displays if your space allows for this. Certain types of truss are suitable for displaying large format graphics. Typically these truss displays will be aluminum, but if you live in a dry climate you may be able to use steel. Large format graphics used outdoors should be printed on mesh, or they should have pressure slits to allow wind to pass through.

Impact Displays sells trade show displays, including outdoor displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

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The trade show industry slows a bit in the summer and it’s a good time to take stock and see how your trade show strategy is working. You can make changes if it’s not delivering the results you want and these changes can still have an impact on 2011’s revenues, assuming your sales cycle isn’t too long. With a focus on late summer and fall trade shows, here are some pointers to keep in mind.

Pick the right show or shows. Not all shows are equally valuable for your company. You want to exhibit where you will have the best chance of getting the best buyers in your trade show booth. That might not be the biggest in your industry - it might be the most targeted. And it’s always better to have fewer well targeted leads than more poorly targeted leads.

Do some pre-marketing. Get the list of last years attendees or this year’s registrants and send them an email inviting them to your booth. You might also try a direct mailer or a targeted phone outreach. But make them aware that your company will be there and that you’d like them to stop by.

Connect on the trade show floor with customers and prospects. Work the crowd - connect those you pre-marketed to and work good drop in leads.

Follow up after the show. After the show, wait two weeks and send emails with follow up items. Did they request a catalog or pricing? Send it. Tell them you want to work with them and find out what other evaluation criteria they need to make a decision.

Evaluate your performance and plan for more success. Look at your results - how many leads or prospects did you get in the booth? How many did you follow up with and what was the close ratio? Most companies will get 25-50 prospects per day in their booth if they have a 100-200 square foot booth. So over 3 days you might get 75-150 raw leads. If you pre-marketed well, as much as 40% of these might be well qualified - meaning your company has a chance of doing business with them. Timing is uncertain, but that’s 30-60 new customers. Not bad for a few days of work.

If you’re not getting these results, don’t lose heart. Trade shows work - you just need to evolve your strategy. Are you sending a message that is relevant and actionable? Is your trade show booth inviting and your trade show graphics persuasive? Are you doing the most effective pre-marketing you can? Are you going to the right trade show?

Think through these issues - it’s the rare company that doesn’t have to change something to get better results. So you’re in good company. The most important thing is to keep looking for more success and keep generating new leads at trade shows.

Impact Displays sells trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

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For some reason, the most important component of the trade show display – the messaging and graphics – are often overlooked until the last minute. This creates a lot of stress and anxiety – not to mention increases the odds of a SNAFU. Here are some suggestions for making easy and effective trade show graphics.

1. Get an idea (or ideas) about the messaging strategy. Don’t worry – we don’t mean anything complicated. Don’t forget – you’re planning to get new customers tell them why they should become customers. New products? New location? New market solution? New pricing? All of these are good messaging themes. There’s no magic – you just need to find an idea that lets you build effective messaging around so you can make good graphics. And, don’t overlook existing messaging – often it’s a great start.

2. Focus on the display format. Banner stands have different layouts than pop up displays. And pop ups are different from hanging displays. Use artwork that is sized and oriented correctly to save time and get the best results.

3. Use actual size layouts when you submit artwork to your printer. For example, if your banner stand is 33” x 80”, you need to submit artwork that is that size. Most printers will have a template to help you see the layout dimensions – but you need to actually submit an art file that is the correct size.

4. Use high quality images. For best results, use images intended to be sized for your artwork. Most print shops can with art that is 100 dpi (and output 720-1440 dpi on the media) – but if your artwork is small format when it’s printed it will look blurry or pixilated.

5. Don’t use flattened files. If you can, use images that are in their native format. So if a file is created in Illustrator, try to keep in the native format - this preserves all of the layering and editing information and allows your printer to manipulate the file (if that becomes necessary).

6. Don’t wait until the last minute. Most printers can print a banner stand graphic in 20 minutes, a pop up mural layout in an hour and larger graphics in a proportionately longer time. So the print time is rarely a bottleneck. But in the real world, there’s a job queue. Turnaround from submission to proof is usually a day but if it’s busy it can be longer. About 30% of all submission require some tweaking to get just right, so add a couple of days for that back and forth. Then your job gets in the print queue, which can be 2 days (yours isn’t the only job the production team has). Then finishing, staging, QA and packing/shipping. Then delivery. It’s a 2 week process from the time you submit until you have the trade show graphics.

7. Don’t skimp. Pay for great images. Pay for design help. The difference will be in the hundreds of dollars. But the impact on your business can be tens of thousands.

8. Don’t overdo the accessories. I know – this post is about graphics and we’ve covered trade show display accessories in earlier posts. So that means it’s also about all the silly things companies do that dilute the power of their great graphic messages.

9.Put your graphics up. Then forget about them. Trade show graphics should be like a nice painting or a well decorated room. Graphics set the mood, but your booth staff controls the interaction. Don’t refer to the graphics or use them to tell the messaging. Your prospects will run away if you do this.

10. Take care of the darn things. You sweated the details. Paid a lot. Love them up - they’ll last and last!

Impact Displays sells trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

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If you’re going to a trade show, you know that things often go wrong. There are certain things you can’t do anything about – people miss planes, hotels lose bookings. Whatever. Your display can also experience calamity - here are some home remedies that will help.

If you are bringing several types of displays – a pop up display and a banner stand, for example, don’t ship them together. This way if the shipment is lost or delayed, you will still have some display. It might only be a banner stand – but even that is a lot better than an empty booth.

Pack a trade show display repair kit with:
• Duck tape – essential for repairs to most structural elements like pop up frames, banner stand support poles, etc.
• Clear packing tape – perfect for laminated graphic panel or vinyl banner stand graphic tears.
• Small screws - #4, #6, #8 sheet metal ½” – 1” long. Use them for any repair. They’re great to fix a pop up display hub, a banner stand case, a shipping case latch, etc. Remember the right kind of screwdriver.
• Dowels – for repairing pop up frame tubes that may break. You may need a small diameter metal rod if your pop up display has skinny frame tubes. Keep the dowels short - 4-6” – since you’re only using them to join the two broken tubes. Wrap the mended section with duct tape.
• Dish soap and a mildly abrasive pad – for cleaning laminated graphic panels that get dirty for scuffed.
• A hand-held clothing steamer – for taking the wrinkles out of fabric graphics after shipping or storage.
• Velcro – a few pieces of male and female sides with a self-adhesive backing. Great for joining anything to anything.
• Lightbulbs. Oh, and make sure they fit the lights.
• Extra screws and nuts for the truss display or modular display you’re using.

The best thing to do is put all of this “emergency” gear in a small zipped kit that stays with your trade show display – that way it’s always there. Remember, the goal is to engage with customers so you can get new leads. Most visitors won’t even notice your temporary repairs and you can fix these permanently after the show.

Impact Displays sells trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

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When your company is shopping for banner stands for a trade show, you are likely to see many different types and many different prices. The key thing to understand is how these banner stands are different - and to make sure your company gets what it needs without paying for features it doesn’t value. We break it down for you here.

A banner stand is one of the most effective types of displays for trade shows - or for many types of face to face marketing promos. They are small, lightweight, easy to set up and relatively inexpensive. But when you are browsing them, you’ll see right away that there are differences. The most obvious difference - some stands have a banner that retracts into a case (retractable banner stands) and some don’t. Then there are differences in the width, heights, type of poles, connectability, etc.

Non-retractable or standard banner stands. You will see these called “L” or “X” banner stands - they have a basic frame the opens to hold a banner graphic in place, extended. These have a primary advantage: price. Without a retracting mechanism, they are less expensive than retractable stands. And they are simple - no rolling mechanism to break, jam or lose tension, which can happen with a retractable stand. And they are light - no base or housing. The advantages also create limitations - they can be more cumbersome and less convenient to set up since you first set up the stand and then attach the graphic banner separately as opposed to a retracting stand where the graphic is already attached. And these stands don’t have a base to protect the graphic banner when not in use, so you need to be more careful in storing, transporting, etc. These stands are not as stable as retractable banner stands since they lack a weighted base. But an X or L stand is a good option if you need a basic budget display and don’t need to set up and take down frequently.

Retractable banner stands. Theses stands are the most common type because they are integrated and come out of their case “ready to display”. Most retractables operate with a spring-loaded rolling or winding mechanism that is similar to a window shade (except it doesn’t lock in place - the pole does that). These mechanisms vary in durability from very lightweight to very heavy duty and this difference will explain most of the price difference you may see in the market as you are browsing. There are also differences in the materials and durability of the bases and poles as well as the travel cases. There’s no fixed rule, but customers that are doing only one show a year can probably get by with most “budget” stands, which are intended for light use and will typically cost $175-$250 including a graphic banner. Most of the cost is in the banner. And you can feel in the weight of these stands and see in the thickness of materials that they are mostly built for economy.

A step up from this are the mid-priced stands where you have better engineering, a more refined design and heavier materials and winding mechanisms. Mid-priced stands are typically $300-$400 including banner and they are suitable for companies that are doing 2-4 events per year. These stands will put up with more wear and tear and the abuse that sometimes comes with frequent use. You can pick up a mid-priced stand and fee the difference in heft when compared to budget stand - everything is heavier and better quality.

The top of the line stands have the most robust materials - winding mechanisms, bases, poles. They also have high end features that can make them more flexible and a better fit for your company (if you need these features). One example is an adjustable height support pole. Most stands have a “3-part” pole that will remind you of a tent support with a shock cord in the middle and male/female ends. Premium banner stands may have an adjustable pole that allows you to vary the height of the banner, so you can use it on a table or with larger or smaller graphics without having to re-size the graphic. These poles are also easier to set up and look better than 3-part poles.

Exchangeable Cassette Stands. Banner stands are great until you want a different graphic - then they are difficult to modify. Typically you have to send the whole stand back to your vendor so they can remove the graphic and install a new one. Between round trip shipping and the labor, you’re often better off with a new unit. But if your company wants to change banners often, you might consider a cassette system. With this type of banner stand you can remove the roller (the cassette) and replace with a new cassette that has a different banner on it. Your company might want to do this if it is running a different marketing campaign. Or if it simply changes graphics often - a cassette system can be easier and less expensive than swapping banners on a traditional system. Of course, you still have to buy the extra cassette and graphic banner, but now you can swap them “in the field” or at your event instead of sending the whole stand back to your supplier. The cassette system might initially cost $400-$600 and new cassettes with replacement banners are typically $200-$250.

Double Sided Stands. Your company may have a need for multiple messages on a single display - or for a display that can communicate with your audience in more than one direction - if so a double sided banner stand may be the right call. A double stand has a wider base because it holds two graphic rollers - you can use these at the same time or individually for different campaigns. It’s like two banner stands in one. A double sided banner stand usually costs $500-$800 (including both graphics), depending on quality and features.

Scrolling Banner Stands. One way to get the attention of your audience is to create motion - you can do this with a banner stand that “rotates” or “rolls” the graphic images. This is great if you have more than one message - you can rotate the placement. Or if you simply have a message that works well if put in motion. A scrolling banner stand has an electric motor and a continuous loop of graphics. Most scrolling banners cost about $600.

Outdoor. If you are holding an outdoor event or promotion, you can use a regular banner stand. But a better idea is to use an outdoor banner stand that is weighted and designed to withstand elements. These banner stands typically have a heavier vinyl graphic banner and a water or sand filled base to steady the stand. The banner is usually a retractable type with an internal roller, although you can also get a fixed stand with a removable banner.

Impact Displays sells trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

Copyright Impact Marketing Displays LLC. All Rights Reserved.

If your company is getting ready for its first trade show or is getting a new display, you may need to evaluate trade show display companies. You can get a lot of trade show advice and the web makes this task seem easy – you can search by product name type or even trade name/brand names and find a lot of companies, many of which advertise pricing directly. But beware – not all companies operate in the same way. Your company will most likely need support from your trade show display supplier – make sure they are there for you.

The trade show display industry has undergone significant shifts in the past few decades as custom trade show booths have given way to portable trade show displays like pop ups and banner stands. These portable displays have made it easy for small businesses to exhibit effectively at trade shows and have the presence of the established companies. In addition, printing costs of all types have dropped as the prices of printing equipment, media and ink/dye have fallen with competition and technology development. And the internet has made it easy for a lot of companies to sell trade show displays and graphics and for companies to find many different sources.

Today, there are really 3 types of supplies for trade show displays and graphics. Large custom houses do one-off designs of larger booths, typically 20 x 20 and up, although these companies will also do smaller displays also. These custom companies have a showroom and work primarily with a local customer base or with customers that are doing a local trade show or event. Typically, they would charge $50-$100+ per square foot to design and build a large, custom display. They are fantastic at what they do, but if you want a pop up display or a banner stand, they will be expensive overkill.

There are also “internet-only” suppliers that carry products, typically portable displays, manufactured and shipped by 3rd parties. These companies often have aggressive pricing but are entirely virtual: not only can’t you visit them to see a showroom, they don’t even have first-hand experience with the products they sell. Usually, they have an office set up with some cubicles. They have no inventory on site and the person describing the pop up display (for example) may never have set it up or even seen it. They don’t own printers and they can’t expedite your job. These companies take orders and funnel them to manufacturing partners. Have any issues? They need to call the manufacturer. Want to see a picture of YOUR pop up with YOUR graphics before it ships. Not possible. Try it. Because if they’re not looking at it and doing their own quality assurance (since it’s probably being done 1,000 miles away), who is? Or for that matter, is anyone actually doing Q/A?

The third type of company is an internet savvy, brick and mortar producer or displays and graphics – that’s where Impact Displays capabilities play. Unlike a lot of companies in the business, we stage and photograph most of the displays we sell. The only exceptions are if the display is too large to set up or we’re doing a special graphic treatment that has to be dropped shipped from a specialty printer. We produce pop up displays, banner stands, our Pro Series modular (which we build from raw aluminum in house) and our Razor fabric displays. We keep an inventory, we have demos and we have a show room. We do a 7 step Q/A check before a display ships because we know what a disaster it can be if it’s not perfect. If your display breaks, we can fix it here. If you need new graphics, we print them here. If you want to stop by, we’re here. If you want pictures or your display or custom set up instructions or trouble-shooting help – you get it. We do it all here.

Sure, it’s possible just to focus on price. And it may work fine for a while. But sooner or later you’re going to need an actual company with your actual display in front of them, not 1,000 miles away. And when that happens, it will be little consolation if you’ve saved a few bucks but can’t get your vendor to solve your problem. Caveat Emptor.

Impact Displays sells pop up displays and other portable trade show displays for companies that want an effective combination of value and service. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

Copyright Impact Marketing Displays LLC. All Rights Reserved.

If your company is considering a larger trade show display – either as a first time exhibitor or moving up from a smaller display – you have a lot of choices. You will need to think about how the display will be used – is it a dedicated larger display or will it also be used for small shows? Will it always be in the same place or will the trade show move locations yearly? Do you want to integrate an existing display into the larger display somehow? The answers to these questions may change the type of display your company is looking for – the following article may help frame the issues surrounding a larger trade show display.

Larger is a term that’s definitely in the eye of the beholder – or, as the case may be, with the exhibitor. In many shows, a 20 x 20 island booth is large, while in others, you have booths that are 100 x 100. Generally, at a trade show booth size of 20 x 20 and up, your company begins to experience design considerations that are different from 10 x 10 and 10 x 20 booth considerations. So before your company buys (or rents) a new trade show display, consider these issues that may otherwise affect your evaluation of a larger trade show display.

First, and possibly most important, does your company plan to use the trade show exhibit only for the larger booth space – or will it use it in smaller booths also. This is important to figure out because a larger display that must be “re-purposed” in a smaller space has to have certain characteristics. For example, it needs to be able to be configured in a linear shape where the tallest section is 96” if your company will exhibit in a 10 x 10 booth or 144” if it will be in a 10 x 20 foot booth. The easiest way to manage this issue is to make sure your exhibit house designs the booth in sections that are 4 feet long (or less). Production cost may be 10% higher, but you will have design flexibility in the future and the booth will be easier to ship and store.

Also, if you plan to re-use the display in a smaller booth you should consider your trade show graphics – it’s very possible to design them in a section or panels to use in a smaller configuration if they will be used this way, saving thousands of dollars in design and reprinting fees.

Does your company plan to incorporate an existing display into the larger space? For example, if you have a tension fabric frame, you can often use these in larger booths and they complement the space if it is large enough. And you can probably use any podiums or monitors you have that are large enough to communicate your message in the larger booth space.

Lastly, think about how the display will be stored and whether it will need to be transported to every show. If it will always be in one place – if the trade show it’s designed for is always in the same location – then how it’s crated and stored is of less concern. But if your company must move the display often, you should take into consideration how heavy and how large the individual containers are. Many newer displays that are as large as 30 x 20 can ship in as few as 4 “tubs” that can be moved with a pallet jack for convenience.

When it comes to the type of larger display, you have many choices in terms of design but they all derive from a truss system, an aluminum modular system or a wall system. These are all great formats to build from, but they have advantages and disadvantages. Truss is great at holding a lot or weight – monitors, shelves, etc. But it is usually made of steel and (a) can be heavy to ship and set up and (b) must be painted or it will rust. So it’s great as an indoor display material that needs to hold a lot of weight. It is also very rigid and can be built as tall as 20’.

Aluminum extrusion systems are lighter weight than truss, but they aren’t (generally) capable of supporting a great deal of weight. They tend to have larger graphic areas per linear foot of display. But they can’t be built as tall as truss can without external support – figure on a 16’ working height maximum. Extruded aluminum displays tend to be small to pack and store (in addition to being lighter) and you’ll find many 30 x 30 trade show exhibits capable of being packed into 3 “tubs” that can be moved with a pallet jack or fork lift.

Lastly, there are numerous “wall systems” on the market that are essentially 2” thick sections of rigid wall structures built in interlocking panels 3 feet wide. These are great systems to build structures from where privacy, security or a more substantial appearance is required: conference rooms, etc. And these structures can be erected into tall exhibits – up to 16’. But wall systems tend to be the most costly and they can also consume a lot of volume when stored (unless the wall frames are disassembled).
Larger trade show displays require a lot of thought and planning – not only for the specific display but also to optimize other considerations and make sure your company gets what it needs. But with careful and thoughtful planning, your larger exhibit can be a great investment. And if your company is unsure about a particular design - consider renting a trade show display.

Impact displays offers a range of trade show displays and trade show graphics for companies of all sizes. Impact Displays can be reached by calling 877-217-2681 or by emailing info@impact-displays.com.

Copyright Impact Marketing Displays LLC. All Rights Reserved.