How To Set Up a Trade Show Booth

Successfully setting up a trade show booth starts long before you arrive on the show floor. It begins with well thought out goals for your program and ends with an ROI that makes you smile.

In the middle are a bunch of other steps, including selecting a type of trade show booth that works for you. Meaning, it hits your goals for engaging with your audience.

Your exhibit also needs to hit your goals for set up and take down. In the industry, we call that installation and dismantle or I&D for short.

Below we discuss the steps to set up a trade show booth from concept to reality. We cover types of trade show booths and give a 30,000 foot view of what I&D looks like for each type of display. We also look at options for I&D for do-it-yourself exhibitors and booths that require a professional team.

Ready to learn? Let's go!

Going through the below exercise may drastically change how you set up a trade show booth from a design and functionality perspective. 

We are (obviously) big believers in face-to-face marketing. But you'd be surprised how many people just start doing it because it's a thing they think they need to do. (Without being sure why.) 

As always, start with why. (Yes, that's a shout out to the genius of Simon Sinek. If you haven't read it, get Start with Why today! Such a great read.)

What do you want to get out of your trade show program?

Now that you know what your objective is for exhibiting, you can start thinking about function. What do you need your booth space to do for you?

This is a great question to have answers to before reaching out to trade show consultants and exhibit houses for expert help with sourcing, production, design and execution.

Experts in the industry will ask what needs to go on in your booth. Having the "what" (backed up by the "why") is crucial to being able to set up a trade show booth with success.

Here are some common trade show booth components to think about in this phase:

• Conference rooms / meeting space needs (How private do these need to be?)
  
  
• Product displays (How big? How many?)
  
  
• Technology integration (Monitors, displays, tablets, etc.)
  
  
• Storage needs
  
  
• Demo or speaking areas
  
  
• Lounge or less formal seating for impromptu conversations
  
  
• Messaging needs

You may have other things that are important to you. Don't be shy about letting your team know about those from the start. You might even decide to do a "nice to have" vs "have to have" list of priorities.

This allows your designers to keep a balance in mind between function and budget. (Yup, this is the step where this gets real.)

Producing an exhibit that works

The "B Word"

Quick detour here to everyone's favorite topic. The oh-so-scary "b word". Budgets. Yikes!

The less time this topic spends as the elephant in the room, the better.

Trade show booths are extremely customizable, and there are options for everyone who wants to get into the face-to-face marketing game. That said, you aren't going to get a custom exhibit with a banner stand budget. No sir.

How much do trade show booths cost?

If you are just starting out and have literally no idea what this is going to cost you, we recommend setting up a call with an industry expert that can walk you through what to expect and costs you might not even know exist.

There is more to exhibiting than just the cost of your trade show booth properties and booth space.

If you have a set budget for a new booth build, be up front about that when starting design. We find giving a range works well for exhibitors to truly get options that they love. Options that don't break the bank.

It doesn't do anyone any good if you fall in love with an exhibit that you simply can't afford.

Hitting brand, budget and function is key. (Beauty doesn't hurt either!)

Moving on now from concept to reality. You have the ideas about what you need to set up a trade show booth that works for you. Now comes the fun part.

It's the job of a trade show consultant or exhibit house to come alongside you now and take those foundational ideas and make them come to life.

An expert in their field will take those needs into account and then pair them up with marketing best practices for trade shows. They will weave branding opportunities into the functional needs of your booth.

Then a great trade show consultant will top it off with some beautiful design elements that elevate your brand and booth.

A good exhibit house comes alongside you to bring that concept into reality. Navigating all the ins and outs of the booth build.

Sometimes this process is quick. Especially for smaller, simpler trade show booths. While more complex builds will require months of working together to make it come to life.

But at the end, there it is in the flesh. Your trade show booth. And now it's showtime!

Show floor - it's time to physically set up a trade show booth!

DIY booth setup and take down - the good & the bad

Sending in your team to do this final step is an option that many exhibitors with smaller booths choose to employ.

One obvious benefit is you keep your expenses down by not laying out the cash for a crew to do this job for you. Remember you are still paying your team to do the work too. So it's not a zero-sum game.

Also keep opportunity costs in mind. If your people are tied up setting up a booth for a day, what work will they not be doing at the office?

But if your set up is relatively easy, having your people tackle this has other benefits as well.

It's a great team-building activity. Especially if you can ensure whoever is lead on the project is optimistic and approaches this as a fun detour from the normal routine of work.

Attitude is everything!

Types of Trade Show Booths

1. Portable Displays: Banner Stands

The easiest option when it comes to setting up a trade show backwall is a banner stand. These simple pull-up banners take less than 5 minutes to get set up. They are lightweight, cost effective and truly a trade show booth setup that anyone can handle.

Exhibitors often choose this setup for smaller shows, events or job fairs. It's a great option when space is limited and attendees will be up-close to your booth.

Banner stands come in a metal casing with a extendable pole. You attach the pole and pull up the graphic, attach it to the top of the pole and you are all set!

Want your exhibit to stand out more while using banner stands?

Put several banners next to each other for a full backwall in your exhibit space.

Add lighting to banner stands for even more impact.

Another way to stand out when using banner stands is to add light. There are options for arm lights that are lightweight enough to attach to the top of the banner.

These are also pretty easy to set up with a simple clamp and plug. Again, so easy that most people can handle adding this lighting to your trade show booth.

Other banner stand options

You can also get wide banner stands. Double-sided banner stands are particularly helpful if you have an open space and traffic coming from two sides. There are even (slightly more complex) banner stands now that are backlit.

So even when going extremely basic with your trade show booth, you have a lot of options!

Trade show consultant pro tip:

Keep the graphic design clean, sleek and modern - even on a banner stand. It makes a huge difference.

2. Portable Exhibits: Pop Up Displays

Welcome to the world if portable pop up style displays.

This category encompasses systems that are slightly more labor-intense for a trade show booth set up. But are still simple enough that most people can handle a DIY set-up with a bit of training and practice.

Simple Fabric Frame Backwalls

These type of trade show back walls incorporate a frame structure, often aluminum tubes or click-together metal poles, with a fabric graphic.

That fabric either acts like a pillowcase that goes over the metal poles or tucks into a channel along the edge of the metal frame.

With these simple components, set up of your trade show booth is a breeze. Even when adding upgrade options like a lightbox or arm lights.

Collapsible Pop-Up Displays

It's an oldie but a goodie. The standard pop-up frame is a tried and true option for those who want an easy trade show booth set up.

The collapsible nature of pop-ups mean this style of exhibit is affordable and easy to use. There are also a ton of ways to customize these back walls.

You can choose an option with pre-attached graphics. (Talk about easy set up!) Or you can go with an option where you can see the frame for added dimension and interest.

Regardless of the customizations you select, the collapsible pop up display will have a smooth set up. Simply expand the frame, lock into place and apply graphics (as needed). Add lights for a pop and set up is complete!

There's a reason why these bad boys have stood the test of time.

The next step up on the exhibit type hierarchy are modular displays. Now this term can span a wide range of options. As you can have a pretty easy to set up modular display for a 10x10 booth space.

A modular display system can also be used to construct the biggest booths you see on the show floor.

For that reason, this style of display falls solidly in the middle between easy do-it-yourself set ups and more complicated sets that require a professional installation and dismantle team to complete. (More on that next!)

Modular trade show displays are versatile with lots of options for smart design and a customized look. And can come without the price tag a fully custom exhibit would carry!

On a tight timeline? Modular kits are the solution.

There are modular display kits available which are perfect for moving through the design process quickly. Custom spaces take a lot of effort to configure and design to specs that make everyone happy.

While this process is hugely beneficial, sometimes you just need a quick solution for a show that is coming up faster than you realized.

4. Custom or Custom-Modular Trade Show Booths

When it comes to exhibit design and set up, the sky is the limit. Well actually whatever height your show regulations say is the sky is the limit. But you get the idea.

Here your team can work with trade show consultants and design experts to create a booth that has it all.

They may use components from a modular display system. We love this approach because you can get the most bang for your buck when it comes time to reconfigure for different booth sizes.

Using parts you already own to scale up or down as you exhibit at different shows can really go far in stretching that budget!

Other components may be built from wood, metal, or other creative substrates. Walls of greenery and plants. Architectural interest created with lighting. Huge LED panels, see through screens, high-end lounges. It's all possible.

With this kind of involved structure, your set up will definitely be handled by a team of I&D experts, riggers and other show-floor vendors to ensure you exhibit is ready to go when the show opens.

Hiring an installation and dismantle crew to handle exhibit setup

This is often the only option for exhibitors with a larger or more complicated booth. Even for seasoned experts, setup can take a week or more for large-scale, intricate booths!

But it's not just for big-booth exhibitors. Installation and dismantle (I&D) crews will also handle smaller booths.

What's the benefit?

Your team shows up at a trade show booth that is ready to rock and roll. This can be a morale boost for people who are used to the stress and frustration that can come with the set up process.

Not all people are mechanically inclined. For these people setting up a booth falls somewhere between a trip to the dentist and paying taxes on their fun-o-meter.

If this describes your team, you might want to consider hiring a pro crew to take care of this for you.