Setting up a trade show

Booking and organising a trade show for your business is just one part of the trade show experience. You might think you’ve done all the hard work and setting up the trade show stand is easy that’s far from the case! Presentation is key with your trade show booth, it needs to look welcoming and inviting to attract as many people to your trade show stand as possible. This can range from the colours you use on your stand to the free merchandise and messaging you choose. To give the right impression to attendees (also known as the people you hope will become your customers following the event) you've got to achieve the right set-up.

Which is why, in this blog, we’ll delve deeper into how to set up your trade show, including tips to help you make the most of your trade show experience

Arrive On Time to Set Up Your Trade Show Stand

It's easy to overlook the importance of setting up your trade show booth and getting everything in the right place, given the multitude of other things you need to do on the day. However, a good set-up can be the difference between drawing people into your booth and pushing them away.

If you fail to get your house in order from the outset, there's a very real danger that your trade show stand will be messy and disorganised, things will get lost, and you'll find yourself getting stressed. Therefore, it's important to arrive in plenty of time before a trade show begins to ensure you have room to manoeuvre. You may wish to try several different stand designs, in a bid to find the optimum arrangement that fully utilises the space you have available. But if you rush in five minutes before the first potential customers come through the door, you simply haven't got this luxury.

If you fail to prepare properly on the day you can find yourself hurrying, potentially missing some of the crucial details and even misplacing things you may need later. For example, if you manage to achieve a sale, you need to have all the necessary paperwork available to hand. You can't afford to keep a customer waiting five minutes while you find misplaced documents as there's a good chance they'll walk off if you do. Don't let things slide on the day of the event, by failing to make the most of the opportunity!

Have a Plan for the Day

Whether it’s a detailed itinerary of the day and where you need to be or a map of the exhibition centre, it’s important to have a plan before you arrive!

You can make the process a lot easier when setting up by creating a map or plan of where everything is supposed to go. This can be a simple labelled sketch of your stand, as long as it means you have something to quickly reference when setting up, so you don't have to try and construct your stand from memory. We’ve already touched on a venue map but it’s important to have a map of the trade show venue with you when you are on your way to the exhibition. Knowing exactly where your trade show stand needs to go is another way you can save vital time, rather than having to ask around and work it out for yourself.

Practice Your Setup

This task is so simple but is often forgotten! Before attending the trade show, you should allocate time to practise setting up your trade show booth. This should give you a good idea of how long the process takes, so you can go into the exhibition ready and with all the knowledge you need.

Not only will this save you vital time, but it will also reduce the likelihood of any unwanted surprises on the day such as a missing piece of the pop-up display. Practising the setup of your trade show pop-up display can also allow you to finetune your set-up, rather than making last-minute changes during the day.

Avoid Unnecessary Disruptions

Disruptions are bound to happen on the day. Whether that’s a staff member or neighbouring exhibitor stopping for a chat or identifying a missing piece to your pop-up stand. However, think about how you can be as effective as possible with your time to avoid unnecessary disruptions. Examples of this can be to stop setting up to have breakfast – eat on the go or whilst commuting to avoid things like this halting progress.

Book Your Next Trade Show with Cranmore Park

Cranmore Park is a purpose-built venue for trade shows located in Solihull, West Midlands. It provides a more personal touch and flexible options than other exhibition venues in Birmingham. For more information on our state-of-the-art exhibition venue, contact us today by calling 0121 713 4450 or emailing info@cranmorepark.co.uk.