As the spring trade show season approaches, it’s time to determine what your marketing presence will be this trade show season. This is particularly true for businesses with new products to introduce to the market. If you are a newcomer to the world of trade shows, the steps required to prepare custom exhibits may be new to you. Trade show presentation requires a lot of thought. For these new companies, the most difficult issue is that of getting the custom exhibits ready for the show. The exhibit is one of the most important factors in setting the corporate image of the company, and skimping on costs when building this display can hurt you in the sense that it will harm your corporate image.

The first question to answer is what degree of “custom” they should have in their custom exhibits. For example, you can buy a somewhat standard exhibit relatively inexpensively, which only offers a slight degree of customizability. Imprinting standard silk panels with your logo and slogans may be all you get, or even need.

If you are taking part in a minor local exposition or a small trade show in your region alone, an exhibit with a low level of customization may be sufficient. On the other hand, if you are taking part in a large show where your competitors represent companies from all over the country or all over the globe, then it’s time to move up to another level of custom exhibits.

This is the big time, and your first step will be to find an exhibit house that does this professionally. You can start by searching the web or the yellow pages and narrowing down your list to a few outfits you can visit in person. You’ll want to see real world samples of exhibits they’ve built, check references, and get an idea of how much they charge and how long it will take them to build what you need.

A professional exhibit house will consult with their clients and work closely with them to decide on what types of exhibit are best. Depending on their clients’ marketing objectives, they may recommend any number of custom exhibits, including double deck exhibits or even multilevel exhibits.

Apart from the necessary range and types of exhibits companies might need, presentation of their products and services is equally important. It is helpful to understand if the message of your exhibit to trade show visitors is clear and conveys the right meaning. Form follows function, and so, message conveyed by the exhibit is as important as the actual exhibit itself.

When preparing for a trade show, you must consider your custom exhibits. There are many types of exhibits, but perhaps the most popular are double deck exhibits and multilevel exhibits. These allow for many things to be visible at the same time, further increasing the exposure for the person who is holding the trade show. They are effective ways to demonstrate what a product is about. There are professional companies available to help with your exhibit, and you should seek assistance when it is necessary. Don’t forget that your message is almost as important as the trade show itself.

- David Hallick