Trade Show Marketing Blog

Portable trade show displays are becoming more popular with exhibitors because of the low cost of shipping and drayage, but picking the right exhibit for your company can be a tough project. There are hundreds of different models available on the internet, and which one you pick will depend on your marketing budget and what types of accessories you need. No matter what type of trade show display you choose, the goal is to make a huge impact with your exhibit space and leave a lasting impression on visitors.

There are many types of portable trade show displays, and below is a list of the most common styles:

Tabletop Displays

Tabletop displays are typically used at small, local trade shows. Companies that exhibit locally tend to devote their marketing efforts toward small display systems that provide a large graphic area. Tabletop displays are often complimented with table covers branded with a company logo, which helps companies to identify themselves. Tabletop displays can cost anywhere from $300 - $2,000, but most systems cost around $800.

Pop Up Displays


Pop up displays have been a mainstay in the portable trade show display industry for over 30 years. These unique systems use aluminum frames that collapse down very small, but can expand to form large back wall displays. Fabric or graphic panels can be added to the frame once it has been set up, allowing you to display a seamless image across the entire width of your booth. Pop up displays typically range between $1,000 and $4,000.

Modular Displays

Modular trade show displays can be used in multiple exhibit spaces with the exact same hardware. There is no need to purchase different displays depending on the size of the booth you need to exhibit in, modular displays allow you to quickly change out your hardware and use your booth in multiple settings. If you know that your company will need to exhibit in multiple spaces, modular trade show displays are definitely the way to go. Modular displays typically range between $5,000 and $15,000.

Hybrid Displays


Hybrid displays are accessory friendly exhibits. Adding monitor mounts, literature holders, and counter systems is easy thanks to innovative display technologies. One exhibit system can support countless accessories and many configurations, which allows exhibitors to have a great deal of flexibility without paying an exorbitant price for a custom exhibit. Typically hybrid displays range between $2,000 and $10,000.

Banner Stand Walls


Banner stand walls are an economical way to exhibit in a 10 x 10 space. These simple systems are very lightweight, but have a very large graphic area. The graphic retracts into the base when not in use, which allows it to remain protected in transportation and shipping. The banner stand wall as pictured can be fully set up within 10 seconds, making it one of the easiest displays to use on the market. Typically banner stand walls run between $800 and $2,000.

Investing in a Portable Exhibit
Purchasing a trade show display can be a big step for a company, but the investment usually pays off big. Here are some things you should look for when purchasing a trade show exhibit to make sure that you’re getting the best deal:

• Make sure your display carries a lifetime warranty. You don’t want to be left holding the bag when your display is destroyed in a cross-country shipment or damaged by careless I & D personnel.
• Make sure your display is assembled in the United States. Chinese-made products are inferior, have longer turnaround times, and usually do not carry any type of warranty.
• Make sure your portable display is approved for the show you are attending. Trade shows have strict regulations and policies, and many exhibitors arrive only to find out that their type of trade show display has been banned by the show organizers.
• Make sure you save money for accessories. Literature racks and product shelving are important parts of any display system, so don’t forget about these items when ordering your trade show exhibit.

We’re sick and tired of boring trade show displays, which is why we continue to push the envelope by developing new options for our clients. The XRline Wave Display is the latest portable modular exhibit system to hit the market, and you can only find it at MODdisplays. The unique wave canopy features built-in lighting and stylish bent aluminum, which is a feature unique to this new system.

The XRline displays are already recognized as the market’s most environmentally friendly exhibit system, and the addition of a wave canopy to XRline’s repertoire further solidifies its place at the top of the portable booth industry. This display (like all of our XRline booths) is produced in a factory powered entirely by wind energy, and the entire factory produces less waste per day than an average family of four. This clean, modern display is produced in a clean, modern factory (imagine that!).

Just because we add a new canopy style to your selection doesn’t mean we’ve neglected the optional accessories that often make or break your exhibit. As you can see in the images below, we offer a wide range of accessories with our XR Wave systems as well as our standard exhibits.

We’ve taken yet another giant step ahead of our competition with the introduction of this system. We offer free graphic design from our in-house professional design teams with the purchase of any XR Wave booth, which could save you over a thousand dollars in graphic design charges from a typical exhibit house. As always, we offer free custom proposals (which consist of detailed quotes and images to match that are customized with your company’s brand), so give us a call at 877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays, and we’ll be glad to help you.

Pirouet towers and counters are high-impact accessories that are built for portability and ease of setup. Whether you need a product showcase or a sleek-looking computer station, our Pirouet systems are the solution to your exhibiting challenges.

Each Pirouet tower we sell can be customized by adding your own graphic panels, or by using a number of stocked panel options. The pirouet towers have 16 panels, and the pirouet counter systems have 8 panels that can be customized. By default, these panels come either plain white or clear, but your graphics can be added for a relatively low cost.

The biggest advantage of Pirouet towers and counters is the simple, easy setup. The entire system packs into a very small bag and then twists into place with a simple motion (see image below):

Feel free to call 877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays.com with any questions about the Pirouet pedestal or Pirouet kiosk.

Are you looking to bore attendees senseless with your next trade show booth? It’s not as easy as you might think to be a complete failure at trade show marketing, but some companies have absolutely mastered the art of exhibiting poorly. These companies often repeat their mistakes year after year, creating recognizable patterns of incompetence. This post will outline some ways that you too can bore visitors senseless with your trade show marketing program.

1- Use the same trade show display year after year. Attendees have a much better memory than you might think, and using the same exhibit year after year is a great way to get ignored. If your booth space looks the same as it did last year, attendees will assume that you have nothing new or interesting to add to the market, and will quickly move on.

2- Use enormous blocks of text. News flash to exhibitors: No attendee will read more than 5 - 10 words of what is written on your trade show display. They quickly look at the company logo and maybe your tagline, but they stop reading before they reach your 18 bullet points about why your widget is better than Joe’s widget. If you’ve ever attended a trade show, you realize that attendees are usually on a tight schedule, and they don’t have time to read the microscopic text that you’ve carefully crafted. They glean what they can and move on.

Amazingly, companies in the portable trade show display industry often cite displays with large blocks of text as “design examples”. At MODdisplays, we would never do that to you, because we sincerely hope that you’ll succeed. If you see a website with a pop up display full of text, close your browser window immediately and never go back.

3- Use a dull, boring color scheme. Despite what you might think when you look at trade show display booths at your next show, beige is not the favorite color of attendees. Attendees love bold colors that are full of energy, and they are drawn to large, engaging images. If your exhibit is full of muted colors, you’ll probably succeed in boring visitors senseless.

Despite recent market trends, we at MODdisplays believe that boring visitors senseless is actually a bad idea. Our professional exhibit designers and highly skilled graphic designers are standing by to make sure that your booth is a big hit, so give us a call at 877.663.3976 or email us at sales@moddisplays.com.

If you’ve ever been to a trade show, you know that standing out in the crowd is important. In the fast-paced trade show environment, thousands of exhibitors compete for the attention of a limited number of attendees, and the battle can be fierce. Companies with huge marketing budgets spend big bucks for custom exhibit design because they understand the importance of using a trade show display that sets them apart from the competition. Would you really want to be stranded with a boring display when the exhibitor next to you is using a custom-looking exhibit?

At MODdisplays, we make custom exhibit design an affordable reality for small businesses (in fact, it’s completely free). Because we design all of our trade show exhibits from an extensive library of stocked exhibit hardware, we can produce high quality designs complete with your company graphics in a very short amount of time (usually under an hour). Our exhibit design images are virtually photo-realistic, and our images always include your company’s logo and marketing images. Because our booth display designers are working from a library of stocked exhibit hardware, any proposal we send you can be produced within a week (custom exhibit houses require long turnaround times because of the need to fabricate parts for your display).

If you’re not sure what type of exhibit you’re looking for, our website offers a huge variety of display images that vary greatly in appearance and style. If you’re looking to blend in with the crowd and let your graphics do the talking, buy a pop up display. If you’re looking for a highly configurable option with a unique canopy, try our XRline display. Whatever your tastes may be, we have an exhibit system that is right for your needs.

Many exhibitors have massive marketing budgets that can be used to purchase sleek, high-end trade show displays. For the vast majority of businesses, exhibiting is all about getting the most bang for your buck. If you’re looking for value, banner stands are a great way to create a large graphic area without spending thousands of dollars.

Retractable banner stands are lightweight, which results in reduced shipping costs. They can be set up in less than 10 seconds, which drastically reduces your labor costs at the trade show. Also, because your banner stand can be retracted into the base of the display during storage and shipping, your graphic will last for years in its protective shell. Banner stands are great for exhibitors who attend multiple trade shows and need to be constantly moving their exhibit hardware from show to show.

So why buy a retractable banner stand from MODdisplays? Unlike most companies who sell banner stands, we won’t intentionally rip you off. Many companies charge between $250.00 and $500.00 for a banner stand graphic (not even including the hardware), when the graphic costs them less than $50.00 to produce! They do this to cover the costs of repeated printing and production mistakes. At MODdisplays, we believe that WE should pay for our own mistakes instead of passing on the costs to our customers, which is why our least expensive banner stand is the same price that most companies charge just for the banner stand graphic.

If you have questions about our banner stands, give us a call at 877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays.com. We sell the widest selection of Expand Banner Stands (including Quickscreen) and other lightweight, portable banner stand systems. We also carry all the accessories you need such as banner stand lighting and banner shipping cases.

If you’re exhibiting at a trade show, one of your primary goals should be to get your literature into the hands of visitors and attendees. Trade show literature is the only tangible thing that attendees can take with them that relates directly to your company. Your exhibit literature is a great opportunity to highlight what your company does and any other important aspects of your marketing program. Trade show literature that is directed at your target audience will result in more follow-up calls after the show is finished, which will naturally result in more sales for your company.

Literature racks play an important role in transmitting your marketing material into the hands of your potential clients. We believe that your literature rack should match the mood and feel of your exhibit to ensure that your company isn’t sending mixed messages with its marketing campaign. If you are using our Exhibit One display system, we recommend using an Exhibit One literature rack. If you’re using a pop up display or a panel display, we recommend using a brochure net to match the look and feel of your display system.

Many exhibitors focus solely on their trade show display and forget all about the rest of their booth. It’s important to put yourself in the shoes of your potential clients and think carefully about how you design and layout your exhibit. Using literature racks that match your system well is a great way to ensure that your brochures get picked up, and that they avoid the trash can.

For more information about the literature racks we offer, dial toll free 1.877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays.com.

Showstyle table top displays have been a powerful marketing tool in the portable trade show industry for years. The unique “briefcase” style design and attractive graphic panels have made this system popular among exhibitors who want to make a big impression within a small space. It’s larger cousin, the Showmax table top display, allows you to get even more value within the same style because of the larger area for trade show graphics.

These unique panel tabletop displays offer a lot of protection for your graphics thanks to the extremely durable outer shell. Every Showstyle table top display we offer is made from the same crush-resistant plastic that we make our trade show cases from, which means you could probably get away with shipping your Showstyle display on its own without a box for protection. Typically though, our briefcase style tabletop displays are shipped in durable, branded cardboard boxes.

Showstyle and Showmax tabletop displays are great for non-profit organizations who are planning to exhibit at small, local trade shows. The low price tag and low cost of ownership are attractive features for a budget conscious buyer. When you purchase a Showstyle or Showmax, you don’t have to sacrifice quality and style to get a display that is affordable and durable.  In addition, purchasing any Showstyle or Showmax display qualifies your company for our free graphic design service.

If you have any questions about the table top displays we offer, please give us a call toll free at 1.877.663.3976 or email us at sales@moddisplays.com.

If you’re planning to invest thousands of dollars into your trade show marketing program, you should focus intently on training your booth staffers to know how to act within the trade show environment. Even if you use the best trade show display with the best promotional products on the entire exhibit floor, your booth staffers can ruin all of your hard work with their inappropriate behavior. The following is a list of some common mistakes made by exhibiting professionals that should be avoided at all costs:

• Eating in your exhibit space.
• Smoking in your exhibit space.
• Drinking excessively in your exhibit space.
• Leaving your exhibit unattended (even for a few minutes).
• Standing with your back to the aisle.
• Chatting with other booth staffers in such a way that potential clients feel as though they are interrupting.
• Talking on your cell phone.
• Wearing new or uncomfortable shoes (you will be standing/walking all day).
• Talking negatively about other exhibitors or attendees.
• Swearing or using profanity.
• Complaining about having to work the trade show.
• Eating foods at lunch that could give you bad breath.
• Leaning on exhibit furniture or accessories.
• Blocking access points for potential clients.
• Raising your voice (whether in anger or to call out to someone who is far away).
• Speaking negatively about your company.

In general, these mistakes are pretty easy to spot and should be even easier to avoid. Chances are that you’ve had some experience with a booth staffer who has made you uncomfortable or caused you to lose interest in a potential business deal, so think carefully about what caused that negative experience and avoid it at all costs.

The primary goal of any exhibitor should be to leave a lasting impression of your company in the minds of attendees, so branding should always be your first priority. However, once your brand has been established, you can work toward creating a unique message for the expo that embodies the ideas of your company, and your table top display and exhibit graphic systems are a great way to do that. Here are some examples of company slogans or messages that have been ingrained in the minds of business to business buyers:

• UPS - Synchronizing the world of commerce.
• AT&T - Your world. Delivered.
• FedEx - The world on time.
• Apple - Think different.
• Microsoft - Your potential. Our passion.
• Yahoo! - Do you Yahoo?
• General Electric - Imagination at work.
• 3M - Innovation.

These slogans and many others are known worldwide and are directly associated with an idea related to the company. Think of a corporate slogan as a way to say something about your company’s personality in addition to just the company name. Different types of buyers are attracted to different company personalities, so crafting your slogan carefully can help you convey a message to your clients about the type of environment you work in.

Our experienced graphic designers have worked with countless exhibitors to craft their company image for specific trade shows, and they are standing by to help you with your event. If you want to incorporate a slogan into your branding effort, we can help you create that slogan and incorporate it into your pop up display or modular exhibit. Please call 877.663.3976 (toll free) for details.