More and more attendees are relying on a detailed itinerary to navigate the trade show floor, and getting your company’s name on those itineraries could mean the difference between success and failure at your next event. In this post, I’m going to describe some unconventional ways to get your company name in the minds of exhibitors before the show begins.

1. Spend your time and money promoting the trade show where you are about to exhibit, and make sure the show organizers notice your efforts. Write articles and press releases that encourage people to visit the trade show, and be sure to mention your company’s name in a natural way that fits with the theme of the article or press release. Show organizers love to see their own expo being promoted, and will often highlight companies who do this by linking to their articles from the show website, which can be a great way to gain exposure.

2. Purchase advertising space on the show website months in advance of the show (a large banner ad with your name and company logo is preferable). This strategy will help visitors and attendees set you apart. Because you have advertised on the show website, you lift your company’s presence from “just another exhibitor” to “an important part of the trade show as a whole”.

3. One of the best things you can do to increase your booth traffic for years to come is to exhibit well. Around 61% of attendees on average have attended the exact same show the previous year, and attendees will remember your performance and use that information when deciding whether to visit your booth or kiosk this time around. No matter how much pre-show marketing you do, if your trade show booth is a let-down, attendees will remember that and won’t come back to visit you in future years.

Trade shows can be a very profitable part of your business if you take the time to plan and market your company well. If you don’t have the time to do it well, then my advice to you is to forget exhibiting and focus on some other aspect of your company’s marketing program.

A recent article in Exhibitor Magazine set out to answer the following question: Are trade shows really worth the investment? To answer this question, it’s important to find out if trade shows are still capable of attracting real buyers, and if the cost per attendee visit is remaining relatively stable.

According to Exhibitor Magazine, who quoted Exhibit Surveys, Inc,  82% of attendees “have the power to recommend or make final purchasing decisions.” This number is staggering, and clearly indicates that trade shows are still a great place for small and large business to put their money. Considering that an average of 34% of attendees are “first-timers” to a particular show, trade shows are still crawling with opportunities for business deals and purchases.

Within the same article, Exhibitor Magazine pointed out that exhibitors are paying more to attract each attendee:

…the average cost per attendee that visits an exhibitor’s booth increased 19 percent since 2006 – up 26 percent from five years ago in 2003. Those results underscore the reality that costs are increasing, thanks to everything from rising booth-space rates to fuel surcharges.

You may pay more per attendee today than ever before, but trade shows are still fertile ground for new businesses. The people who attend trade shows are looking to spend, and they have the power to spend. If you’re looking to build inroads with your target market, trade shows are still a great place to do it.

At MODdisplays, we offer the most affordable Entasi displays on the market. We will beat any advertised or quoted price on any component within the Entasi system, and we make an effort to reduce prices for our customers while keeping the quality of the display system the same or better.

The only trade show displays with the appearance of a wave are Entasi displays. These unique and affordable exhibit systems are a great way to take your trade show marketing program to the next level. Take a quick look at our Entasi video to learn more about this amazing portable trade show booth:

If you enjoyed this move, please view it on YouTube here and leave a positive rating.

Since the first day we released Xpressions displays, we’ve had a lot of trouble describing to our customers how simple and powerful these displays really are. We needed a way to show our customers how easy it is to set up an Xpressions display, and what better way than by using a video? Our Xpressions video is packed with images and valuable information about these unique three-dimensional trade show displays.

If you enjoy this video, please check it out on YouTube by clicking here. You can leave a rating or a comment, which will help more people find this great video!

There are thousands of websites and articles on the internet that provide information about exhibiting and event planning, but how do you know which ones to trust? When you’re spending thousands of dollars on a trade show exhibit, you need to be careful about taking advice from just anyone. Over the years, I have run across a number of websites that provide high quality information related to exhibiting, and the list below represents the websites that have stood out as the most helpful of them all:

1. Center for Exhibition Industry Research (www.ceir.org)

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (formerly the Trade Show Bureau) compiles industry data from thousands of sources and creates detailed reports that are easy to read and understand. Whether you’re looking for demographic data related to a particular show or you’re looking to learn about general exhibiting trends, www.ceir.org is a valuable resource that should not be overlooked.

2. Trade Show News Network (www.tsnn.com)

Until recently, the Trade Show News Network was plagued by annoying advertisements, but a fresh new website design has allowed www.tsnn.com to once again make its stand as the best place to search for trade shows online. Search their extensive database by city, country, industry, or any number of factors to find the show that is perfect for your company (all for free!). You can also keep up to date with recent industry news by checking out their “shows on the move” blog.

3. Exhibitor Magazine Online (www.exhibitoronline.com)

If you work in the field of trade show marketing, and you don’t subscribe to Exhibitor Magazine, you’re missing out on a wealth of valuable insight. Each issue is full of industry news and conference information, as well as tips and tricks to help exhibitors maximize the return on their investment. Exhibitor Magazine is also a huge presence at the annual Exhibitor Show, which showcases the latest trade show display designs.

4. Biz Tradeshows (www.biztradeshows.com)

Use Biz Tradeshows to search for trade shows in any industry. Their up to date conference schedule is extensive and well organized, which allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for. Their website (although somewhat cluttered with banner advertisements) is simple to use and a great resource for any exhibitor.

5. Global Sources (tradeshow.globalsources.com)

Looking for a trade show outside the United States? Global Sources ties together the world of international commerce, allowing you to find updated information on trade shows and expos happening worldwide. Their extensive database is easy to search, and you can also search a large supplier directory to find more information about foreign display manufacturers.

6. Trade Show Week (www.tradeshowweek.com)

Trade Show Week is a great way to stay up to date on the latest industry news. You can read all about the latest labor issues with I & D workers as well as convention center updates and portable display news. In addition, you can purchase a directory of major exhibit halls and a buyer’s guide directory directly from their website. These valuable tools are a great way to make the most of your exhibiting experience.

7. The Trade Show Coach (www.thetradeshowcoach.com)

If you can get past the poor design of the website (you might feel like you’re watching a “get rich quick” infomercial instead of visiting the website of a trade show marketing professional), there is a lot of valuable information within the site. Susan Friedmann has years of experience in the trade show marketing industry, and she has written countless articles and books related to exhibiting. Her knowledge and advice has helped many trade show marketers make the most of their exhibiting programs.

MODdisplays now offers the ability to add a monitor mount to your popup display for only $140. The simple to use, low profile monitor mount allows you to mount any flat screen monitor between 19″ – 23″ to the front of your popup display. Despite the fact that our aluminum frames are extremely lightweight, they are designed to be able to hold multiple monitors and shelving units without any strength issues.

If you have any questions about adding monitor mounts to your popup displays, please let us know by calling 877.663.3976. We are always standing by to take your call.

Smartpak cases stand out because of their bright blue color, so there is no way you could possibly confuse them with another graphics case. Every Smartpak case we sell is designed to withstand the rigors of shipping and transportation, so you can be confident that your valuable trade show hardware will be protected. The crush resistant design of our Smartpak IQ case will ensure that the case itself lasts for years to come. Should anything happen to your Smartpak case, the case carries a 100% lifetime warranty. Simply send the case back and we will repair or replace the broken part at no cost to you.

Smartpak cases come with a top handle and durable wheels that make transportation easy. You’ll never have to carry your exhibiting materials from show to show again, simply roll them along in our durable case. As you can see, the Smartpak cases come in many different sizes, so you are sure to find the case that meets your needs at MODdisplays:

The most challenging aspect of exhibiting is logistics. In order to make sure that your booth staff, exhibit material, and promotional items all arrive in the same place in an organized way can be a daunting task, and many companies lose money when they underestimate the complexity of the situation.

Imagine arriving at a show that is hosted across the country from your office location only to find out that your trade show display has not arrived yet and will not arrive on time. This happens to thousands of exhibitors every year thanks to a lack of concern from companies in the portable trade show display industry.

It is important to work with a company who understands trade show logistics, and MODdisplays is that company. We work with a logistics team to plan shipments and coordinate with dock workers to ensure that your booth is pushed to the front of the lines when union workers are unloading at your venue. Although we use the same shipping methods used by other companies (UPS, FedEx, etc), we offer additional logistics services free of charge to ensure that your booth arrives on time and in good condition.

Our online store is synchronized with UPS in order to ensure that you always get rates that are accurate up to the minute. There will never be any surprise shipping charges when you use MODdisplays for your trade show display, because the rates are published on our web store. Simply add a product to your shopping cart and enter your zip code, and the store will calculate your shipping cost for the method you choose.  You will never pay a rush charge or other hidden fee at MODdisplays, because we want to get the job done as badly as you do.

At MODdisplays it’s simple. You pay a flat rate to have your trade show booth display arrive on time and in great condition.

Pre-show mailings used to be sent primarily by snail mail, but marketing emails are becoming more and more common. Using email marketing is a great way to give attendees an early glimpse of the products or services you will be showcasing at an upcoming event, and pre-show mailers are proven to increase traffic at trade shows. So how can you make sure that your emails get through to your target audience without being deleted or caught up in spam filters? I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to improve your email marketing campaigns, and here they are:

1.  Choose the right day to send your pre-show mailers. Emails that are sent on Sunday, Monday, Friday, or Saturday are 2x more likely to be deleted than emails sent on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. You can immediately double your success rate by picking the middle of the week.
2. Choose the right time of day to send your pre-show mailers. The best times of day to send pre-show mailers are mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Your target audience members are more likely to delete your email if they just arrived at work or are about to leave. Usually 10AM – 11AM is the time of day that I find to be most successful.
3. Avoid phrases that would lodge an email in your own spam filters. Using the words “free”, “sale”, “buy”, and “shop” are a perfect way to get caught by the spam filters. Instead, try words like “browse”, “learn”, and “visit”, as these words are much less likely to get caught in the spam filters.
4. Never send an email unless the recipient opted to receive emails from companies like yours. Being reported as a spammer is the last thing you want to happen to your company or your domain name. Technically, you are spamming whenever you send an email to an address that did not opt to receive emails from companies like your own. No one likes junk mail, so don’t add to the problem by spamming your potential clients’ mailbox.
5. Send multiple emails with the same subject line. If you plan to do multiple pre-show mailings, make sure that the subject line remains the same with every email you send. Doing this will build your brand recognition and help to connect the emails you send in the mind of attendees. If your brand is already recognizable before the trade show begins, half the battle has already been won.

In general, pre-show mailings are a great way to increase your ROI at trade shows, but be sure to follow these basic tips to avoid problems with deliverability.

Alumalite Displays have been one of the best selling and most popular trade show booth designs at MODdisplays, and we are proud to announce the release of our 10 x 20 Alumalite Displays. These 20ft wide exhibits retain the same unique look that the 10 x 10 Alumalite displays offer in a 10 x 20 package, and the cost of these displays is very competitive. Take a look at the Alumalite 10 x 20 package below and let us know what you think by adding a comment to this blog post!

The 10 x 20 Alumalite displays can be used as two separate 10 x 10 Alumalite displays without the need to add any additional hardware. If you need to exhibit at a smaller show, simply use one of the 10 x 10 sections and leave the rest at your office. Modular, hybrid trade show displays are the biggest sellers in the market right now, and this Alumalite offers everything you need to exhibit in multiple spaces without the hassle.

In addition to their modular design, the Alumalite is still the only display system on the market with the unique wave canopy. The canopy helps exhibitors stand out and make a big impact at their trade show without paying the exorbitant rates charged by custom exhibit houses.