Trade Show Marketing Blog

Designing trade show graphics can be a daunting challenge, especially for a graphic designer who lacks experience in large format printing. Using bold images and large text is a great way to garner attention, but it may weaken your marketing efforts if the final product does not reflect well on your company. Creating a simple design for your exhibit is easy, but creating a simple design that communicates your company’s message is a challenge for any designer.

So how do you know you can trust MODdisplays to create a professional, simple graphic design that will work for your company?

• We staff professional graphic designers that are well trained in the principles of exhibit design. Our graphic designers understand the need for high-impact graphics that are simple enough to convey your message in a short amount of time. Having spent time interacting with exhibits and attending trade shows, our exhibit designers understand what it takes to exhibit well.
• Browse our website to find past examples of high-quality exhibit design. Our clean, modern approach is recognized across the portable trade show industry, and is easily distinguishable from the graphic design work of other companies. Our graphic design department works much like a marketing firm by analyzing your exhibiting goals and creating a solution that effectively presents your company to your target audience.
•  Compare the design of our website to the design of other websites in our industry. When you realize how little time and effort other companies spend on their own marketing presence, why would you trust them with your marketing presence? In the same way that our website is simple, clean, and intuitive, our large format graphic design is simple, clean, and effective.
• Because we offer our graphic design services for free, you can rest assured that you’ll never waste a single dollar on graphic design with MODdisplays. Even if you staff your own graphic designers, why not save their time for something else and put our designers to work for you?

You only have three seconds to grab the attention of a passing visitor or attendee, so make those seconds count by utilizing MODdisplays free exhibit graphic design services.

Portable trade show displays are the wave of the future. Rising gas prices have resulted in increased transportation costs, which encourages exhibitors to buy trade show booths that can be shipped all around the country via UPS or FedEx. Standard exhibits must be shipped in advance to pre-show warehouses in order to be set up by unionized drayage personnel, while portable exhibits can be wheeled directly onto the show floor to be assembled by your own staff members.

Although portable exhibits got their start in smaller spaces (table top displays and 10′ x 10′ spaces), they are now becoming popular choices in large spaces such as 20′ x 20′ islands and 10′ x 30′ inline sections. Because portable exhibits have taken on a much more custom feel in recent years, they have the appearance of a personlized exhibit designed by a custom exhibit house.  With the ability to add a wide variety of accessories such as monitor mounts, literature holders, product shelves, reception counters, and demo kiosks, exhibits can take on a new look for each exhibitor without needing to be custom-designed every time. Through the use of stocked, modular components, exhibiting in a variety of spaces with custom-looking exhibits is more affordable and practical than ever.

Offering visitors and attendees a comfortable place to rest is a great way to attract them to your trade show booth. A long day on the trade show floor will take a toll on almost anyone, and potential clients will be eager to relax in your comfortable director chairs. MODdisplays also offers director chairs with logo options, as well as fully-printed director chairs.

Our trade show furniture is affordable and durable, and many of our clients find that it works well in the context of larger exhibits. If you go the extra mile and brand your trade show accessories, you will find that your investment will pay off as potential clients visit your space. Their perception of your company will only improve with every branded accessory you add.

One of the great aspects of online display shopping is that you have a wealth of knowledge at your finger tips.  MODdisplays is always striving to add more information about our products on our site in an easy to navigate manor.   That is why we have been adding when possible instructions, templates, additional photos and other helpful items.

We also strive to be as straight forward as possible with pricing and what that pricing includes.  So when you see a display on our site with added accessories and full graphics you can be assured that all that is included in the price and when in doubt scroll down on the product page to find the “Purchase Price Includes” heading for a list of what that product includes.

We understand that many online companies will advertise images of displays with graphics and added features and then give prices that don’t include any of those items.   We don’t even charge set up charges, so there are no hidden cost.  Even our graphic design services are free with the purchase of any display with graphics, including banner stands and table top displays.   The only other cost is shipping and that can be easily calculated out on the check out page if you add your zip code.  There you can see all your shipping options and associated cost.

We keep our prices compative, but we realize the hundreds of online stores selling displays on the web.   So if you like MODdisplays style of business and our value added services but find a lower price from another company on a comparable product, let us know and we will match or beat that price.  And even when we match prices you can still take advantage of our free services like rendering and design, as well as our excelent customer service.  So shop with confidence on our online store.

Looking for an inexpensive way to make a big impact at your next trade show? Look no further than MODdisplays. We currently offer a complete 10ft Popup Display with full graphics, lights, and a durable case that converts to a counter for only $1,835. If that’s not enough, we offer free graphic design with the purchase of this display and any other trade show display we sell. Most popup displays take 6 - 8 hours of design work, and most companies in our industry charge $75 - $150 per hour, which means you could spend as much as $1,200 for design alone with another company.

If you’re worried that our popup display won’t meet your quality guidelines, don’t be. We don’t cut any corners with the construction of your frame, the design of your graphics, or the production process for your graphics. We feel confident that our popup system would stand up against any other system on the market in a close inspection.

Now that you know you can have an entire 10ft popup display with free graphic design for $1,835, why would you buy anywhere else?

If you want your trade show display to blend in and look the same as every other booth at your next event, then you’ve found the wrong company. At MODdisplays, we are tired of boring, mundane exhibits, and we believe that a great look can be achieved with any size budget and any size space. We’re interested in working with customers who are looking for a creative approach to exhibit design, and we work best by being creative and coming up with new and exciting exhibits. Below is an example of a creative new 10 x 30 XRline display we designed. If you like what you see, put us to work for your company today.

In the most recent edition of Exhibitor Magazine, editor Travis Stanton wrote about his recent quest to find the source of a troubling statistic. Originally published in an article for Trade Show Week, a report was supposedly issued by the Environmental Protection Agency which claims that trade shows are the second biggest source of commercial waste in the United States. After six months of digging, Stanton finally got to the bottom of the issue by contacting the Trade Show Week writer (Lisa Plummer) directly. The report never existed.

Stanton goes on to analyze how a statistic with no supporting evidence made its way into countless articles and press releases over the past few months. He concludes that it is the “hunger for answers and data” related to green exhibiting that drove the article to be written and the unfounded statistic to be quoted again and again. Stanton does well to bring the truth to light without embarrassing Lisa Plummer, who wrote the original article.

With a well written article behind him, Stanton then makes the quintessential blunder that we see all too often with members of the media. Tossed haphazardly into an otherwise well written article is a paragraph designed to create fear and unnecessarily clutter the green exhibiting landscape. According to Stanton, “Green exhibiting is a tad scary on several levels.” Let’s take a look at those levels:

Level 1 - “…exhibitors are justifiably afraid of being perceived as greenwashers.”

Exhibitors may be afraid, but their fear is not justifiable. (”Greenwashing” is defined as: disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.) Companies can easily stave off any accusations of greenwashing by taking a few simple steps:

• Make sure you purchase an eco-friendly trade show display in the first place. Do your research, and seek out companies with a commitment to environmental responsibility. Ask for details regarding the sustainability of your exhibit, and make sure the details provided line up with your idea of what constitutes a green exhibit.
• Take information regarding your green exhibit to the trade show with you, so that you can prove your claims if needed.
• Most importantly, don’t worry about what other companies think of you. Set out to do the right thing for your company, and ignore the jabs from your competitors. Any worthwhile trade show marketing strategy will have an eye on the long term, and if you go green before it’s fashionable, you’ll eventually (if not immediately) be pleased with your decision.

Level 2 - “…suppliers are unsure what constitutes a green exhibit in the first place,”

*Insert buzzer noise* Wrong.

Every manufacturer knows exactly what constitutes a green exhibit. Most suppliers are not unsure about what it takes to go green, they are unsure about how they can go green without incurring the massive costs associated with a complete overhaul of their production systems. In the coming years, manufacturers who delay in undertaking the overhaul will be floundering (thanks in large part to exhibitors nationwide who have decided to take a stand). Manufacturers may be unsure about what it will look like for their company in particular to go green, but they certainly understand what constitutes a green exhibit. Just in case there is any doubt, I’ll make it clear for all you manufacturers out there:

• Green displays have to be lightweight and portable.
• Green displays have to be made from recycled and recyclable materials.
• Green displays have to be produced in low-emissions, low-waste facilities that would stand up to inspections made by distributors of green exhibits (like MODdisplays).
• Green displays should be modular.
• Green displays should last longer than standard displays.
• Green displays should not be made from toxic/harmful materials.
• Green displays should not be made from scarce/endangered materials.

If you don’t believe that manufacturers know what it takes to go green, take a look at Pascale Engineering, a producer of portable exhibits. They were green long before it was fashionable. Their facility is powered 100% by wind energy, and they produce exhibits from recycled and recyclable materials. Their products are designed to pack into small, lightweight cases (similar exhibits require a number of heavy cases to acheive the same effect), and every exhibit they sell is modular (you can use every part in many different configurations, eliminating the need to produce specific pieces for each specific need). The entire facility throws away less trash per day than an average family of four (given their scale of production, this is absolutely astounding), and they publish facts about their eco-efforts for all to read.

Level 3 - “…everyone’s more than a little apprehensive about the sizeable initial investment it allegedly takes to go green”

Mr. Stanton, I’m glad you said allegedly. Our customers don’t seem the slightest bit apprehensive because our eco-friendly booths simply don’t cost any more than exhibits that are not environmentally-friendly. At MODdisplays, we serve customers who are looking for custom-looking exhibits at a costs that would make custom exhibit houses cringe, and we can do it for our customers thanks to the modular capabilities of our display systems.

The 26% premium exhibitors allegedly pay for green exhibits is a fact of the current market thanks largely to manufacturers and distributors who don’t know what they’re doing. You won’t pay that premium at MODdisplays.

Let’s stop scaring exhibitors away from green booths by planting unnecessary worries in their minds. There are companies out there who know what it takes to go green, and who can help you do it for less money than you might think possible. Our exhibitors aren’t scared of being labeled as greenwashers because they are confident that they have made an honest effort to go green.

The XRline NLC1 Locking Counter is the newest locking trade show counter system we offer. The base of the counter is made from lightweight plywood and DiBond (aluminum mounted to rigid plastic), and the oval top surface of the counter is also made from lightweight plywood. Two interior shelves provide plenty of space for storing trade show literature, products, or promotional giveaways, and the system locks securely using a key.

This counter system comes in a variety of laminate colors (including Graphite Nebula, Fusion Maple, Silver Metal, Black, and Designer White), which allows you to customize the look of your locking counter to blend well with the rest of your trade show display booth. The sleek, modern look of this system works best with our XRline displays, but this trade show counter can be used with any system we offer.

In addition to being an excellent counter solution by itself, the NLC1 can also serve as a “nesting” counter. This means it can nest against the back wall of your display and serve as a back wall counter without any modifications to the hardware of the system. Exhibitors who are looking for flexibility and freedom often find the NLC1 to be a useful locking counter system.

If you have any questions about the locking counter systems we offer, give us a call at 877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays.com.

If you’re unsure of what size table you will be exhibiting with at your next trade show, but you want to add a logo to the table, why not try one of our table runners? We offer a 24″ table runner and a 30″ wide table runner, and each can be printed with your logo to maximize your branding efforts.

Every table runner we sell can be turned around in as little as one day, so don’t panic if you need something in a hurry. We also sell a wide variety of table covers for trade shows, including sleek, modern table covers.

If you’re looking for an enormous retractable banner stand, look no further than the Expand Media Screen XL. It may be hard to visualize using only the images presented online, but this banner stand is absolutely huge. With a maximum width of 47″ and a maximum height of 117″, the Expand Media Screen XL dwarfs the market’s most popular banner stand (31.5″ wide by 78″ high).

These banner stands work extremely well as graphic walls in large open areas. Lining up three to five of these banner stands will create the illusion of a massive wall displaying your company’s branding images. As shown in the image at the left, the Expand Media Screen XL banner stands work very well when hooked together.

If you’re interested in purchasing one or more of these banner stands, please give us a call at 877.663.3976 or email sales@moddisplays.com for more information.