Member Benefit: Trade Show Booth Design and Production

Member Benefit: Trade Show Booth Design and Production

Whether you are ready for a major fix-and-flip, want to expand your footprint or think you should downsize, Jared MacKenzie of mackenzie EXHIBIT inc., says now's an ideal time to make changes to your trade show booth, especially because OIA members can get 10 percent off. For the past three decades, the team at mackenzie EXHIBIT has helped clients in Canada, the U.S. and Europe design, build, refurbish, install, transport and store their trade show booths and exhibits. They also offer retail and showroom design services. In a recent blog post on their website, the Mackenzie team notes that it's "almost impossible to start too early" when prepping for an upcoming trade show. With Outdoor Retailer Summer Market just 100 days away, we reached out to company president Jared MacKenzie to find out what exhibitors should know in the months leading up to the big event. Learn about booth and other trade show discounts as well as a wide range of business savings available to OIA members OIA: On average, what is the average lifespan of a trade show booth when you consider the wear and tear from setup, breakdown, traffic throughout the show, transport, storage as well as changing trends and business needs? Jared MacKenzie: That depends on the client and show usage. Is the booth used once a year? It could last for four to five years with minor tweaks to the structure but major graphic and key story changes. In the case of the Outdoor Retailer show being twice a year, I would say three years is a good run before a refresh is wanted or needed. This does not mean the entire booth needs to be redesigned; the structure can often be modified with some simple changes to give it a fresh new feel. We have clients who do a new booth for every show or at least once a year to make sure their marketing message is current. OIA: What are the 5 most important things to consider when shopping for a new booth or making significant updates to an existing one? JM: In no order of importance: Budget. Determine your total budget, keeping in mind that there are actually two budget categories. The bigger of the two is the capital expenditure of the new exhibit itself. In most cases, that amount will be amortized over three years. The smaller but equally important category is service & handling, which covers transport to and from the trade show site, installation, dismantle on site, material handling, electrical power, lighting and signage. Communicate your budget clearly to the exhibit builder. Why shop for Ferraris on an Audi budget? Audis are plenty nice. As part of our service, we assist in preparing all the information to assist in determining these per-show expense budgets. Value. What value are you looking to get from the budget? Is it a beautiful design? Is it the function of the booth? On-site support? Lots of firms can design a spectacular exhibit. Can they build it? Can they support it? Will the design support the function? That question is often overlooked. Brand message. What message is this booth supposed to convey? How will this message work with the design and function (meeting rooms / presentation areas / general flow) of the booth? Timeline. You know you are going to the show; your space has been booked for six months. Try not to wait until June to send an RFP out for an August show. The sooner you start, the more time you will have for design changes and collaboration to get what you are looking for, and that's a good thing. Partner. Does your exhibit partner know the show? Do you want someone who specializes in auto shows designing a booth for an apparel company? Find an exhibit partner with shared values and to whom you would be an important client. Did you know: OIA members get 10-percent off their booth fee with Outdoor Retailer and new OIA member clients will receive a 10-percent discount off their design and management fee with mackenzie EXHIBIT. Learn more. OIA: What are the biggest mistakes exhibitors make with trade show booths? JM: They do not allocate their budgets well. Make the booth work first. The easy part is making it look good. Make sure there is room for growth, both in product range and booth traffic. It's better to plan a bit bigger in this sense. You can always shrink the footprint or layout but growing it has an added cost. Timelines are important as well. Plan with enough time to do it well and on budget. OIA: How can a company maximize their booth space, both from a usability standpoint over time as well as from a cost standpoint? And what about square-footage standpoint? JM: Use aisle space. Focus on what is needed for meeting spaces versus open showrooms or product displays. We've done some great designs where we've recommended that clients get two 20×30-foot spaces across the aisle from each other, which makes the aisle feel like a part of the booth. Traffic adds excitement, no matter what show it is. OIA: If a company is exhibiting at a show for the first time and is not ready to commit to buying a booth, what options do they have? JM: For first-time exhibitors, it may be best to consider a custom rental option. This allows you to assess the show without making a major cost commitment. It also allows for more flexibility if at the next show you decide to attend you can not get the same footprint or you want to make changes. We offer clients a one-third credit of the rental cost toward a new exhibit purchase if they purchase within six months of their initial rental. In addition to the discount that OIA members get on their booth registration fees at Outdoor Retailer, members can take advantage of a 10-percent discount on booth design and management services with Mackenzie. Visit our member benefits page to learn more about trade show and other business savings that are part of your OIA membership.