If you’re thinking of attending a trade show for the first time and creating your exhibit, you’ll want to make sure that you get a return on your investment, but you’ll also need to figure out how much to invest. As with many things in life, like home renovations, trade show expenditures can quickly spiral out of control if you’re not careful. So, aside from ensuring you work with good exhibit services, how do you budget yourself for a trade show?

The Simple Rule

Every trade show will have its considerations, but if you want to start somewhere, a loose approximation of your budget is actually quite simple. Take the cost of whatever your exhibit fee is and multiply that by three. That’s it. So if your exhibit fee is $10000, then a rough estimate for your total trade show budget would be $30000.

Of course, there are many other factors to consider in addition to your own goals and priorities, but that rough guide will at least get you started on thinking about how to allocate your financial resources. In terms of breaking down costs, it goes something like this:

Exhibit Fee 30%

Your exhibit or booth fee should be the biggest investment in your budget. After all, it secures valuable space for an event that could conceivably give your business a big boost. Numerous factors, such as actual floor space and the prestige of the trade show itself, determine that cost.

Travel 20%

Transporting yourself and your staff, as well as accommodations and food, must be part of your budget. If people don’t have a way to get to the trade show, a place to sleep, or food, there’s little chance your efforts will succeed.

Exhibit Design 15%

Professional exhibit services get you professional results. It’s important if you want to make a good impression on attendees that you have a trade show presence that is effective and professional in presentation. Good exhibit services are a must for this.

Show Services 15%

If you need Internet access or just about anything else on the show floor, you’ll need access to show services. Make sure to allocate part of your budget for this, and plan for what you’ll need.

Shipping Charges 10%

You and your staff are not the only ones traveling. If you’re bringing along any special equipment or supplies, they will need to be shipped as well.

Marketing 10%

Last but not least, some promotion will be required, and this will be important to ensure you make an impression during the trade show.

If you want to work with professional exhibit services to ensure the success of your trade show investment, contact Lighthouse Exhibits. We can help.