4.0 Choosing and negotiating space at a show

At this point, I suggest that you do 3 (three) things:
1) Prepare a rough floor plan for your exhibit,
2) Write up a spread sheet to analyze the variable costs that you may incur (based on the items in Section 1.1 Costs that you should factor into doing a show), and
3) Start a flow chart of all the steps and items that you will need to put your exhibit and presentations together

Choosing the space:

You must first decide how much space you need for the show. A good start would be to do a rough floor-plan of how you would exhibit at the show - What will you present, and how will you present it? You should have a good basic idea of your exhibit concept. - Even if it is a basic 10’ x 10’ exhibit.

If you are doing a show for the first time, a smaller space may be a good way to establish some initial activity (or presence) at the show. Base your decision on what you want to display at the show, how you want to present yourself, and what you can afford.

From your rough floor-plan (and factoring in the space costs) you should determine your space needs. And, there are some obvious needs for you to consider in your plan.

Firstly, you must remember that you want to attract people into your exhibit - They will be walking by, and your exhibit will be among many that will be trying to get their attention. Your floor-plan should allow the show attendees to look at your exhibit and know what it’s all about. They should be able to see your products in a relatively uncluttered setting. And, if there are certain items that could be strong attractions, they should be the most prominently displayed.

This is true even for a service business - The attendees will be passing-by, and have only a moment to understand who you are and what you have to offer. So, your signage and props should be presented in an eye-catching and unobstructed way.

How many people will you have working in your exhibit space? - This is important, because they will be taking up space there. And, you must consider the fact that each person that you have working in your exhibit space may be making a presentation to one or more people. Very often buyers from medium or larger companies travel in groups of several people. You, or your sales people, may find yourself talking to three people from the same company.

So, if you and one or two others from your company are going to be working at the show, you should have a space sufficient to allow the visitors privacy of conversation, and ability to freely move around the space to view the products exhibited.

How many pieces will you have at the show, and what are their floor dimensions? - The exhibit should be set-up to allow complete viewing of your samples or information props (signs, video players, etc.). And, visitors should be allowed sufficient space to comfortably move around the exhibit to fully view them (that is, give them enough space to stand back and look at the whole piece).

Do you want to make group presentations or hold seminars in your space? - You would first have to find out if this is allowable in the exhibit spaces. Perhaps there are certain spaces set aside for this. Discuss this with the show representative that is negotiating the space with you. There may be minimum space requirements.

Are there any obstructions in or around your space? - Again, look at the show floor plan, and the space that is being offered to you. There are support columns, exit doors, air conditioning ducts, and other permanent structural things through-out the show floor.

If there is a support column that is in your apace, you must consider how it is going to affect your exhibit. It is the same if a large column is next to your space, and it juts out - This may lessen your visibility at the show. You must look at them and determine how they will affect your exhibit.

Negotiating the space:

Many shows will have uniformly sized spaces, or at least similar sized spaces, grouped in sections. You want to make sure that your space is not in a section where it will “disappear” among larger exhibits. So, it is important that you study the show’s floor-plan, and refer to it while you are negotiating with the agent that is renting the space to you.

Get a clear understanding of all items and services that are included with the space rental - Signage, flooring, walls, labor, cleaning and any other service. Anything not included, you would have to negotiate with a show vendor, or the Official Show Contractor

Where do you want to be in the show? - In a popular show, you may have little choice. And, you will have to choose the best available space. But, if you manage to book early, you may have more choices. So, planning ahead is important.

Most shows have simple grid structures - So, your considerations will be if you want to be in a center aisle or end aisle; if you want to be near the entrances or away from them; and, if you want to be near or away from certain other types of exhibits. And, there are various opinions about all of these options.

Some exhibitors want to be located at the entranceways as the attendees will see their booths first as they come into the show. But, other exhibitors feel that with the busy foot-traffic at the entranceways, it discourages people from stopping at those exhibits.

Depending on the structure of the show, the center aisles may have more foot-traffic, as these aisles may lead to other sections of the venue. But, the downside of this is that many of those people may simply be using those aisles for quick transit to some pre-determined destination - They will not even be looking at the exhibits along the way. And again, the busy activity in those aisles may discourage people from leisurely looking at the exhibits.

As I mentioned before, if you are able to attend a show where you are interested in exhibiting, you can study the peculiarities of the attendees at that show. But, keep in mind that any reasonably located space may serve your purpose.

You must consider the fact that those attendees who are visiting shows with the intention of buying new products or services will fully utilize their time at the show. And this will include making it a point to cover the whole show floor. So, those spaces at the end aisles and the far corners of the show may not see as much foot-traffic as some other sections - But, the attendees looking at these exhibits will be serious buyers.

If you are going to hold group presentations or seminars - What are the space requirements or available accommodations? - Again, you would discuss this with the show representative leasing the space to you. If you cannot do this in your own space, there may be separate rooms available. Typically, there is an hourly charge for this.

Find out about their availability, and negotiate a schedule that would accommodate the attendees that you wish to attract. Make sure you are not in conflict with other presentations or seminars that would compete with yours.

Electric, carpentry, flooring. Video presentations (venue labor rules) - These may have to be negotiated with various providers or through the show management. Find out, and work out the costs with them.

Walls - There may be walls included, or your neighbors may already be putting up walls - Ask the show management. If your neighbors are putting up walls, find out what the sides facing your exhibit look like. You may be satisfied with them, or you may want to enhance your exhibit with your own walls.