It’s the perennial challenge for exhibitors and trade show companies: figuring out ways to stand out from the competition. You’ve gone through all your pitches and presentations with a fine-tooth comb. You’ve made sure all members of your group look presentable. You’ve done everything you can think to do to give yourself and your team a leg up.
But as you look around at the other companies in your midst, you notice something else. Other people are actually still setting up bits and pieces of their booths, rushing here and there to make sure everything’s in place, and making sure the setup crew got it right. “But the show starts in 90 minutes,” you think to yourself, with a sudden rush of gratitude for your portable trade show exhibit.
Thanks to your decision to go portable at this year’s events, you and your team got there early and had your exhibit ready to go with 90 minutes to spare. “Why on earth isn’t everyone opting for portable to complement their program?” you ask yourself as you calmly watch the last-minute hectic buzz around you. Why?
Frankly, we don’t know. (We’re doing our best to get the word out.)
In the meantime, here’s what trade show companies agree are the 4 massive benefits to investing in a portable exhibit.
1. Greater Peace Of Mind
Without a doubt, one of the greatest benefits offered by portable exhibits from trade show companies is the enhanced peace of mind they bring. Portable exhibits and their respective components are just that: portable.
Whether you’re dealing with a banner stand, a movable flooring section, floor lights, or anything else, you’ll be able to transport and set up your display with ease. What does this give you that other companies lack on event day? Peace of mind in knowing how quick and simple your display will be to set up.
That may seem like a small benefit. But think again. Your competitors will have a hard time quickly switching from the rush of setting up a booth to the calm professionalism they’ll need once the show starts. You and your team, on the other hand, have been stress-free and ready to go for over an hour.
People will feel that when they come around to your exhibit. And we promise you, they’ll feel the residual lag and stress in the voices and faces of those employees of the other companies. And not only will they feel your positivity in the moment, but they’ll remember it two weeks down the road when they pull out your business card.
Portability brings peace of mind…and peace of mind pays handsomely.
2. Who Doesn’t Love Regional Mobility?
Portable trade show exhibits also give you the gift of regional mobility. Is there an event two hours down the road that you and your team would like to attend? Simple enough. Just pack your up portable exhibit and off you go. No hassle around finding and hiring a crew to help with your exhibit.
But consider this. Beyond regional mobility, portable exhibits also give you the tremendous gift of team mobility. Is your organization one of the bigger players among your competitors? It might be worth your time to invest in two or even three portable exhibits, and send different teams to attend different regional events.
That would also be an excellent way to highlight different aspects of your company or services that you offer. Are you in high-end landscaping, but you also do custom architectural work? You could target different events in various locations with different aspects of your services in mind.
Regional mobility gives you ready access to the events you want to be at. And team mobility allows you to exercise what we like to call “strategic attendance.”
3. An Uncluttered Aesthetic
One of the most grievous sins committed by trade show companies is their all-too-human drive to impress at all costs. And in this context, that typically means visual flashiness, expensive props and similar bells and whistles. Now, if that’s your style, there’s absolutely nothing about a portable exhibit that’s stopping you.
But as with most things in life, we’d recommend substance over flair. And one effective way to signal that to others is the use of minimalism. Portable exhibits play into this exquisitely. These days, you’ll see lots of exhibits are just too overdone. Oversized banners, awkwardly large flooring sections, lighting that’s impossible to handle and even more difficult to use…who designs these things anyway? (Hint: not us.)
The practical simplicity of a portable exhibit means that when people filter over to talk to you, their attention is right where it should be: on you. Your uncluttered aesthetic will also rub off on your visitors and help put them at ease, which is never a bad thing.
4. A Wise Investment
It’s undeniable at a certain point: if your company attends trade shows more than a certain number of times per year, a portable exhibit is an investment.
With a portable exhibit, you pay once. That means you won’t be paying trade show companies to haul, set up, and possibly even create a new exhibit for you with every trade show you attend. A lot of other companies look at their exhibits as investments too, surely. But they see them as investments that have to be recouped with each new event. Why would you sign up for that headache and budgetary uncertainty with each new event? 100% of your attention should go toward getting more business.
Now, with a portable exhibit, it can.
Summing Up
Trade shows and related events can be stressful experiences even for the most seasoned attendees. But they don’t have to be. Especially now that you know about the power of portable exhibits.
Now, you don’t need to fret over professional setup crews, being high on clutter and low on substance, or repeatedly recouping your investment in a booth or exhibit. A portable trade show exhibit gives you peace of mind, regional and team mobility for strategic event attendance, financial security, and more.
Think deeper for your next trade show or related event. Being effective is about more than choosing the right events, or selecting the right members of your team for attendance. It’s even about more than your industry or which trade show companies you work with. It’s about how you show up.
For your next event, go portable.
