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What's next?

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:50:57 GMT

We hope you have been enlightened by this column and feel comfortable enough to jump feet first into the rental market. While this column touched on many different facets of exhibit rentals, there is still plenty left uncovered. Feel free to give us a call at 214-343-2000 to discuss the many options available to you when renting an exhibit. The Trade Group has many offices conveniently located throughout the Southwest as well as one of the most unique rental selections available, including The Trade Group's proprietary line of exhibits—Metalli.

Avoid cookie-cutter rental exhibits

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:50:39 GMT

Once you have determined whether renting or purchasing is better for your company, make sure to do your homework before you jump into renting an exhibit. It's important to understand what your options are and where you should begin your search.

When asked why she chose to rent from an exhibit company such as The Trade Group (as opposed to a show manager), Reupke remarked, "You don't get the same consultation and creative approach with show contractors as you do with a company such as The Trade Group. With exhibit companies, you get to sit down with a group of people face-to-face and develop a flexible plan for multiple shows. You don't get that with show contractors."

Maximize your budget at the few shows your company attends

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:50:20 GMT

It's no secret that attending trade shows and conferences oftentimes consumes large portions of your budget, if not the entire thing. So if your company only plans to attend a few shows a year, regardless of whether it's ‘the show’ or smaller regional shows, why not maximize your budget by renting exhibits as opposed to purchasing them (which comes with additional costs that could be spent elsewhere)?

Purchasing exhibits makes a lot of sense for some companies, but not for all companies. For the companies that attend three to five shows a year, the economies of scale for purchasing an exhibit are in their favor. But for those companies that only want to attend a few shows a year, the cost of owning an exhibit can start sucking unnecessary dollars out of their already limited budgets (let's face it, as sales and marketing practitioners, budgets are always too small). If one were to break down the associated costs of owning an exhibit, you could begin to see a big difference. For those only attending a handful of shows a year, there's no need to pay for storage, maintenance and warehouse handling (costs that can add up quickly). Use that additional money to rent a larger exhibit or to truly ‘wine and dine’ those prospects.

Some exhibit companies will even offer rental programs for those that plan to attend multiple shows throughout the year but don’t want to invest in purchasing an exhibit or the associated hardware. These programs can be a viable option due to the cost savings and convenience. As the number of shows increase for your company, the cost to rent per show begins to decrease. There is also the added level of convenience to your company when engaging in such a program by not having to worry about installing and dismantling the exhibit at each show. Many rental programs will offer to set up and dismantle your exhibit for you and your company at each show, keeping you from having to lift a finger. This allows you to concentrate on executing the perfect show—not on the logistics of your exhibit.

It's time to make a splash

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:49:55 GMT

One of the most common scenarios for renting an exhibit in addition to or instead of purchasing is to make your mark at the one show that everyone is going to be at—your most despised competitors as well as your most sought after prospects. It's that one show that looms larger than any other show during the year. Every industry has ‘that one show.' In the back of your mind, you keep telling yourself the 10’ x 10’ that has been used at every other show doesn't stand a chance of accurately representing your company at ‘this event.'

Or maybe the splash you are really trying to make isn't designed to upsize your competitors while overwhelming your prospects, but to announce a major change with your organization. This is what Patty Reupke, SVP of marketing for Accuro Healthcare Solutions, had in mind. Accuro Healthcare Solutions owns and operates three separate but complementary companies that share the same target audience, advertise in the same trade publications and generally exhibit at the same conferences. Therefore, to optimize efficiencies, Accuro decided to consolidate many of its operational functions and to transition to a master brand. This strategy was to be announced at their next show, one of the larger ones in their industry.

"At the time we had disparate images and brands," Reupke stated, "so we put together a brand strategy to move these different brands to one consolidated brand. This upcoming show is our first opportunity to introduce the new consolidated brand." While Accuro typically utilizes a 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’ exhibit, they wanted to take this opportunity to design a customized 20’ x 40’ exhibit to fit the needs and requirements of this one show.

Flexibility of attending multiple shows simultaneously

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:49:07 GMT

In a growing economy highlighted by expanding markets, it's not surprising that your company could come across multiple shows taking place at the same time that you would like to attend. Considering that a large number of companies sell into more than one market, you may frequently find yourself attending shows with differing requirements. When your company faces the dilemma of attending two shows at the same time with only one exhibit, renting the additional exhibit quickly becomes a viable and beneficial option.

Even when shows are a week or two apart, dismantling and shipping your exhibit to the next show turns into a logistical nightmare. No one needs that unnecessary stress added to an already stressful situation. By renting the additional exhibit, you're creating a number of options for that next show that you otherwise would not have had. If you believe in maintaining a consistent exhibit design to help prospects associate your exhibit with your company, then you can always rent an exhibit similar to the one you own. Or, if the event pulls a different demographic, you may want to rent a completely different exhibit (size and design) in order to specifically meet prospects' expectations for that event.

To Rent of Not to Rent...

TTG — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:48:37 GMT

In today's society, there always seems to be one question looming over each of us. From the cars we drive, to our places of residence, to the exhibit floors in Las Vegas. Should I rent or buy? Everyone has the answer, yet it's a topic that never seems to disappear. Truth be told, the answer to that timeless question still varies as much today as it always has, depending on the situation and those involved. Same goes for companies who are trying to decide between renting an exhibit and purchasing an exhibit.

It most likely goes without saying, but there are as many variables for your company to consider when deciding to rent or purchase an exhibit as there are when trying to decide whether to lease or purchase that Mercedes CLS 600 coupe.

The difference between purchasing an exhibit and renting one can mean a difference of tens of thousands of dollars. For some companies, purchasing an exhibit and all the necessary accessories makes complete sense. For other companies, renting an exhibit is economically the smarter choice. But where does the line begin and end? When does it make more sense for a company to allocate additional portions of their budget to purchasing instead of renting?

What are the reasons for choosing one over the other? Read on to determine where the line between lies.