Benjamin Franklin once quipped, ‘In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’
He failed to mention a third certainty, however—that choosing the wrong trade show partner is one of the most costly mistakes you’ll ever make.
(Since Franklin died in 1790 and the world’s first international trade show wasn’t until 1851, we can forgive him for this oversight.)
Our article picks out the seven major red flags to avoid when choosing a trade show partner.
1. Lack of communication at the outset
We’re not going to beat around the bush (and we’re pretty sure you know this already)—planning a trade show is a huge financial and time commitment.
You’re investing a large chunk of your energy and company budget into creating an experience that resonates with your ideal customers.
The least you should expect in return from your trade show partner is total transparency and consistent communication.
And yet, based on the conversations we’ve had with clients, it appears some companies are falling short in this area.
This is not acceptable.
Given the heavy upfront investment, what’s at stake, and the different moving parts involved in a trade show project, you should immediately feel confident your partner will:
A) Communicate essential details from the beginning.
B) Be transparent and set expectations of costs.
C) Provide a clear timeline that maps out what will be done and when.
If your trade show partner isn’t ticking all three of these boxes, it’s time to look elsewhere.
2. Lack of administrative expertise
Creating a beautiful booth design is a major milestone, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
You need a full-service trade show partner that can cover much more than just design and fabrication.
When we say “full-service,” these are just some of the additional areas we’re referring to:
- Storage (pre-and post-show)
- Shipping
- Installation
- Dismantling
- Show services coordination
A lot of exhibit houses simply don’t have the experience or resources in these areas.
This lack of expertise only adds more work onto your plate and makes planning the perfect show that bit more difficult.
Even if you were to outsource some of these services to different third-party providers, this would require a great deal of coordination and plate spinning on your part.
That’s a level of stress you don’t need.
But knowing all of your creative, logistical, and administrative needs are being looked after by one company—and knowing that everyone is on the same page?
That’s peace of mind worth paying for.
Related: Trade Show Planning And Logistics: A Practical Guide To Save Time And Money
3. Churning rather than creating
Some exhibitors want a simple, straightforward, no-frills booth that does what it says on the tin.
There is absolutely a time and place for that, and we’re not denouncing this approach—but it’s only going to get them so far. There’s only so much business a generic booth will help you drum up.
Given the money you’re spending, how much you care about your business, and how determined you are to make a lasting impression with the right people, you don’t want to feel as though you’re limited by the banality of your booth design. You don’t want to simply ‘blend in with the crowd’ and be forgotten about.
You want to create immersive experiences through storytelling assets—which is exactly what we provide.
We don’t churn out templated designs that we’ve used for a hundred other companies. We create unique, meticulously crafted exhibits that capture the most intricate details of your business and turn heads on even the most crowded trade show floor.
4. Lack of social proof
Any trade show service providers can shout from the rooftops about how great they are, and lots of companies do at almost any opportunity.
But how many of these companies can support their claims with consistent evidence of expertise?
From our experience—not many.
Before you pick up the phone or send an email to a company you’re interested in working with on your next trade show, make sure you do your homework on them to see what social proof they have, if any.
This could be client testimonials on YouTube, case studies on the company website, or award wins.
You get the idea.
You need tangible proof that this company knows what it’s doing and has the credentials to meet your expectations.
If you’re not getting a sense for this even after digging around on the internet (and let’s face it, you can find out just about anything on the internet these days), that’s a red flag you shouldn’t ignore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5pQXBHYE8o
5. Not thinking long-term
There are exhibit houses out there that take the ‘one and done’ approach.
They give the client a design to take to their next trade show, get paid for their service, and never speak to that client again.
If you’ve ever worked with a company like this, you know how it feels to find yourself back at square one after the show is over.
It’s rather disheartening when your trade show partner shows little to no interest in building a relationship, assisting you with future trade shows, or helping you go a step further.
That’s why we created our Exhibit Management Program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFH1KmbOKhQ
We wanted to create a turnkey solution that serves our clients all year round, whether they have one trade show or multiple trade shows per year.
This program covers everything from shipping and inventory to managing on-site issues and show services.
Put simply, it reaffirms our commitment to going above and beyond for our clients rather than simply being an order-taker.
We’re in it for the long haul, not just for one show.
6. Lack of specialist industry knowledge
We’ve all heard or used the phrase ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ at some point.
But this figure of speech doesn’t fly when we’re talking about a six- or seven-figure trade show project.
You cannot afford to work with a generalist exhibit house if you’re in a hyper-specific niche with its own unique challenges, regulations, clients, pain points, and nuances.
If you do, you’re taking a huge gamble with your money, as there’s no guarantee that your trade show partner will come up with something that captures all of the above and generates a return on your investment.
But if you work with a partner that has a proven track record across multiple verticals—one of which is yours—the chances of achieving a strong ROI are significantly higher.
Scroll to the bottom of our homepage, and you’ll see that we have team members who specialize in specific verticals.
Our bread-and-butter industries are:
- Automotive
- Aviation
- Cybersecurity
- Defense
- Gaming
- Healthcare
- Food & Beverage
- Residential
We know these industries like the back of our hand.
If you’re in one of these industries and need help with your next trade show, we can hit the ground running.
7. Lack of a clear project management process
Anyone who’s been involved in the planning phase of a trade show project knows the importance of good organization—and how critical it is not to let timings slip.
In an ideal world, you should give your trade show partner six months’ advance notice about a show you’re planning to attend.
They then need to do their bit and make sure everything is in order two to three weeks before the show so that you’re in the best position to make a big impact.
Failure to stay on top of everything from the word ‘Go’ and not having a clear project management process in place could result in last-minute chaos and things going wrong at the worst time.
This is clearly the last thing you want when you’re paying a company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
To avoid complete chaos, we have a solid project management process that outlines clear milestones and deadlines, and we make sure we hit those deadlines.
We use tools such as Monday.com, Slack, Trello, and Otter.ai to ensure everything stays on track, there’s a clear paper trail, and you always know where things are up to.
Say goodbye to red flags and hello to reliability
Throughout this article, we’ve given examples of how we streamline trade show planning and execution. Now it’s time to see for yourself why we’re the best partner for you.
We’ve helped businesses like yours create cutting-edge custom trade show exhibits since 1986.
If you’re interested in partnering with us for your next event, send us a note here or give us a call at 800-343-2005 to get the ball rolling.
