Trade Show FAQs—Why Exhibit?
Why attend and exhibit at an industry trade show? Break into the market, talk shop, swap industry goss... No matter you’re reason, we’ll help you build an unforgettable booth.
Ready to get out and network, meet new clients, boost brand awareness, showcase a new product, and find inspiration?
It might be time to sign up for a tradeshow.
For practically every industry, tradeshows are the ideal venue to discover new trends, see what your competition is up to, and find friends in your field. Whether you’re in real estate, auto, interior design, dentistry, or the food service industry, you’re likely to find a national (or international!) gathering of cohorts in your very own Chicago backyard.
Why exhibit?
There are lots of great reasons to attend a tradeshow, but why exhibit? Here are some of our favorite reasons:
Break into the market.
Are you new to the scene? Definitely register for a tradeshow. Building name and brand recognition is key to breaking into any industry, and creating connections with other industry titans is essential to your success.
Establish yourself as a leader in your field.
Only the big dogs show up with a booth: No one will question your industry knowledge if you position your company as experts in your industry.
Convert sales.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a booth is worth a million. Even in our age of virtual meetings and webinars, there’s nothing quite as powerful as shaking hands, sharing a smile, or slapping backs with a new potential client. Connections matter—perhaps now more than ever—and you’re bound to make inroads at a tradeshow.
Making a Booth: What to Know, from the SBT Experts
All that sounds great, but how complicated is it to get ready for an exhibition? What’s the cost, time commitment, and overall headache?
We can help with that (and keep the hassle to a minimum).
What’s the average cost of a custom tradeshow booth?
At the top end, custom booths can be several hundred thousand dollars—you can have a second floor, a kitchen, conference rooms, closets, etc. The sky is (almost literally) the limit.
But most of our customers opt for easy-to-carry booths that fit a 10’ X 10’ space. These are designed for one person to set up with ease, averaging about $1,300 ($1,700 if adding a hard shipping case with wheels) .
What is the LEAST amount of money I could spend on an exhibit?
The whole point of attending a tradeshow is to get noticed, so we don’t recommend cheaping out when it comes to your exhibit. That said, you can get a custom retractable banner stand for about $330.
What types of booths have the biggest impact?
Our number one recommendation: Make your booth about more than the info on your website.
Whether it is a giveaway item, a game, funny photo, or prize wheel, it needs to be something that brings people in and encourages interaction. Anyone can walk around grabbing business cards, but that isn’t helpful without connection. A booth that prompts conversation is one that will convert leads.
Do you have examples of successful booths?
Signs by Tomorrow Elgin once had a booth at McCormick Place. We hung a large Double Cheeseburger as our backdrop.
People stopped by because they thought we were a food vendor (we weren’t) but it started conversations, which was the point!
Another example: We had a customer who gave away a Yeti Cooler—a prize worth about $400. That brought in tons of people, which led to converted leads and sales, so the giveaway ultimately paid for itself.
How much time does SBT need to create an exhibit?
Retractable banner stands: You’ll have it tomorrow!
Booths: An average of 1.5 to 2 weeks. If we are designing the booth from scratch, we always appreciate a couple extra days to discuss options and create proofs—we want you to have the best booth possible.
Will Signs By Tomorrow install?
Sure! But most booths that we create can be easily assembled by you, no assistance required.
We’ll ship to any location, or deliver to your business and show you how to set it up.
Fun fact: We once delivered a booth to a customer’s house and set it up in their driveway. In June. Talk about a conversation starter!
