Sometimes replacing a booth is a no-brainer. As the years go by, typical wear and tear makes exhibit booths naturally reach their usable lifespan. A major rebranding can render an existing color scheme obsolete. But sometimes, a booth becomes uninspiring, hampering your face-to-face marketing efforts and making your exhibit space blend in, rather than make an impression, on the show floor.
“Most booths can become a little stale over time,” says Exhibit Systems Account Manager Kathy Giles. “The trade show industry never stops moving, and as preferences and trends change, your exhibit space can be left behind.”
Like a well-built home, good design often means that an existing exhibit space has “good bones.” If your exhibit space encourages interaction, has a solid flow of traffic and showcases your products or services, there’s no reason to start over from scratch.
“Absolutely, our designers can take a look at an existing display and see how it can be re-engineered into an updated and refreshed display,” she says. “If the fundamental design is great, why change it?”
That’s exactly what Exhibit Systems did with our own booth. Our existing 10 x 20 booth needed updating to reflect our new brand. We removed some elements, including the old graphics and lighting, and added new elements, such as a tower, hanging sign and flat-screen monitor. The end result? A new-to-us exhibit space.
As in our case, new graphics are typically at the top of a client’s list.
“We encourage all of our clients to regularly update graphics,” she says. “It’s an economical way to keep your exhibit feeling new, both for your booth staff and for visitors.”
Don’t forget technology updates. New LED lighting will brighten your display. Swap out old or obsolete monitors for flat screens – old technology sends a message on the show floor. Add iPad stands to introduce multifunctional components to the space.
An existing exhibit space can also be refreshed with new furniture or accessories. If you’re not able to make the investment in a new exhibit, consider some custom chairs or a new counter. Introducing a contemporary element or two can refresh the whole space without a huge financial investment.
We’ve also saved the best reason for last, and it’s a reason that’s hard to beat: Taking an in-depth second look at an existing display can also save you money.
“Some exhibit elements may be heavy or bulky or difficult to ship,” says Giles. “It’s entirely possible to ‘design out’ those elements.”
For example, designing in an element that uses an aluminum truss may mean reduced shipping charges for the remaining life of the exhibit.
“Ultimately, you could end up saving money after making that initial replacement investment,” she says. “And depending on the new design, that could be a significant savings. Who wouldn’t want that?”
If you’d like an Exhibit Systems team member to assess your existing display or exhibit, please give us a call or email info@exhibitsystems.com for more information.
