Save costs when planning trade fairs

Your trade fair planning is in full swing. How big will the stand be? What colours and elements should the stand have? Where will which exhibit be located? You and your team have considered everything and played through almost every scenario. The plan is finalised. You submit your trade fair planning to your stand builder. He gives you a few more tips and modifications along the way. You tick the boxes and the realisation of your trade fair appearance takes its course. Even your planned budget can be adhered to. You are eagerly awaiting your trade fair appearance. You can hardly wait to master the trade fair appearance with your team. Your stand builder has now confirmed that everything is going according to plan and that everything will be delivered and set up on time. It will be the best trade fair stand you have ever realised. You have even increased the budget for the largest trade fair in your sector so that you can realise your dream trade fair stand.

There are still 3 weeks to go until the trade fair.

The media are already discussing whether trade fairs will even take place in the next few months!

Then, one week before the start of the trade fair, the bad news: all trade fairs for the next 6 months are cancelled.

We don't need to tell you how you feel now.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

Trade fair planning after the past pandemic must be approached differently in future. It must be more flexible. Scenarios that you cannot influence must not affect your trade fair presence. You need to have a plan B. That's why we want to use this blog post to show you ways in which you can utilise your trade fair budget in a more versatile way. Save costs at the live trade fair stand without losing impact and invest in other marketing measures if necessary. In other words, bet on several horses with the same budget or minimise your losses in the event of a trade fair cancellation.

Current exhibition stand construction situation

A brief look into the future. As you have probably noticed, the costs for exhibition stand construction have risen. Extremely! Of course, this is prompting many companies to rethink their trade fair planning and to organise their trade fair appearances differently or, in the worst case, to cancel them completely. This is of course a great pity, as live trade fair appearances have always been and still are very important, even for small companies. An integral part of their marketing strategy. This is why it hits the ‘smaller’ companies particularly hard.

Another fact is that the high demand for customised trade fair stands cannot currently be met by stand builders. There is a lack of manpower in all areas. A thankless situation for the market, as demand exceeds supply. And that causes costs to rise.

Exhibition stand ideas to save costs

Planning an exhibition stand, taking costs into account, is not always so easy. Especially if you want to take the current uncertain situation into account. You have to take it into account! The following questions arise when planning a trade fair:

• Should I exhibit at a trade fair at all?
• What should I do without in order to keep trade fair stand costs low?
• What are the alternatives to a live exhibition stand?

Below you will find ways to save on exhibition stand costs or to strategically distribute the planned exhibition budget differently.

Rent an exhibition stand instead of buying one

We don't have to argue that a customised exhibition stand leaves nothing to be desired. But it is usually the most expensive option. When it comes to saving exhibition stand costs, renting an exhibition stand is the ideal solution. Even with a rented exhibition stand, individuality can be realised to a certain extent. Rented exhibition stands are modular exhibition systems - keyword: modular system. But even these can be customised with highlights such as LED video walls.

However, if you don't want to do without the 100% individuality of your exhibition stand, you have the option of renting the equipment or furniture. This rental equipment is available in many different versions, so you don't have to resort to standard equipment. This is also much cheaper than buying your own exhibition furniture and equipment, which you may only need for one exhibition year.

Modular exhibition stand instead of customised stand

Digitise your trade fair planning! With the help of appropriate software, you can assemble your exhibition stand in a virtual ‘workshop ’ using drag & drop. This gives you immediate cost control and allows you to make changes at will. For comparison: While you need to budget between €600 and €1,300 per square metre for an individual exhibition stand, a modular exhibition stand will cost you between €350 and €600 per square metre. Many people think of modular exhibition stands as 3 walls arranged in a U-shape with graphics stretched across them. Add a high table and two stools. That's it! That's no longer the case. Not for a long time. Modular exhibition systems can be used in many different ways. Even LED video walls, booths, customised rental equipment or backlit walls can be integrated. There is a lot possible here to present your company in a unique way. If you need inspiration, you can find our case studies here.

Save costs when planning trade fairs thanks to software

If you have analysed your past trade fair appearances in detail, you will then know whether you should present your stand in the same way again at the next trade fair. Without the appropriate software or analysis tools, this is usually very difficult. With the help of appropriate software, this can be much more meaningful. Based on the measured data, you can make targeted statements about which elements on your trade fair stand (still) make sense and which do not. This means you can dispense with individual elements at your next trade fair appearance and thus save costs.

Furthermore, it will give you the insight as to whether trade fairs were successful for you! Trade fairs that are no longer worthwhile should no longer be planned.

Virtual exhibition stand as an extra offer

When planning your trade fair, it makes sense to plan a slightly smaller physical stand and offer a virtual stand to complement it. Why?

Firstly, you would avoid the scenario described at the beginning, i.e. if physical trade fairs are cancelled, you can refer your contacts and interested parties to your virtual trade fair stand. This is identical in design to your physical trade fair stand. Of course, you can also communicate there. But only online! It is also interesting to use the opportunity to create a larger and more spectacular exhibition stand in the virtual world.

Whatever you decide to do in the virtual world, you have nothing to do with structural engineering or stand fees.

So your trade fair appearance definitely does not have to be cancelled.

Secondly, the bottom line is that it can be cheaper not to rely solely on a large physical trade fair stand. To give you some concrete figures: While a live exhibition stand can cost €600 - €1,300 per square metre, a virtual exhibition stand of the same design will only set you back €2,000 - €4,000. For an entire year. So it's always there. Of course, the scope is also decisive here.

Thirdly, you have a much greater reach, regardless of whether the trade fair takes place or not. It is always possible that not all the people you invite will be able to come to your stand on site because the time required is too great. Virtual is always possible.

Rental equipment reduces costs enormously

Equipment is probably one of the biggest cost factors. An exhibition stand usually consists of more than just a floor and walls. What makes the exhibition stand lively in the first place is the furnishing with exhibition furniture or matching elements, such as plants. This can be anything from chairs to display cabinets, unusual tables and cosy sofas. Why should you buy the entire inventory for 2 or 3 trade fairs and then store it? You will most likely never need it again, as you will be creating a new exhibition stand in the following years! It therefore makes sense to hire exhibition furniture to save costs. Rental equipment is available in numerous variants so that nothing stands in the way of your customised exhibition stand design.

Save exhibition stand costs

As you can see, there are several ways to save costs when planning a trade fair. The greatest savings potential probably lies in renting an exhibition stand including the appropriate rental equipment.

You should also keep the ‘bet on several horses!’ approach in mind. Specifically: a smaller exhibition stand in combination with a virtual exhibition stand. This way, a possible cancellation of a trade fair is not quite as significant.