How Organize Your Booth Like an Expert Exhibitor

Staying organized before, during, and after a trade show is crucial. Whether it is your first time exhibiting or you have attended many trade shows, often information ends up slipping through the cracks or important things get left behind. Taking steps to stay organized during your trade show experience will help things run as smoothly as possible throughout the commotion of the event. It is easy to overlook supplies or material when there is so much going on.

Some organizational mistakes can be solved by a quick trip to the store, but some involving customer service or lead information might be more damaging to your company’s success. Look at your next trade show as an opportunity for your team to operate like a well-oiled machine, and make sure you have all of your bases covered to make the experience as stress-free as possible.

Plan Ahead and Be Prepared

One of the most obvious organizational tips you can follow is to prepare ahead of time. Even in the most preliminary planning stages, anticipating everything you’ll need will help drastically reduce the chance of forgetting anything. As soon as you contact a design professional like the ones at Iconic Displays, begin making lists of everything you might need. They will be able to go over rental or purchase kits with you and let you know what else you might need to bring to the show.

It is also helpful to determine which of your staff will be working the booth as far ahead of time as possible. This will allow them to be properly trained in trade show interaction. Also take this training time to instruct them on organizational practices and how to gather and store information while working the event. Its easy for booth staff to get overwhelmed when things get busy, so be sure to go over time and stress management ahead of time.

Update Your Supplies

You’ll need to have basic office supplies available at the show to keep things running smoothly. Clear, labeled plastic bins are a great way to keep supplies together and are easy to see-through. Be sure you have somewhere behind-the-scenes to store your supplies. Putting together company literature packets ahead of time is a great way to cut down on set-up time. Here’s a quick checklist to make it easy to remember everything:

• Extra business cards
• Business cards for key executives
• Promotional materials
• Exhibitor’s manual and other important show information
• Report Covers
• Notepads
• StickyNotes
• Swiss Army Knife (pack in suitcase not carry on)
• Duct Tape (always good to have)
• Packing Tape (for boxes after the show)
• Power chords, USB cables
• Pens
• Sharpies to mark boxes
• Lead forms for backup (in case the lead capture system isn’t working)

If you have exhibited many times in the past, your supplies box might benefit from some “spring cleaning”. Make sure you’re not carrying around dried up markers or disheveled papers that might get in the way.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

There have been a huge amount of advances in technology in recent years that will make your exhibiting experience much easier. Most records and information are kept digitally these days, and though you want to be sure to keep printed backups of important documents, you’ll most likely be using your laptop, tablet, or smartphone at the event.

One of the best new ways to stay organized while exhibiting are trade show applications. A wide variety of apps are now available to help you gather information, maintain a schedule and calendar, and even increase your brand presence at the show by offering digital advertising space. Be sure that you have access to WIFI if the lead gathering software you are using requires internet access.

Monitors and touch screen displays are also great ways to keep your booth organized and streamlined throughout the event. After a few days, company literature and pamphlets can get messy or damaged. Video monitors are a great way to present information in a clear, legible format. Incorporating touch screens into your display will also cut down on clutter and give your trade show booth an interactive edge over your competitors.

Always Bring Backup

It’s true that digitizing your documents makes it easier to keep track of and manage multiple files at a time, but you always run the risk of tech problems while you’re travelling. It is a good practice to keep physical copies of important documents in your briefcase, and it is also important to apply this practice when prepping for a trade show.

Many tech issues can arise unexpectedly at trade show events. Be sure your booth is at the very least operational should you have to think on your feet in a tough situation. Be sure to bring printed versions of important documents, and keep a folder with printed schedules and contact information of your booth staff. Make sure you have an ink-and-paper system for collecting visitor information so that technical issues won’t prevent you from generating client leads. Bringing digital copies on flash drives is also a good precaution.

Double Check Your Display

Whether you are renting or purchasing a display for your next trade show, you should have a good idea ahead of time what is included in your package (and perhaps more importantly­– what is not included). You should receive exhibitor information prior to the event outlining procedures for ordering power, lighting and height restrictions, or any additional set up restrictions.

Be sure to have a clear idea of how your set up and tear down process will go before and after the event. Also take into account shipping and transportation of your display. Keeping all of your display equipment and accessories organized will help make these processes as easy as possible. Handling your display and printed banners with care during transportation and storage will ensure that you can use them for many future trade shows.

There are plenty of ways to stay organized during a trade show, so be sure to apply as many as you can at and before your next event. The more organized you and your booth staff are, the more effortless your exhibiting process will be. Outlining what you will need with an Iconic Displays design expert will help you make sure you have all of your bases covered before crunch time.