In an effort to improve ROI, exhibitors are taking steps to increase the results at their shows as well as reduce the costs of achieving these results.  Leading responses by exhibitors indicate they plan to better target show selection, add more educational elements, and develop more interactive exhibits.  They also plan more pre-show marketing and post-show follow-up.  To lower costs, exhibitors plan to utilize more modular/portable and lightweight hybrid exhibits.

As attendees are better educated, exhibitors need to provide a more targeted message and back it up with show staffers who will make this happen.  This will require bringing more high-level and management employees.  Remember they want to see the “people behind the brand”.  A higher level of pre-show marketing via email and web site will also be necessary.  In 2006, 21% of exhibitors saw a shift in funds from events to web and email marketing.  Hopefully, some of these shifted funds can be used to both provide product education and drive trade show attendance.

Approximately 3 times more exhibitors feel that lightweight-hybrid exhibits provide higher value than custom exhibits (55:18).  However 50% more exhibitors use custom than hybrid (67:42).  Since 67% of exhibitors consider shipping and drayage costs very important, the next few years should witness a shift away from custom and towards lightweight-hybrid exhibits.

As an example, we recently produced a 20 x 20’ custom hybrid which shipped in only two crates.  The total shipping weight including carpet/pad and a pallet of client materials was about 2600 lb. Though relatively lightweight, the structure was strong enough to: hold products weighing several hundred pounds; hang plasma screens; support overhead, spanning signs.

Since shipping and material handling are a large component of exhibiting costs, it is no surprise that recent survey results indicate that 37% of exhibitors will use more Hybrid-Custom or modular/portable products in the future.  By lowering these costs, exhibitors can attend more shows or compensate for the cost of bringing higher level staff.  Either of these steps should improve overall trade show results.

 

During the fall, we completed two exhibits which demonstrate a rising trend in the US market…custom rentals.  Though both the Tamalli and AIG exhibits are constructed from our Matrix rental system, they hardly look similar.  By using photographic inserts, graphic overlays and custom accessories, we differentiated the Tamalli structure from AIG’s.  The AIG exhibit uses sanded-aluminum inserts, curve main header and a custom stage.  To demonstrate the flexibility of this rental system, we could swap the main wall frames from each exhibit, exchange the inserts, then build the other exhibit.  Not only does this help with rentals, it also provides significant flexibility in purchased systems. 

In December's newsletter we looked at examples of how the tradeshow industry is "going green". This month we'll examine some simple guidelines for earth-friendly exhibiting...
 
 
 

 

Kathleen McLean, director of the Center for Public Exhibition and Public Programs, The Exploratorium, San Francisco, California speaks about environmental guidelines for exhibit design in her book Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions. Kathleen commented, 

“The choices we make as exhibit designers are difficult enough when we are considering only functional issues: Will this material serve its purpose in the exhibition? Make the necessary statements? Look good? Hold up? But we must be just as critical when examining the environmental implications of that material.”

Kathleen’s guidelines include:

Reduce the amount of materials

Source reduction is the best solution to the problem of municipal solid waste. If a sign will need continual updating and changing, use an easily repaintable substrate or try a chalk board. Instead of distributing flyers and handouts, allow visitors to create their own "notes," taking away only what they need.

Avoid toxic materials

Avoid specifying materials that require toxic production processes, such as chromed metals, pigments with lead and other metals, and chlorine-bleached papers. If a particular material is essential to the project, design so that the toxic parts are easy to remove prior to disposal or recycling.

Design for reuse

Traveling exhibitions are usually one-shot deals, with components (and even crating) custom-designed and custom-fabricated for that project. By creating a furniture "vocabulary"--a modular standard for exhibit components--we can accommodate a variety of configurations and arrangements. Furniture can be designed in such a way that only surface treatments and detailing need to change with each exhibition.

Use recyclable materials

Paper and paperboard, corrugated cardboard, wood, aluminum, steel, copper, glass, textiles, rubber, and some plastics can all be recycled. The outlets available to you depend on your location and your perseverance. (If the manufacturer can't provide information about a product's recyclability, call the trade association for that industry.) The most difficult products to recycle are those that require labor-intensive separation processes, such as plastic-backed paper or adhesive-coated laminates. But if plastic is screwed to wood rather than laminated, both the wood and the plastic could be recycled.

Use recycled materials

Many of the materials we recycle can be purchased, in turn, already made into new products. Examples include paperboard and papers, drywall, wood products, some plastic products, aluminum, and glass. Some of these products are more expensive than similar ones made from new resources, and some standard exhibition materials, such as plastic laminates and acrylics, are not yet made of recycled materials. But one of the most important things we all can do is to create a demand for more variety and choice in recycled products by purchasing them as often as we can. 

Design for energy efficiency

Whenever possible, specify compact fluorescent lamps, which produce a warm light, use one-quarter to one-third the energy of incandescent lamps, and last 10 to 13 times as long. When designing exhibitions to travel, consider the energy consumption required to move them around the country, and try to keep their size and weight to a minimum.

Use exhibition design to educate

Wear your environmental consciousness proudly. Acknowledge suppliers of recycled or recyclable materials, and let visitors know that you have chosen exhibition materials that save resources, include nontoxic materials, or can be reused and recycled. Provide outlets for visitors to return and recycle flyers and handouts. Invite suggestions for processes and materials that would help you do an even better job.