A Realistic Budget “After the Purchase”

Another Trade Show Exhibits Tip:

The purchase of a trade show exhibit is for most successful exhibitors, a major purchase because it represents at the very least, the company’s image away from home, and perhaps, based on the effectiveness of the exhibit itself, the future success of the company.

I’m going to assume for the sake of this conversation that the purchase that has been made was a wise investment and will carry the company’s brand and the message effectively to those who come by the booth.

But is the purchase of your trade show exhibit that once in every five year event, or what should be budgeted each year in the time between the purchases of a new one. Let’s just say for conversation sake, 10%. Based upon a $3,500 pop up display with full photo murals, that amount could cover a few broken wheels and perhaps a damaged 200 watt halogen light. Is that really enough?

So often your message is going to shift ever so slightly each year and the purchase of a whole new photo mural to update the change of one bullet point isn’t very prudent, but each year it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be socking away that 10% or 20% to make sure your message always stays fresh in year two or three. There will always be a need to keep your display looking fresh, and 10-20% definitely should be socked away for future upgrades.

How about larger exhibits that might be in the 10-$15,000 range? There will always be damaged shipping cases or damage to the latches on a wood crate or nicks in the counter tops. However, because the new dye sublimation images are so much more cost effective with hybrid trade show exhibits, 10% is probably ample amount to put away for those damages and upgrading contingencies.

My point here being that with anything you purchase of value, there is always some upkeep that is necessary, and it’s no different with trade show exhibits. So, when planning your budget, make sure everyone is aware that the initial cost is the investment, but planning down the road to keep your investment in peak condition is essential so that it maintains its’ value for years to come.

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