We at Skyline Metro Chicago are pleased to bring back Chicago Exhibiting!  Over the next few weeks we will be posting some new material, some old material and maybe even some off the wall material as it pertains to Chicago Exhibiting.  We welcome your feedback and suggestions for topics so please take a moment and tell us your trade show pain or your great experience exibiting in Chicago.  Thanks for checking us out and stay tuned!

Here are a few budget-conscious tips to consider while designing your exhibit:

- Plan your entire annual show schedule at one time (or even better your schedule for the next 3 years). This includes planning all of your potential booth sizes and trying to design these with the greatest number of common parts.

- If you exhibit at many shows, it is usually more cost-effective for you to buy your exhibit. However, if you exhibit at one show that is much bigger than the rest, it makes more sense to rent the additional parts to fill out your space for that one show.

- Make sure you put aside 1-3% of your budget to track what is and isn’t working. This way you can trim the fat for the next show or next year and focus on what is making you money.

- You can have an attractive, functional, lightweight modular exhibit (even for islands) that could save you up to 50% on your shipping and drayage costs. Those savings can be kept or spent in more productive areas such as graphics, promotions, staffing or ROI measurement.

If you notice, the biggest commonality when it comes to frugal exhibiting is planning. The earlier and more detailed the plan, the less room for costly mistakes.

Ah, the tabletop. The underdog of the trade show circuit. Although many may think that the smaller the exhibit, the less ROI, they are mistaken. Your tabletop display can be just as effective as an exhibit 10 times its size - if you know the right way to work it. Following are the Top Ten Tips for Tabletops (say that 5 times fast) from the January issue of Exhibitor Magazine.

1. Select one main image—Make sure your graphics convey who you are and what you at a glance. A bigger, simpler image is better. Stay away from busy designs.

2. Limit your text, aim high—Keep your text from about 6-10 words in length and place it in the top 2 feet of your display.

3. Select proper fonts—Skip the artsy fonts, make sure your font color is easy to read on the background, and make the font big enough. Basically make it legible.

4. Try different positions—Consider moving your tabletop from the back of your space up to the forefront. Bring it closer to your prospective customers.

5. Cut the clutter—It’s already a small space, don’t make it worse by including things you don’t need. Take out chairs, desks, and other furniture.

6. Light it up—If you want people to see your display, you must light it. It’s recommended to use two 100 or 200-watt bulbs, or use a tabletop with a bubble, backlit panel.

7. Train your staff—Since you have such a small space, your staff is really where most of your focus should go. Make sure they are well-versed in your company’s mission as well as all things trade show. The best number of staffers is two, but not in the booth at the same time.

8. Promote—Just because you have a smaller display doesn’t mean you should cut out your pre-, at-, and post-show promotions. You need to let people know who you are and where you’ll be.

9. Create an illusion—Get a table skirt that is the same color as the majority of your display. This gives the illusion of having a full-height 10×10 exhibit.

10. Consider add-ons—While you should always try to keep it simple, there are a few add-ons that may be useful. Think about getting a header, a portable DVD player for presentations, or small uncluttered product shelves.

Just because you have a smaller space doesn’t mean you can’t compete with the big dogs.

It’s a brand new year. A fresh slate, a new beginning. By this time you probably have a pretty clear idea of your goals for this year and you have a budget and strategy for carrying your business to the next level. But have you thought about your exhibiting for this upcoming year?

I know what many of you are thinking. Budgets may be tighter this year and you don’t have the money to redo your entire exhibit. But a little change goes a long way and it doesn’t have to break the bank. The easiest way to revamp your exhibit is to update your graphics. Here are some signs that you should consider changing your graphics:

- Your company logo, branding, or brand positioning has changed. This is a must. While making such a sweeping change within your company you may have overlooked your exhibit. Make sure that your message is the same across all of your

- You use the same graphics at each show. This may not be as pressing as the first example, but it still bears consideration. If you exhibit at more than one show, chances are there are differences in the demographics of the attendees. You want to make sure that your graphics are targeting the right groups.

- You’ve had the same graphics for a few years. If people have seen the same thing at the same shows for the past few years, chances are they are just going to walk right by you. Go for something different and eye-catching to grab those attendees right into your space.

New graphics can change the entire look and feel of your exhibit and they will help you realize your goals for this new year without exploding your budget. You’ll be on the road to better, more profitable exhibiting in 2008.

Your exhibit serves many purposes; it’s a three-dimensional commercial, a meeting place, a product display and has other functions as well. So make sure that you take all of these roles into account when you go through the exhibit design process. Some key aspects to consider:

- Make sure your exhibit architecture is an appropriate carrier for your graphics. You want to make sure visitors can feel welcomed and are able to identify and learn about your products and services.

- You should have a space where your staffers can record their leads. This can be a small table for a small exhibit, or an actual reception counter for larger exhibits.

- Plan for storage. You need to have a place for all of the staffers’ personal items, extra literature and giveaways, and other things that happen to accumulate.

- If you decide to do a product demo (which is always a smart decision) then you will need a place for the demo to take place. Will you need a counter or table? Will you need floor space, or a computer kiosk?

- Speaking of products — you’re going to need some sort of tables, counters, shelving to display your merchandise. Try not to bring everything in your product line, though. Stick with the big sellers or your newest items.

- Is your goal to have lots of one-on-one time with customers and leads? If so, you may want to think about setting aside some kind of meeting space that is private or semi-private.

- If you’re planning on having a live presentation of some sort, you need to take audience seating into consideration.

Not only is your trade show exhibit a billboard for your products and services, it’s your work space for the span of the show. Plan your design on the different roles your booth will play and you are to be sure to have a smoother show experience.

Many companies these days are looking to get competitive bids on everything from Tradeshow Exhibit Purchases, to Installation and Dismantling and Online Asset Management. The way that most of them do it is through an RFI or Request for Information, or an RFP or Request for Proposal which is an overview of what the company is looking for based on past purchases and future needs.

These general requests often lead the company to secure a purchase or service, but most times do not have all the information they need in them. This can lead to purchases that do not accomplish goals that may be set for the future, or purchases that are focused only on the information provided, as incorrect as the information may be. Skyline Metro Chicago is promoting an initiative by the Trade Show Exhibitors Association and the Exhibit Producers and Designers Association, to help companies who are writing an RFI/RFP get to the bottom of what they are looking for, and take into consideration the whole program, and future investments.

This has culminated in a “Best Practices” document that walks you through the process of writing and RFI/RFP and also has a mock version done for a fictional company. This document is available here. The better requests you have to potential vendors the better the answers. Remember, its all about the details!

While a great display will grab attendees’ into your exhibit, it’s your staff that reels them in and holds them there, getting the important leads. In order for them to be successful, they have to be invested in what they’re doing. A staffer that is giving it their all will be much more effective that the lackluster salesperson who does not want to be there in the first place.

But finding this kind of gung ho staffer is harder than it might seem, which you know if you and your sales force have been in the game for a while. It’s hard to get people excited about 6-8 hour days on their feet, 6-8 hours of constant smiling and cheer, 6-8 hours of cleaning other’s messes. It’s a hard job, but as they say, someone has to do it—and do it well.

Dan Lumpkin of Exhibitor Magazine has a solution. Instead of trying to come up with ways to please your staffers—bring them into the problem solving process. Just because you think something would be a great incentive to work the show floor doesn’t mean your staffers agree. Set up some brainstorming meetings with them starting at least 3 months before the show. Ask them these two questions to start off:

- What do they feel they gain when they staff a booth?
- What do they feel they lose when they staff a booth?

After they’ve hashed out these questions, ask them what they think would help in compensating for the losses. What would be appropriate compensation for getting behind in their daily work? What would reward them for the long hours of hard work?

In booth staffing, as in life, people are more inclined to do a job if they’ve had a hand in the decisions that crafted it.