Many people create trade show displays on a budget, but not many are able to create those displays and still maintain a level of sleek style and modernism that is so critical in today’s trade show exhibits. So how can you do it? How can you create an amazingly interesting and un-tacky trade show display while on a budget? Let’s get some ideas from Greg Glebe, founder and CEO of Pedestal Source. The keys to creating an affordable tradeshow display, according to Glebe, are: reusability, doing more with less, and using light.
- Reusability
Reusability is one of the biggest keys to creating an affordable trade show display, especially if you plan on attending multiple trade shows. This is because you do not have to create a new display and buy new things every time you move locations. You can get fold-out stands and pedestals that will last a long time and are easily portable and reusable.
- Doing More with Less
Glebe’s main key is to keep it simple, “Don’t ‘guild the Lily,” as my father always said. Glebe says, “remember that the focus of your presentation is on the experience; visual, emotional, and atmospheric. Emerson said it this way, ‘Beauty rests on necessities. The line of beauty is the line of perfect economy.” Less is more. Short of being suspended in the air, a simple pedestal remains the timeless icon of elegance in presentation. The colors of black and white are affordable yet they are also essentially foundational.
- Using Light
Glebe always stresses that the focus on budget must be balanced with the overall impact. And, if you really want to leave an impression, light, light, light is the key! Glebe says, “Take a look at the most impactful display at any venue and you’ll see well-placed light plays an overwhelming role. The recent explosion in lighting options has opened up possibilities never even considered before.”
Another key to staying within your budget is to have a sense of you company’s style. When it comes to finding your style you might not have to go too far in terms of creativity. If your company is already well-established and well-known then you won’t actually have to worry about the style and colors of your display, you just have to worry about taking the style and colors of your company and applying them in an affordable way. To do that, just remember that plastic rips, looks tacky, and looks cheap; if you are going to splurge on anything, splurge on nice fabric to hide your cheaper tables, or splurge on some nice tables and pedestals that you won’t have to hide with cheap plastic or costly fabric.
It is possible to create sleek, modern and creative displays while sticking to a budget. You just have to know where the lines are between affordable and cheap. Madison Hewerdine is a content creator for Pedestal Source who loves to write about affordable tradeshow displays.
