Man is a creature of habit. This is also evident when it comes to trade show participation. Many exhibitors have had their traditional place at the trade show for years, surrounded by the same booth neighbors. Even a change of stand space within a trade fair hall or within a trade fair site can require a complete re-planning of the trade fair appearance. But if there even is a relocation of a trade fair, this means an enourmous change. Not only for the organizers, but also for you as an exhibitor. As a result, you have to do a lot more pre-planning of the upcoming trade fair participation.
We at WUM Brand Spaces would therefore like to provide you as an exhibitor with a small guide to help you smoothly cope with the relocation of a trade fair.
1) Business environment
For you as an exhibitor, a relocation means a re-evaluation of the ideal stand position. Familiar hall structures and stand environments are broken up and re-planned.
The following considerations will help you plan your new stand position: Will the change of location affect the exhibitor structure? Is there already an overview of which companies are participating in the trade fair? Which competitors or partner companies do you need to consider when choosing a new stand location? Are there competitors who will not be exhibiting at the show? Do the space allocations of the market companions change (larger or smaller booth areas, possibly joint booths of large exhibitors, state, federal or research institutions together)? What sustainability strategy is the new trade fair center pursuing (compensation, green electricity, etc.)? Are there more measures taken by the organizer beyond that?
Find out about all the aspects that are important to you so that you can then make a decision about the most promising location and size of your stand space. For example, the evaluation of the trade fair by the FKM (Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics) can help you to assess the exhibitor structure. https://www.fkm.de/
2) Infrastructure
If a trade fair moves to a new location, you as an exhibitor are confronted with a completely different infrastructure and start planning practically from scratch. In addition to general regulations such as set-up and dismantling times and adapted hygiene regulations, you should therefore take the following parameters into account:
2.1) Exhibition grounds/hall
Where is the chosen hall located on the exhibition grounds? Can you expect a high visitor frequency, since the main entrances to the grounds are nearby? At which position is the preferred stand space within the hall? Where are the hall entrances and exits, the info points and the washrooms? What direction can visitors be expected to walk in? Where are the booths of your competitors located?
Is your booth naturally lit? This may have an influence on the use of media, the selection of stand construction materials, the graphic and color concept of your stand. Are meeting rooms offered outside your booth but inside your exhibition hall?
Get information on the access routes for the delivery of exhibition goods, exhibits and stand construction materials. Where can full and empty containers be stored? What influence does this have on transport and storage logistics?
2.2) Stand space
Are there hall pillars on the stand area? Do these columns possibly serve as hall signage (e.g. illuminated cubes at the Nuremberg Exhibition Center)? What is the height of the hall? Is there a gallery above the area to be considered (occurs e.g. at the Stuttgart Trade Fair)? Where are the connection points for electricity, water, etc. positioned and where are the suspension points? The expected quality of Internet access must also be taken into account, if needed.
In addition, it is of course important for you to have a good overview of the costs for the trade fair booth and the ancillary costs. Those include space rental, services, suspensions, water/ electricity/ compressed air/ WLAN, storage of full and empty containers, logistics costs such as forklift rental, etc.
2.3) Travel & Accommodation (stand personnel and customers)
What kinds of hotel accommodation are available, which restaurants are nearby? How much travel time do you have to factor in? To what extend is the trade show site connected to the highway network? How will this affect your customers’ travel and logistics of your stand personnel during the trade show? The same considerations apply to travel by air or public transport. What costs do you have to budget for accommodation and travel of your employees?
2.4) Marketing offers
What kind of online marketing measures does the trade fair center and (in case of third-party events) the organizer offer? (Portals, advertising, match-making, etc.) How much budget should you factor in? Which advertising spaces can possibly be used at the trade fair center and how much do they cost?
3) Concept
Trade fair organizers might take the relocation as an opportunity to change the orientation of the event.
In this case, it makes sense for you as an exhibitor to check your previous stand concept with regard to the new circumstances. Will the change in orientation affect the exhibitor and visitor structure? Furthermore, do you want to continue your trade fair presence in the tried and tested style or do you have new wishes?
Check the changed framework conditions of the trade fair at an early stage. Also, think about the products you want to show and how you want to present them. Here you should not only consider the exhibit design. You should also determine at an early stage, whether you want to produce digital content. This usually needs an adequate lead time. Also check which marketing measures make sense to promote your trade show participation and factor them into the budget in good time.
For fresh ideas for your presence at the new trade show location, we advise to involve your trusted service provider in the planning.
4) Service providers
Benefit from the experience of the service providers involved in your trade show appearance! Stand builders, technical service providers, agencies, etc. are usually well informed about the special features of the individual trade fair sites. They can give you helpful tips when planning the booth at the new location.
Service providers can also support you in developing a new concept. The important thing here is to involve the contact person at an early stage. Therefore, you can benefit as much as possible from the provider’s expertise. Another argument for early involvement you cannot underestimate is the cost savings. Orders placed at short notice are associated with increased workload and higher material costs on the supplier side. Opposed to that, longer lead times enable suppliers to adapt the price structure to your needs as an exhibitor.
In addition, a change of location is an ideal opportunity to make a fresh start. So if you were thinking about ending the relationship with your current provider before, now is the perfect time. Some factors when considering a new service partner are proximity to the location, experience with the exhibition center, costs, sustainable working methods, etc.
5) Budget
Changes in infrastructure, concept and possibly service providers associated with the relocation of a trade fair have an impact on the budget planning for your trade fair participation. So determine your overall budget and then check to what extent the fixed costs (rent and ancillary costs) at the new site differ from the previous site. This will give you an overview of how much budget you have available for stand design, accommodation and travel for your team, additional staff, etc. Then you can reallocate this accordingly. Accommodation costs in particular can vary greatly depending on the region, so you should find out about the options early on.
Early planning is generally the biggest saving factor when preparing for a trade show. The earlier you book the booth and service providers, hotels and travel arrangements, etc., the better prices you will get for the line items. Finally, internal costs will also be minimized if your team starts preparing for the trade show early rather than having an increased workload just before the start of the show.
Would you like to receive even more detailed information about what you need to consider in the event of a relocation of a trade fair? A trade show you are participating in experiences a relocation in the near future? For example, in 2022, Eurobike will move from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt am Main.
We will be happy to support you with all questions regarding a relocation and with the early, smooth planning of your next trade show appearance. Just get in touch with us!
