A trade show display normally describes a graphic display device designed to be used at a trade fair

Trade fair

A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...

 or trade show. These displays typically consist of some type of wall surface which can be a graphic image or a velcro compatible fabric surface on which a wide variety of graphic images printed on substrates, can be attached. These substrates include rigid or semi rigid substrates like various forms of acrylic and plastic. Trade show displays can also include structures that are suspended from the ceiling over larger the trade show booths, http://www.apgtradeshowdisplays.com/HopUp-Tension-Displays-s/76.htmExhibitors at trade shows are normally provided a 10' x 10' booth space facing an aisle, which has an 8' high back wall consisting of 4 fabric panels that are threaded onto a telescoping aluminum pole and connected to the top of an 8' tall aluminum pole; one located on the far right of the back wall and the other on the far left of the back wall. Two more draped walls, both 3' high are connected from the back wall poles and extend to a 3' high pole positioned on each side of the front of the booth near the aisle. This provides the exhibitor with a pre defined area in which to present his or her company or organization, to visitors attending the trades show event. In this space, exhibitors set up a wide variety of trade show displays, tailored to their specific need, in order to present their services. These may include table top displays, banner stands, pop up displays, flat panels displays, and other paraphernalia used to fill a temporary stall

Market stall

A market stall is a typically immobile, temporary structure erected by merchants to display and shelter their merchandise in a street market or other setting. Stalls are easily erected, taken down or simply moved on wheels...

 or booth at a trade fair

Trade fair

A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...

 or convention

Convention (meeting)

A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

. The displays vary greatly in size, cost and complexity, but all are designed to visually represent a specific interest. Companies often rent exhibit space from show organizers and then, design trade show displays to attract the attention of visitors and attendees at the trade show. Trade show displays usually use bold images and catch phrase

Catch phrase

A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...

s, in an attempt to lure attendees to their exhibit space, so that they can give a sales pitch

Sales pitch

In selling technique, a sales pitch is a line of talk that attempts to persuade someone or something, with a planned sales presentation strategy of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale of the product or service....

 or hand out brochures.

Another recent trend from the manufacturers of trade show displays is that of utilizing a wide variety of building materials in one display such as laminate, fabric, metal etc. to from what is called a "custom modular hybrid displays." One of the most aggressive manufacturers of trade show display systems which utilize metal, laminate and fabric in the production process, is Classic Exhibits Inc out of Milwaukie, Oregon. Many of the specific product names of the new generation of custom modular hybrid displays utilizing dye sublimated tension fabric and other materials are detailed in this glossary of trade show exhibit products for the custom modular hybrid category.

Many newer displays are designed to reduce weight and setup/dismantle time, and utilize tension fabric graphics, typically using dye-sublimation printing. The most recent method for attaching these fabric graphics to modular aluminum frames is to use "SEG" or "Silicone Edge Graphics", which employ a plastic strip or bead at the edge of the graphic that is pressed into a groove on the aluminum frame.

Reasons to exhibit a trade show display

The trade show industry serves a staggeringly wide and varied audience. Many industries have their own types of show style. On a micro

Micro

Micro is a prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10-6 . Confirmed in 1960, the prefix comes from the Greek , meaning "small".The symbol for the prefix is the Greek letter μ...

 level, there are numerous reasons for exhibitors to deploy a display at a given trade show. On a macro

Macro

A macro in computer science is a rule or pattern that specifies how a certain input sequence should be mapped to an output sequence according to a defined procedure...

 level it can be said that there are only five [5] reasons:

1. To sell
2. To launch
3. To correct a misconception
4. To create an impression
5. To get create internal "buy-in" for the initiatives above

These five reasons are sometimes grouped into the generalization Trade show Impact.

Another view groups all trade show goals into 4 reasons to exhibit:

1. Increasing sales and reinforcing market share
2. Increasing share of customers and getting current customers to buy more
3. Introducing new products
4. Positioning or repositioning your organization, its brand and products

Types of Trade show displays

There are many types of trade show displays / exhibits. Below is a list of the common types:

• Tabletop displays Usually a small metal frame work which can easily collapse (much like a backpacking tent frame) into a small carrying case, with graphic panels that attach to the frame work via mechanical fastener
  Fastener
  A fastener is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.Fasteners can also be used to close a container such as a bag, a box, or an envelope; or they may involve keeping together the sides of an opening of flexible material, attaching a lid to a container,...
  
  s, magnet
  Magnet
  A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
  
  s, or Velcro
  Velcro
  Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
  
  . These displays are typically very easy to set up, and require little to no on site support labor. As the name implies, they are designed to be set on top of a table, one usually supplied by the show contractor. As with pipe and drape, this table is often provided as part of the price of renting the exhibit space.

• Table covers (Also known as Throw covers.) If the exhibitor is using a table within their exhibit space (whether provided by the show contractor or rented), custom printed table covers allow the exhibitor to the opportunity to use the table as a branding opportunity, as opposed to just a stock, non-branded table drape. Show provided tables normally come with a neutral table drape, and a custom cover allows the exhibitor to stand out from those who use the stock table cover.

• Pipe and Drape Often provided by the show contractor, these typically use a metal frame of upright posts supported by base plates, with cross beams on which the fabric drape is either threaded (via a sewn pocket) or tied. These types of displays are often provided by the show contractor as part of the price of the exhibit space. The fabric drape is usually a neutral color or a color which ties in with the theme of the show. Exhibitors can use these as a backdrop for their own display pieces, but they are not meant to support any direct weight, and provide little in the way of display client graphics or branding. Most exhibitors use a purchased or rented display structure in front of the supplied pipe and drape.

• Pop-up Displays (These are sometimes called a Pull-Up display or Portable display) A display which uses a flexible graphic panel (fabric or other man-made material) attached to a spring-loaded roller on which the graphic winds for storage. When ready to display, the graphic is pulled up, and then secured to a support post at the back of the roller, which holds the graphic up and taut in place. These can be used individually, or in series, as warrants. Like tabletop displays, they are normally very lightweight, and can be easily transported and set up without needing much on site labor support. The components are often made from very lightweight materials, and transported in small traveling cases (often injection molded
  Injection moulding
  Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity...
  
   plastic). Most often curved in shape, they are also now popular as straight walls with attached fabric mural graphics.

• Banner stands Banner stands are a smaller type of trade show display with one large graphic supported in a standing frame. Similar in construction to pop-up displays but composed of one free-standing panel, they are a portable and lightweight display solution. Some varieties come with retractable roll-up panels for ease of transport, detachable graphics, or lights. Other types of banner stands include outdoor banners, motorized scrolling banners, and frame-based tension fabric banners.

• Modular Exhibit These exhibits fall between a pop-up display, and a panel & frame system. Whereas a pop-up is typically a small background property, a modular display is an entire space. They use a standardized basic structure, whether this be a metal frame work, or thin, lightweight panel construction, which is then configured within the confines of the structure limitations to what the exhibitor requires. A study by Trade Show Week Magazine showed that modular exhibits weigh, on average, about 60% less than traditional custom exhibits. Analogous to a Lego or Tinker-toy, the components are typically easily reconfigured into new layouts as the exhibitor may require from show to show. The components are often made from very lightweight materials, and transported in small traveling cases (often injection molded plastic).

• Panel & Frame Systems. These are the ubiquitous exhibit, retail, display and presentation systems. In many ways, when people think of modular exhibits today, they are thinking of Panel & Frame systems like aluminum extrusions, which is sold (in pieces and parts) to distributors, who in turn market a range of solutions (including exhibit solutions) for rent or purchase at a variety of quality levels and price points. There are hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of "parts" available. In North America anyway, tradeshow floors are typically laid out with Panel & Frame products. These products are a ubiquitous category all to themselves. Unlike a tabletop display or modular exhibit, Panel & Frame Systems will require the services of an on site labor source (show general contractor, or a labor contractor approved through show management).

• Custom Exhibits These rental or purchase exhibits are fabricated from a variety of materials, based upon the design and needs of the exhibitor. These exhibits often incorporate hard wall panels to create rooms and separated spaces, stages, large metal structures, display and work stations, and other display components. Custom exhibits cannot normally be set up by the exhibitor without utilizing the services of an on site labor source (show general contractor, or a labor contractor approved through show management).

Large companies often buy a custom exhibit to be used at different shows in different countries all over the world - a concept similar to the set of sound and stage equipment that accompanies world famous music groups on their tours around the world. Rules for construction of custom exhibits vary from country to country and even show hall to show hall.

For example, in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, construction of even temporary structures at the exhibition venues is treated in accordance with the Russian construction laws that mainly apply to capital development. Even if the custom exhibit has been used at other shows in other countries, its design and the credentials of the builder will be scrutinized by the organizers of the show and the technical department of the venue.

Custom exhibits are transported to the exhibit hall in exhibit crates, skids

Skids

Skids may refer to:* Skids is the name of several Transformers characters* Skids , a Scottish band* The skids on a helicopter* A steel girder foundation on which heavy modular plant is built and subsequently skidded into position....

, dollies, or sometimes via pad wrapping, to protect the exhibit properties during transport, and during set up and tear down (Installation & Dismantle).

The Rise of Rental

For years, the trade show display business was dominated by the notion of selling and owning one's display properties. There are a number of reasons for this including accounting realities and the cultural history of the industry itself. But, in recent years, this has all begun change. At one time, the notion of Rental Exhibits would have been a category in the list above; that is to say that at one time a Rental Exhibit would have been viewed as a type of exhibit, usually a property owned by an outside vendor (either the show general contractor, or an outside rental exhibit company), which are stock properties that are rented to the exhibitor in a standard configuration, or a modified version thereof. This is no longer the case.

Current thinking in the exhibit industry often treats rental and purchase as alternative financial strategies aimed at accomplishing different ends. These days virtually any trade show display of any type or quality can be rented or purchased.

In some markets (such as North America and Europe) rental provides lower initial (and even lower overall) costs due to costs of trade show exhibit ownership while delivering greater flexibility whereas purchase provides certain undeniable accounting benefits. Consumers of trade show displays in these markets must weigh their options to determine what works best for their situation. In other markets (such as most of Asia) raw materials and labor are priced such that rental is rarely competitive. This is due to the disposable Build and Burn approach which is so prevalent.

While it is true that any trade show display of any type or quality can be rented or purchased, there are still some types of trade show displays which are viewed as almost exclusively rental properties:

• Used Exhibits - These are existing exhibit properties, usually older and sometimes worn (though not necessarily), originally built for another purpose, available for rental or purchase. Many exhibit houses have a few of these lying about. Some exhibit houses have built their businesses on them. Just as there is nothing inherently wrong with a used car, there is nothing inherently wrong with a used exhibit. It depends upon the exhibit itself. Used exhibits may require the services of an on site labor source (show general contractor, or a labor contractor approved through show management) to set up, and often the rental exhibit provider can provided those services as part of the rental package to the exhibitor.

• Inventory Rentals - These exhibits are properties owned by an outside vendor (either the show general contractor, or an outside rental exhibit company), which are stock properties that are rented to the exhibitor in a standard configuration, or a modified version thereof. Rental exhibits use these stock properties to provide a basic structure for the exhibitor, which can then be augmented by custom graphics, easily applied and removed finishes, and other cosmetic augmentation. Inventory rentals normally require the services of an on site labor source (show general contractor, or a labor contractor approved through show management) to set up, and often the rental exhibit provider can provided those services as part of the rental package to the exhibitor.

Display standard sizes and configurations

Trade show displays vary in size. While tabletop displays can be smaller than an average table or desk, some custom exhibits may be larger than a typical city block

City block

A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...

.

The typical booth size in North America is 10 ft x 10 ft. Exhibitors can typically rent space in multiples of the standard 10 ft by 10 ft space (renting two 10 ft x 10 ft spaces that are beside each other would form a 10 ft x 20 ft space, and renting four 10 ft x 10 ft spaces in a square would form a 20 ft x 20 ft exhibit space).

In Europe, and Asia, exhibit spaces are typically done in 1m increments, with the smallest typically being 3m x 3m.

In either case, a "show floor" is "made" by arranging the various exhibitors based upon their spatial requests. Regardless of geography

Geography

Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...

, the rental realities dictate that all displays on a trade show floor will fall into one of several configurations:

• Linear Booth (also called “In-Line Booth“): An exhibit space with exhibit booths on either side and/or back
• Peninsula Exhibit: A peninsula
  Peninsula
  A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
  
   is an exhibit or area with aisles on three sides. A Peninsula Booth is 20’x20’ or larger
• Split-Island Exhibit: A Split Island Booth is a Peninsula Booth which shares a common back wall with another Peninsula Booth
• Island Exhibit: An Island Exhibit is any booth exposed to aisles on all four sides. An Island Booth is virtually always 20’ x 20’ or larger

Geographic / Cultural Differences in Approach

Differences in how trade show displays are approached vary on the locale: in South America, Europe and Asia it is much more common to have what is known in the industry as “build and burn” exhibits, which are exhibits which are fabricated and set up just for the life of the one show. In North America it is more common to have exhibits which are purchased, and then used many times for different shows before they are either re-purposed, or disposed of. In Europe, trade shows have much longer hours, and are more about having longer meetings and actually closing deals than in North America—therefore displays are built more to facilitate longer meetings, including more comfortable seating and hospitality such as food and beverages.

Trade show display companies

There is an entire industry built around the design and sale of trade show displays. Many companies that sell trade show displays have elaborate showrooms in major cities, and other companies sell displays over the internet without a showroom. Typically a trade show display company will specialize in one type of trade show display. Internet companies tend to specialize in modular, portable, and hybrid trade show displays, while companies with large showrooms typically specialize in custom exhibit booths.

To cut the costs of the exhibits display manufacturers often use what is known as "exhibition systems" such as, for example, MODUL to build walls of the booths and add "bespoke" elements manufactured from plastic, wood etc. to create a unique look of display. After the trade fair the system is collected and stored by the display manufacturer, while the extra elements (including banners, posters, custom info desks etc.) are used.