Choosing Booth Locations, Sizes and Types
How can the your booth selection affect your event outcome?
It is considered a “best practice” to book your events as early in the cycle as possible. This gives you several relative advantages over competitors. Early booking also yields absolute advantages based on strategies such as traffic flows and what has historically worked best for you in that event or others.
The basic booth types are inline, corner, end cap and island. Inline booths have neighbors on both sides. Corners have only one side-neighbor. End caps have no side-neighbors. Generally the booth cost rises as exposure increases. But, if you’ve learned how to turn visibility into business, then the corners and end caps can be a “best buy.”
Should you stick with a basic booth or “go big?” The answer to this depends on a number of factors. Some outside of your control.
What are the top considerations for selecting booth location, size and type?
Booth location:
• Close to an entrance has both advantages and disadvantages depending on your ability to engage. If you need to spend more time with a prospect, consider having some distance from an entrance. If you need to connect more quickly with a volume of people, then get closer to the front door
• The majority of attendees will turn to the right when they come onto a show floor. It’s above 50% but not much over 60% typically. But, that depends on factors including what catches their eye and if they are heading toward a known location such as a show attraction.
• Avoid direct competitors. No matter where you are on the show floor, you don’t want to be too close to a direct competitor or in direct line-of-sight with them. If they are around a corner or otherwise unseen from your space, then your staff and prospects can be free to work without distraction. Most show management teams watch for this potential conflict when placing new exhibitors.
• Booking early gives you the ability to command and area with your presence as the show management will try and keep competitors at a distance. This also works in reverse if you book late in the cycle. Not only will you have limited open booths to choose from, you will have even fewer after you avoid competitors.
• Placing yourself on perimeters and/or near special event attractions, restrooms, and concessions, can increase traffic density near you. But, make sure your staff are ready for that possibility.
Booth size:
• While the 10x10 inline booth will always be the most affordable option, it may prevent you from maximizing results.
• The most common booth size sold is the 10x20. It give enough room for attendees to get off the aisle and focus more directly on your company. You want this.
• A tightly packed small booth can be a big turnoff to prospects that want to keep some physical distance and not feel “trapped.”
• A bigger booth subconsciously translates strength and credibility to the prospects walking by.
• Larger spaces allow you to make greater impact with signage including overhead banners hung from the ceiling.
Booth type:
• Inline booths (open to traffic on front only) have about a 5 second “engagement window” per 10 feet of frontage as attendees stroll by and determine if they want to spend time with you.
• A corner booth (open on 2 sides to traffic) more than doubles the engagement window of the corner booth unit due to long-range visibility.
• End caps (open on 3 sides to traffic) have stronger exposure than corners. But you may need to work the side aisles and not the aisle it faces depending on traffic flow. Be ready to make that adaptation after the show starts.
• Islands (open on 4 sides to traffic) provide the maximum exposure to traffic. But, you must lay them out effectively and staff them appropriately to gain full benefit of the investment.
It is considered a “best practice” to book your events as early in the cycle as possible. This gives you several relative advantages over competitors. Early booking also yields absolute advantages based on strategies such as traffic flows and what has historically worked best for you in that event or others.
The basic booth types are inline, corner, end cap and island. Inline booths have neighbors on both sides. Corners have only one side-neighbor. End caps have no side-neighbors. Generally the booth cost rises as exposure increases. But, if you’ve learned how to turn visibility into business, then the corners and end caps can be a “best buy.”
Should you stick with a basic booth or “go big?” The answer to this depends on a number of factors. Some outside of your control.
What are the top considerations for selecting booth location, size and type?
Booth location:
• Close to an entrance has both advantages and disadvantages depending on your ability to engage. If you need to spend more time with a prospect, consider having some distance from an entrance. If you need to connect more quickly with a volume of people, then get closer to the front door
• The majority of attendees will turn to the right when they come onto a show floor. It’s above 50% but not much over 60% typically. But, that depends on factors including what catches their eye and if they are heading toward a known location such as a show attraction.
• Avoid direct competitors. No matter where you are on the show floor, you don’t want to be too close to a direct competitor or in direct line-of-sight with them. If they are around a corner or otherwise unseen from your space, then your staff and prospects can be free to work without distraction. Most show management teams watch for this potential conflict when placing new exhibitors.
• Booking early gives you the ability to command and area with your presence as the show management will try and keep competitors at a distance. This also works in reverse if you book late in the cycle. Not only will you have limited open booths to choose from, you will have even fewer after you avoid competitors.
• Placing yourself on perimeters and/or near special event attractions, restrooms, and concessions, can increase traffic density near you. But, make sure your staff are ready for that possibility.
Booth size:
• While the 10x10 inline booth will always be the most affordable option, it may prevent you from maximizing results.
• The most common booth size sold is the 10x20. It give enough room for attendees to get off the aisle and focus more directly on your company. You want this.
• A tightly packed small booth can be a big turnoff to prospects that want to keep some physical distance and not feel “trapped.”
• A bigger booth subconsciously translates strength and credibility to the prospects walking by.
• Larger spaces allow you to make greater impact with signage including overhead banners hung from the ceiling.
Booth type:
• Inline booths (open to traffic on front only) have about a 5 second “engagement window” per 10 feet of frontage as attendees stroll by and determine if they want to spend time with you.
• A corner booth (open on 2 sides to traffic) more than doubles the engagement window of the corner booth unit due to long-range visibility.
• End caps (open on 3 sides to traffic) have stronger exposure than corners. But you may need to work the side aisles and not the aisle it faces depending on traffic flow. Be ready to make that adaptation after the show starts.
• Islands (open on 4 sides to traffic) provide the maximum exposure to traffic. But, you must lay them out effectively and staff them appropriately to gain full benefit of the investment.