Start Up Kids Line

Figuring out the costs of doing a trade show

April 24th, 2007

Just a couple of trade shows into the fashion business and I can tell you about some costs that you would never think of when you’re getting ready for your first trade show. The booth cost is only the beginning. As we’re learning to track everything a lot better, I’m getting a better picture of how to figure out and estimate expenses for a trade show. I think this is probably true across industries, but I can attest to the costs I list below for fashion collection trade shows.

The “betcha-didn’t-know” costs of a trade show:

• Electricity – This might sound really silly, but we still haven’t gotten it together enough to order extra electricity. However, now that we have decided on a standard booth setup – I know where we’ll put the lighting next time we do a tradeshow and it’ll be easy to place our electricity order. The cost of extra electricity seems to start around (START) around $175; that’s for one outlet.And it’s not a good idea to decide that you’ll go in and rig a couple of extension cords and make it work. They’ll check out your booth, charge for the electricity anyways, plus some likely additional fees for being a thief.
• Moving Labor – For a lot of shows you HAVE to pay for the labor to move your booth setup materials from the loading dock to the presentation hall. Check for additional rules regarding what you can and can not carry in, what must be wheeled in, and what must be paid for.
• Parking -At convention centers, parking is often an additional fee.
• Clean-up fees; for a lot of trade shows, vacuuming and extra clean-up will cost you extra.
• Internet

Here are some trade show prep fees to keep in mind:

• Print Materials – posters, brochures, catalogs, price lists, business cards and coupons all fall into this category.
• Hotel – You’ll likely be paying for a few nights at a hotel, which will likely have additional parking fees.
• Display fixtures – hooks, grid walls, tape, scissors, pins, tables, floor coverings, and everything else that helps you craft your display falls into this category.

We’ve done what we can to capitalize on our investments for each show, so we can re-use as much as possible, for as long as possible. Two days away from this weekend’s event and I think we’ve got a good grip. We’re meeting the mini-deadlines we’ve set for ourselves, crafted great product packaging for our great new product, and so, I just know we’re going to have a great show this weekend.

Please, jump in and add any trade show costs that I missed. It’s late night here, so I’m sure there are a few.

          

Entry Filed under: Trade Shows & Market