Trade Show Booth Design
It’s the season of trade shows, and that means brushing up on your booth design to make it a success. Learn how to get the greatest return on investment no matter what size trade show booth you choose. The standard trade show booth size in the US is 10 ft x 10 ft. These booths typically line up side by side with one front entrance into your booth space known as an inline booth. Your booth layout plays a critical role in how trade show attendees interact with your space, no matter the size. However, the size of your booth also impacts visitors’ experience and can help factor into whether they choose to come in or keep walking. The perfect booth size will depend on a variety of factors, including what type of products or services you want to highlight, your marketing strategy, and how you plan to staff your booth.
A 10×10 booth at a trade show works well for first-time attendees and businesses with smaller products to showcase. The typical 10×10 booth sets the standard for a reason and works for a wide variety of businesses. You may only need a small amount of space to showcase your products or services and allow your small group of staff to interact effectively with attendees. A 10×20 booth offers twice as much width to your space so you can have more room to interact with attendees and allow for foot traffic in between displays or interactive exhibits. Many trade shows offer 10×20 options at their shows to help you maximize your outreach and increase your foot traffic. For the biggest bang for your buck, consider a 20×20 or larger booth with multiple entry points to really show off larger products and create spaces for attendees to interact with your staff and services. With so many trade show booth options, it can be difficult to determine what size will work best for you. Partner with Exhibitus to maximize outreach and achieve all your marketing goals.
How to Determine the Right Trade Show Booth Size
Make the most of your appearance at a trade show by choosing the booth size that works best for your business. Are you looking to showcase or exhibit your company’s products or services? Do you want an interactive trade show experience with networking and sales leads? Or maybe you plan to deepen brand awareness through wholesale orders on-site? How you plan to measure the success of your trade show experience will help determine the best trade show booth size for you. The right booth size at a trade show can significantly enhance your marketing and promotion with your targeted audience. Running a booth at a trade show provides you with an excellent marketing opportunity for business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C), depending on the event. Highlight your products or services with a booth space that offers the best return on investment for your trade show experience.
A variety of factors will affect what type of trade show booth will work best for your needs and goals. Your business will use the booth as a headquarters for attracting and engaging with attendees. If this is your first time attending a trade show, perhaps the typical 10×10 booth will be a great place to start. As you visualize the space, you want to think about the number of staff you will have at the booth and how many attendees you expect to visit. Do you want attendees to walk through the booth in a certain direction? Are there certain products you want to ensure everyone gets a chance to see? Identifying areas to highlight and the natural flow of traffic will help determine the right trade show booth size for your business. Think of how you want your booth to stand out in a crowded exhibition hall and what products or services can woo attendees to your space.
Why Get A 10×10 Trade Show Booth
If this is your first time at a trade show, consider a 10×10 booth for the standard trade show display and booth space as you learn more about what you want your outreach and engagement to look like. The 10×10 booth size is a standard size for a reason: many businesses can effectively market their products or services and engage with trade show attendees in this space. Additionally, a 10×10 booth size is a budget-friendly option for companies looking to maximize their return on investment. Businesses with smaller products can also save on space and instead invest time and energy into displays and staffing to make their booth stand apart from the rest. The most common 10×10 trade show booth is known as the inline booth, with one side facing the aisle where attendees will pass by. This standard configuration allows visitors to enter the space from the aisle through the front. With three sides to a 10×10 inline booth, you will have plenty of usable space to display products. Incorporate strategic planning into your trade show booth design to maximize the potential during peak traffic times.
In some cases, a trade show may only offer 10×10 booth sizes. In addition to inline booths, you may also have the opportunity for a corner booth, which means you can capture the attention of trade show attendees from two separate aisles. Corner booths are typically located at major intersections inside the exhibition hall, so you can expect visitors who can enter this much wider opening from two separate aisles. A 10×10 corner booth will feature less wall space, so you will need to think strategically about your storage space and how to exhibit your marketing materials. However, this type of 10×10 booth design will typically offer a cost-effective solution to stand out among the crowd because of how a corner becomes a natural place to pause and determine which direction to go in next. Because a 10×10 space offers a smaller amount of square footage than other options, you want to think strategically about how visitors will enter the space and what will make them want to stick around and learn more about your products and services.
Why Get a 10×20 Trade Show Booth
Do you need trade show booth space for product demonstrations? Will you create meeting spaces inside your booth? Then the 10×20 size trade show booth may be the best choice for you. The 10×20 booth size offers twice as much space and square footage compared to the standard 10×10 design. A 10×20 booth will still be 10 feet deep with a 20-foot wide space for product demos or meeting spaces. With a 10×20 booth, you will not have to worry about traffic jams during high peak times because visitors will have more space to spread out and explore your products and services. You will also enjoy greater flexibility with options for configuring your booth furniture and marketing displays. If you plan to bring a large staff to the trade show, a 10×20 can better accommodate your staff without crowding out attendees. Perhaps you want to create a symmetrical design where attendees can enter from either side with an island or table in the middle of the space, allowing your staff to be available from multiple directions.
Engage trade show attendees with a remarkable 10×20 booth that enhances your marketing plan. Whether you are looking to introduce a new product or raise brand awareness in the field, a 10×20 trade show booth can help. With this size space, it is important to keep the space relatively open so that attendees can move around in the space. Consider audio-visual components and other ways to avoid taking up vital floor space for your visitors to explore. Consider your 10×20 booth a blank canvas where you can attract attention from various points of entry and with various engagement and experiential opportunities. Maximize your 10×20 booth footprint to ensure your products and services are at the forefront of the space. Consider verticals and little details to help draw the eye upward and make the space feel more expansive. Take control over your exhibit and ensure your products and services grab the center of attention with a 10×20 booth.
Why Get a 20×20 Trade Show Booth
Enjoy creative freedom and greater hosting abilities when you invest in a 20×20 trade show booth for your business. A 20×20 booth grabs the most attention from trade show visitors and provides you with greater exposure considering the premier positioning. Exhibitors with bigger budgets can invest in a 20×20 trade show booth for a strong visual impact and the ability to create an immersive experience for visitors. With high visibility and exposure, a 20×20 booth will need a comprehensive marketing and display strategy to truly command the attention of this space.
The 20×20 trade show booth configuration typically comes in what’s known as the peninsula booth or island booth style. A peninsula booth will have one backdrop side with the other three sides open to foot traffic. This means visitors have triple the amount of access to your space as compared to the traditional inline booths. An island booth will allow trade show attendees to access your space from all four sides and requires an expert marketing and design strategy to maximize the potential of this layout. Island booths do not have back wall spaces, so storage can be tricky, but you can maximize your space with strategically placed display tables at the center of your booth. A 20×20 booth will give trade show attendees a unique opportunity to interact with your products and services.
Why Get a Custom Trade Show Booth
Increase traffic to your trade show exhibit and perform better at your next event with a custom trade show booth. A custom design will take your unique needs and goals to help make your next trade show successful. Custom trade show booths allow you to maintain full control of your booth, from budgeting to branding. Learn how to showcase your products and services better with a custom trade show booth design. Exhibitus provides custom trade show booth designs to help increase your brand awareness and offer strategic target marketing with a tailored exhibit. A custom booth design will consider everything from easy set-up and transportation to engaging your customers with eye-catching designs. You can get a custom trade show booth to match any budget and size. With decades of experience in the trade show industry, our team at Exhibitus will help you identify and achieve your goals by creating a custom design that will offer you the best return on investment. We strive to improve your trade show experience so that each time you experience new ways to engage and influence visitors as they interact with your space.
How To Make The Most Out Of A Trade Show Booth Layout
Create an effective trade show booth for your company, no matter the size restrictions. The typical US trade show booth measures 10 ft x 10 ft, giving you a small space to put on a big show. However, trade show booths do not have to take up hundreds of square feet to make a lasting impression on the crowd. You can make the most out of your trade show booth layout by focusing on these five tips by industry experts.
1. Define your trade show goals
The best way to make your trade show booth a success is to define what success means to you and your company. Are you looking to gain more visibility among businesses or customers? Make professional connections? Showcase your products and services? Answering these questions will help you determine your trade show goals and set clear objectives that will help you determine where to direct most of your efforts. A trade show booth design will offer the greatest return on investment when you develop a plan for what you want to achieve. The booth design will help you determine how to best meet those goals.
2. Set yourself up for success
Take a proactive approach to planning and implementing your marketing and design plan to help make your trade show experience successful. Identify clear and concise actions to help you meet your trade show goals before you even get to the exhibition hall. Who is your target audience? What repeat customers will be in attendance? What new attendees are you hoping to draw in? Send personalized invitations to potential attendees and remind them why your booth is worth stopping by. Matching pre-show materials to your design and marketing strategy will also help easily catch the eye of your target demographic.
3. Embrace space and simplicity
The amount of foot traffic may ebb and flow, and you want your space to effectively accommodate any crowd size. The design of your trade show booth can help make your booth feel larger than it really is with strategic positioning. Create a seamless transition into your space without large or oversaturated displays or graphics that may overwhelm potential visitors. A booth should distract visitors in the best way by piquing their interest and creating an inviting space to enter. No matter the size of your booth, attention to detail in terms of traffic flow and strategic displays will help you maximize your footprint.
4. Create a welcoming atmosphere
The atmosphere of your booth will help attract and engage trade show attendees. You want to do more than simply grab their attention; you want to create a space that feels warm and inviting. From design style to staffing, you can maximize your trade show booth space by making your booth a friendly place to be. If you have the largest booth at the show but do not have warm and engaging staff, attendees will likely move on for a more positive experience. You do not need a large staff to create a welcoming atmosphere. 10×10 trade show booths with a small staff can generate just as much energy and interest with the representatives who know how to move through the space confidently as they engage visitors.
5. Engage your audience
A trade show provides a unique opportunity to engage face to face with industry peers and potential customers. The location of your booth might play a small role in successful engagement, but the design style of your trade show booth will truly engage your audience. A booth design should maximize the footprint of your space and create the best flow for visitors to engage without feeling rushed or cramped. There are so many ways to effectively engage your audience in both small and large spaces. A creative booth design will not only draw in passersby but also prompt them to interact with your products and services. Consider audio-visual or virtual reality experiences that help display your best products and highlight your successes.
What to Do With Small Trade Show Booth
Most trade show booths measure around 100 square feet of space for exhibitors to engage with their target audience. A typical 10 ft x 10 ft trade show booth offers an economical option for many companies looking to get their foot in the door of the trade show industry. Many companies also find that the challenges of a small trade show booth actually help improve their effectiveness in reaching attendees. Small trade show booths like the standard 10×10 require creative and strategic planning to ensure success and maximum return on investment. Due to the frequency with which you will see 10×10 options at trade shows, many options are typically available, including inline and corner booths, depending on what best suits your needs.
An inline booth is the most common type of 10×10 trade show booth. This booth type features three enclosed sides with one open side where visitors pass by. An inline booth offers one point of entry and exit for visitors with options for displays, panels, and graphics to entice attendees to enter your booth. You can also request the highly coveted corner booth for greater accessibility and two points of entry. A corner booth will only have one neighboring booth, which means you have a greater span of time to catch the eye of attendees. Whether you have an inline or corner booth layout, always ensure you keep the front of your booth free of any obstacles so that the space feels inviting. A custom 10×10 trade show booth design can also help the space feel larger with strategic attention paid to various lines of sight and points of interest.
In addition to the standard 10×10 trade show booth, other small trade show booth sizes may include 8×10 and 8×8 options depending on the borders and spacing in between booths. Always check with the exhibition hall to learn where your space ends and your neighbor’s begins so you can maximize the available booth space.
What to Do With Larger Trade Show Booth Sizes
Consider investing in a larger trade show booth size to double the time and space attendees will spend interacting with your products and services. The average trade show visitor spends 3 seconds looking at a standard 10×10 booth before they pass you by and decide whether or not to step inside. When you have a 10 ft x 20 ft space, you have a better chance of grabbing their attention with double the width of the standard booth size. Plus, a 10×20 gives attendees more aisle space in front of the exhibit as well as inside the booth as they engage with your products and staff. Large 10×20 trade show booths create more opportunities for you to meet and greet, network, and raise brand awareness.
A 20 ft by 20 ft trade show booth allows you to maximize four times the space of a standard booth. When you go up in dimensions and floor space, you make room to display larger products or create areas for seating and engagement without compromising traffic flow. 20×20 booths are considered showcase booths because they typically garner the most foot traffic of all exhibits at a trade show. It is quite common for a large 20×20 trade show booth to offer a high visual impact from all sides with a peninsula or island booth style. Large island booths allow attendees to engage with your booth from all available entry points. This type of booth requires a detailed and strategic plan to effectively command such a large space.
When to Consider Renting Trade Show Booths
Renting your trade show booth can provide your company with greater flexibility to match the parameters and restrictions of the space and avoid additional expenses related to maintenance and storage. Consider renting trade show booths instead of owning them so you can enjoy greater customizability depending on your location and audience. A rental trade show booth offers more than a cookie-cutter solution to your marketing goals. Partner with Exhibitus to get greater flexibility in your design and layout from show to show. As you learn from each experience, you can make changes and improvements to branding messages based on responses from actual attendees. You may also consider multi-show rentals for crafting the best trade show booth to meet your goals.
Newer businesses can choose to rent a trade show booth and learn more about how to stretch the marketing budget for the greatest return on investment. Renting a trade show booth also offers a cost-effective solution where you can spend less on the structure of your booth and more on the marketing and design materials that will really draw in your customers. Whether you have a newer company or want to exhibit at multiple trade shows at one time, rental trade show booths will also allow you to modify your configurations and designs to determine the best recipe for success at future shows. Before you decide to own or refurbish your trade show booth, test out new designs and opportunities while you learn what works best for reaching your target audience.
Best Trade Show Booth by Size
Make the most of your trade show experience when investing in a customized trade show booth with Exhibitus. We work with you to design a booth that best fits your needs and showcases your products and services to a large audience. The most popular booth size is 10 ft by 10 ft and is the standard booth size at most trade shows and events spaces. This readily available size will allow you to easily transport and set up your booth at various venues. The 10×10 is the best trade show booth size, especially if you are just getting started or looking to relaunch new marketing materials and products. Other options to consider include the 10 ft by 20 ft for more frontage or get the most bang for your buck with a 20 ft by 20 ft booth that features multiple access points and space for interacting with attendees and customers.
10X10 Trade Show Booth Example
Most trade shows and events offer the popular 10×10 booth sizes for an affordable way to optimize your outreach. Our highly customized 10×10 trade show booth designs utilize your best marketing strategies to attract and engage visitors. Check out our Congo trade show booth with a 10×10 footprint designed to bridge the gap between traditional education and educational technologies. We utilize a classic schoolhouse color scheme and create a natural path for attendees to engage with our client’s services.
10X20 Trade Show Booth Example
Take advantage of a larger footprint when you choose a 10×20 trade show booth. A 10×20 booth provides more space for attendees to interact with your products and services. Choose a 10×20 trade show booth with a customizable design when you want to incorporate more interactions between your booth staff and attendees for conversation and networking. Our Wells Fargo clients utilized a 10×20 booth style to effectively recreate the atmosphere of a local branch with technology touchpoints and spaces to speak one on one.
20X20 Trade Show Booth Example
Explore out-of-the-box themes in your trade show booth when you select a 20×20 footprint. The 20×20 booth size allows you to maximize your exposure at every trade show and event with multiple access points for attendees to engage with your products and services. Take advantage of all that space by showcasing larger products and designs without compromising space for staff and attendees to interact. Our Liftmaster client incorporated multiple touchpoints for staff and attendees to access various technologies with a streamlined design to optimize interest and engagement.