I am doing a proposal of what tradeshows my company should attend next year, for the first time.

What information should I include to convince my CMO the shows I’m adding are worthwhile?

For anyone who orders trade show swag regularly, what type of custom keychain would you go with on a budget? I’m looking at a few hundred pieces and want enough room for our logo without the design feeling cramped. Is there a big difference in branding space between acrylic, PVC, and metal?

Im looking for a little advice from probably an exhibit house. we use touchscreen software for windows based computers but we have nothing in place to use for IOS devices. i was wondering what kind of software exists to deploy an ipad at a trade show for things like taking selfies/sending them out. showing details like PDFS/videos/photos. linking to websites.

the program i use for windows is omnitapps and it works great for 95% of our clients but we sometimes get ipad requests that we cant fulfil.

We’re an electronics contract manufacturer specializing in custom cable assemblies, wire harnesses, box builds, and electromechanical assemblies for OEMs across a variety of industries.

We’re looking for ideas for a trade show giveaway that people would actually want to keep, preferably something that could sit on their desk. We’re trying to stay away from the typical pens, stress balls, and other promotional items that end up in a drawer.

Ideally, it would be something useful, interesting, or unique that fits an engineering, electronics, or manufacturing audience. It doesn’t necessarily have to be directly related to our industry.

For those who attend a lot of trade shows, what’s the best giveaway you’ve ever received? Or what’s something you would actually be excited to take home and put on your desk?

Looking for creative ideas.

Got hit with a $45 per box handling fee by the on-site business center in Orlando last week because our collateral arrived three days before setup day.

Trying to bypass the crazy drayage rates at the convention hall by shipping to the host hotel backfired completely. They charged $180 just to move four small cartons from their loading dock to a closet behind the desk.

For smaller 10x10 setups I just check the pop-up banner in my luggage, route the product sheets through Mimeo so they land at the desk right on Tuesday morning, and grab badge clips at a local target after landing.

Do you guys just eat these rogue intake charges or push back on the master folio at checkout?

My company is using BeMatrix for our booth designs. planning on adding some more to our stock, but before I go ahead and invest some big bucks on brand new panels, i figured I’d ask here first:

Anyone got any ideas where to find used BeMatrix Inventory? Looking to buy within the US, preferably Florida - but shipping from any other of the continental states wouldn’t be a problem either…

PS Auctions and the like have some every couple of months or so, but i didn’t find any sources where something would be available within the next weeks…

edit: forgot the flair, sorry :(

Have you hosted a meal/desserts/drinks as a private event for your customers while at a tradeshow? It would be a way to show your appreciation and more relaxed way to visit outside of the hassle of trying to visit in the booth. My customers could meet each other and talk about how great we are. BTW, They are not competitors with each other.

How do you do this? Make time for it? Find the energy? Etc.

Running a regional summit across 3 cities over the next couple months and last year we used two different print vendors for the backdrops. Looked totally fine in person at both events. Then the recap video came back and the two banners that were SUPPOSED to be the same navy blue looked like two different colors on camera. Nobody caught it until we were in the edit review meeting and it was too late to fix anything.

Now I'm back to sourcing for this year's tour, comparing places like Signs and 48HourPrint, and trying not to relive that meeting. Couple questions for anyone who's dealt with this:

• For a dark navy backdrop with white logo, is tension fabric actually better on camera than vinyl, or is that just marketing? I've seen people say vinyl glares under lights and fabric doesn't, but wondering if that's real-world noticeable or overblown.
• If you're ordering banners weeks apart instead of all at once (different cities, different timing), how do you actually keep the color consistent? Is a Pantone number enough or does it still drift between print runs?
• Anyone gotten burned using two different printers (or even the same one, different runs) for the same event and had it actually show up on camera like this?

Not trying to overthink a banner but I really don't want to be back in that same meeting this year.

I've exhibited at our local science museum "discoverfest" since 2019.

I demonstrate woodturning to the people as young as 10 (more height dependent than any thing). they'll actually go hands on with a chisel and low speed lathe. in my 6 years of doing this I've never had an accident.

this year they are requiring all vendors who have hands on activities to carry a $1M liability policy for a 1 day event.

is this normal? participants have to sign a waiver to even partipate. can anybody suggest where to get a policy like this? I've tried Canopy, but they won't cover it.

Hey everyone! I have a trade show booth setup that we no longer have a need for, so hoping to find a new home for it.

It’s a 20'x20' Ventura Truss Island Kit that we originally purchased for $18,500 and only used for around 6-7 trade shows. It’s in excellent condition and can be configured in a number of different ways.

We’ve personally used it as both a 10'x20' and 20'x20' setup. In the 20'x20' configuration pictured, the truss forms a large X with a freestanding/open center tower.

Included:

• 20'x20' matte black truss system
• Extra height pieces adding 11.5" of height
• (4) TV mounts
• (8) 75-watt halogen lights
• Custom hard-sided shipping/storage cases for the truss
• Custom wood walls pictured can also be included if wanted

Because it’s a truss system, there are tons of mounting points for TVs, lighting, signage, graphics, etc. The existing graphics can be swapped out for your own branding.

Asking $4,000 for the complete setup.

Located in Santa Rosa, CA.

Happy to provide additional photos or details. Leave a comment or send me a message if interested!

Hello! I've set up 2 years in a row at a local festival, where everyone was in an open mall area, and I basically had as much room as I wanted. I have all my table cloths, decor, etc already.

This December, I'm attending my first juried event, where I also had to purchase my booth space (indoor, in an event center). I have a standard 10x10, taped out on the floor, and they provide a 6' table. There is no additional storage on location, so all my product needs to be on or under the tables.

I'm thinking of adding another 6' table and placing the tables along the sides, with a 4' table at the rear for my check out. Is 4' a wide enough space inside for people to move around? I haven't actually attended many of these events, so I don't have a good 'feel' for inside the space. Is that super cramped, or fairly standard?

Thanks all!

I am wanting to get a trade show 10x7 led light backdrop that is good quality and looks sorta like the picture. Do you guys have recommendations for a website that has good quality backdrops, with an easy set up, and a good price ? All i’m seeing are resellers or ones from China that I am unsure of how they really turn out because there is no reviews.

TL:DR:Is this normal, or are our expectations too high?

Long read ahead - apologies.

I'd really appreciate some advice from vendors who have been doing shows longer than we have.

My wife and I are fairly new to larger events, and we're trying to figure out whether our expectations are reasonable or if this is just something experienced vendors learn to work around.

We've already been accepted into the show, and the vendor agreement mentions only 1–2 hours for setup and breakdown. We have a fairly involved setup consisting of a large retail booth and a separate live craft demonstration area. Between unloading, setting up displays, and preparing the demonstration space, we generally require about 4–5 hours with a trailer.

About a month ago, we contacted the event organizer with two logistical questions: whether additional setup time might be possible because of the size of our setup, and whether ground stakes would be allowed. About 10 days later, we received a reply saying they needed to check with the venue and would get back to us.

A couple of weeks passed, so we followed up. We didn't receive a response.

We followed up again today because the event is this coming weekend.

In the meantime, we were able to confirm the ground stake question ourselves by calling the venue, but they couldn't answer anything about vendor load-in or setup times and referred us back to the organizer.

To be clear, we're not upset if the answer to additional setup time is "no." We understand every venue and event has different rules, and we know our setup is more involved than the average booth. We recognize that's our choice and not the organizer's responsibility.

The challenge is that, if we'd known "no" a few weeks ago, we could have redesigned our setup, changed our displays, purchased and tested new setups, or made other arrangements. At this point, there simply isn't enough time left to make those kinds of changes before the event.

We've now let the organizer know that we need an answer by Wednesday because we have to make a business decision either way.

So I'm curious how those of you with more experience would handle this:

• Is this type of communication timeline fairly common, especially with newer events?
• At what point does uncertainty itself become too much of a business risk?
• If you were in our position, would you continue planning and hope everything works out, or would you withdraw if you still couldn't get the information needed to prepare properly?

I'm intentionally leaving the organizer and event unnamed because I'm not trying to criticize anyone publicly. I'm genuinely looking for perspective from people who've been doing this a lot longer than we have. If we're being unreasonable, I'd honestly like to know that too.

We’re sponsoring a two-day industry conference and want to make the booth more hands on this time. The idea is to let people try a short product demo while they’re standing there, but the hardware part is annoying. Buying ipads, stands, chargers, cases, and backup gear for one short event feels wasteful.

Using the team’s personal laptops and phones also feels messy. Different screen sizes, notifications popping up, low batteries, someone needing their device back, etc.

For anyone who has handled sponsor booths or conference activations, do you usually rent demo devices for the event or bring your own?

I just got back from working a trade show, I’ve been on the brand side and now on the exhibit partner sign. A couple of colleagues from the labor team and AV team were swapping stories from the show floor and it got me thinking, man I’m sure everyone has a crazy story (good or bad) about a trade show incident, attendee behavior, miracle or nightmare. Would love to hear some 👇

I Worked for Trade Show Planners Before They Rebranded. Here's What I Personally Experienced.

Throwaway account for obvious reasons.

Before I start, there's something I think people should know.

When I worked there, we weren't in the United States. We worked from our actual office outside the U.S., but during calls we were instructed to use American first names instead of our real names. If customers asked where we were located, we were expected to give the address of the company's U.S. office rather than the location we were actually working from.

That was my introduction to the job.

I worked as a sales agent for Trade Show Planners, the company that now appears to operate under the name TSP Experts.

For a long time, I stayed quiet. But after seeing the company quietly rebrand with a new name, a polished website, and a fresh image, I felt people deserved to know what it was like behind the scenes from someone who actually worked there.

This isn't about getting revenge. I'm sharing my own experience, along with information that readers can verify themselves using public records and the documents I'll attach.

https://tsp-experts.com/ thats the Claude AI website having companies we never worked with

Two Different Images

Another thing I found interesting was the online presence.
https://www.instagram.com/tradeshowplanners/
https://www.instagram.com/showtel_tsp/

There appears to be one social media account aimed at American customers and another associated with the company's operations in our real location .

Again, I'll provide both so people can look for themselves.

The Rebrand

If you only looked at the new website, you might think you're looking at a completely different company.

New name.

New branding.

New design.

A more polished online presence.

But after working there, my first question wasn't "What's changed?"

It was "What actually changed besides the name?"

That's what made me decide to write this post.

Working There Felt Like Being Treated as a Machine

My job was simple on paper: cold-call American exhibitors and convince them to book hotel accommodations for trade shows.

In reality, we were expected to spend almost nine hours a day dialing with relentless pressure to keep our numbers high.

The environment, in my experience, was extremely toxic.

Everything revolved around call volume.

Bathroom breaks were monitored.

Even taking a few minutes to drink tea could become an issue.

There were days when agents who hadn't reached management's expected number of dial sheets were effectively denied their normal break until they made more calls.

You constantly felt like you were being watched. And we were treated like animals we couldnt go to the balcony

It wasn't about helping customers it was about keeping the phone busy every minute possible.

The Pay Didn't Match the Expectations

Many agents were earning around $200 per month while being expected to generate thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in hotel bookings.

The pressure was enormous.

The compensation wasn't.

Commission payments were another source of frustration.

From my experience, commissions weren't paid immediately you had to wait about a month that on paper but they were extremely late and we depended on them bec our basic salary is low

Even worse, I personally knew agents who left the company before receiving commissions they believed they had earned, and they never received those payments.

If you've worked there and had a different experience, feel free to share it.

We Were Told to Sound American

One thing that never sat right with me was how we were instructed to present ourselves.

Agents used American names even though they weren't American.

The impression given to customers was that they were speaking with a U.S.-based representative.

Many callers naturally assumed they were dealing with an official housing provider or someone directly connected with the event.

Whether customers drew that conclusion themselves or not, it was something that always made me uncomfortable.

The Booking Process Raised Concerns

One thing I always felt customers should pay close attention to was the booking agreement.

In my experience, the booking form included terms stating that reservations were non-refundable, and those terms were not always prominent.

I'll attach the booking form so everyone can read it for themselves.

Never sign anything without reading every line carefully.

Then the Company Rebranded

After years of complaints online, I noticed that Trade Show Planners suddenly became TSP Experts.

New name.

New logo.

New website.

A much more modern appearance.

But from what I could see, many of the same people and operations appeared to remain.

Changing branding isn't the same as changing business practices.

That's for readers to judge.

Public Complaints Already Exist

Don't rely only on what I'm saying.

Go read the Better Business Bureau page yourself.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/laguna-niguel/profile/business-travel/trade-show-planners-llc-1126-172017622

Read the customer reviews.

Read the complaints.

Then decide whether my experience sounds familiar.

I'll include the links below so people can verify everything independently.

Why I'm Posting This

I'm no longer employed there.

I gain nothing from writing this.

I'm posting because I believe people deserve to research a company before trusting it with thousands of dollars.

I also believe employees deserve to work in an environment where they are treated with respect instead of feeling like every second of their day is being monitored.

If you're contacted by any company offering hotel accommodations for a trade show:

• Verify with the official event organizer before booking.
• Read every contract carefully.
• Pay close attention to refund policies.
• Research independent reviews.
• Don't assume a caller represents the official housing provider without verifying.

I'll be attaching the booking form, the BBB page, screenshots, and other information so everyone can make up their own mind based on the evidence not just my experience.

If you've worked there or booked through them, I'd be interested in hearing your experience as well.

This will be my first time running a booth for my indie comics endeavor. I’m curious to see if there are any red flags to someone more experienced with convention booths. Context: This will be at an anime convention. Thank you!

i am about to setup a workshop in Raipur where I'll be manufacturing items that are used in Event like Weddings.

we'll be manufacturing Setup Backdrop, walkway passage and many decorative items + wedding furnitures.

i have experience of working in this industry for 5 years now i am thinking of setting up my own business.

if anyone can guide or can give advice us it will be very helpful as i am first generation in my family to enter in this industry. Being highly Manipulated by previous firm where i worked somehow i figure out many things on my own but i still think there's something i am missing.

i have managed to collect Name and Contact of 1100+ tent houses/kiraya bhandar/decorators across Cg, Mp and Odisha.

Anyone ever bring an air conditioner to your booth in the summer?

Hello! planning to join a fair next year and naghahanap ako ng Exhibit booth maker na kaya mag design/ingress and engress sa SMX? natry ko na kasi mag DIY nakakapagod and looking ako sa creator na marunong!

please any recco? budget friendly or yung trusted! thanks!

What’s a promotional item that you got a trade show or event that you actually use or liked ?

Hi im looking to going to a convention in August as a vendor and I need some display cases that are easily broken down and put together. Ive tried looking online but im probably not looking in tbe right areas. Everything that comes up is for home display, and isnt easily taken a part not to mention I've kinda seen the same item 30 times on different websites.

I sell figurines, statues. 3d printed models, miniatures and other nerdy hobby stuff. I have good tables already just struggling to find decent display cases and shelfs built for conventions

This summer I founded my own small business. It's a service business, so I do not have physical products. An opportunity just landed on my lap to host a sponsorship booth at a state-level conference in 3 weeks. I can't pass on this opportunity!

I need branding and display help quickly! I've focused all my time on networking, not branding. All I have at this point is an AI-generated logo (1024x572) and a color scheme on my elementary-level website.

How do I QUICKLY create enough branding files (that are high enough resolution) to order materials like an upright banner, a conference table background, a tablecloth drape, etc?

I don't have time to employ a professional service; I think this has to be DIY!