3 All too Common Trade Show Exhibit Storing Mistakes

Trade shows can be a great opportunity to let your business shine in front of new prospects. But without the right storage and security at your exhibit, you could find yourself fumbling for items that don’t have a place, driving away clients with a distracting display, or worse – enabling theft at your exhibit. This is why we want to share how best to avoid common storing mistakes.

Overlooking storage is a common tradeshow mistake. Don’t neglect to address your next exhibit’s storage needs. Start now and plan ahead for an organized and secure trade show booth to set yourself up for success. 

Mistake 1: No Plan for Storage At All

It’s easy to forget about storage altogether when you’re lost in the details of planning. Having no plan for storage will inevitably leave you with a cluttered space – boxes, cables, and extra materials need somewhere to go. And, unfortunately, having those things out in the open can ruin your tradeshow presence.

“White space” is one of the most effective features of any message – writing, music, and yes, even your exhibit design. Make sure that you have unused, open areas in your exhibit design to bring emphasis to the parts that need to stand out. Having open space allows your visitors’ eyes to travel naturally to your focal point -whether it’s headline, graphic, or your product itself.

Trade show tip: Don’t forget day-to-day maintenance. Uncluttered doesn’t just mean an uncrowded space –  it means tidy, too. Leftover wrappers, lint, and litter on your site from the day before can be just as distracting and unattractive as cables and boxes. Put someone is in charge of tidying up and organizing your space before each day’s activities. 

Mistake 2: Storage that Doesn’t Consider Exhibit Design

Another critical element of good booth design is using your space to the best of your advantage. Your booth or exhibit storage should take into consideration the design, components, and needs of your exhibit. 

Some booths won’t have a lot of items that need storing – some will have lots of things that need to be kept handy:

• freebies or promo items
• display components like signage or decorations
• literature/brochures 
• demo products

When every part of your booth is important to sell your message, you don’t want to be wasting a bunch of storage space when you don’t need it. You could have a custom booth with storage space built-in, but if you don’t need the storage, why waste the space? You could use those square feet for eye-catching design or valuable face to face interaction. Whereas if you know you’ll have boxes of educational or promo materials to keep on-site, it might be perfectly good sense to build in the space for it. 

Trade show tip: Don’t think of storage space in a bubble. Think carefully about the size of your overall exhibit. What do you need space for? What do the booths of your competitors look like? Oversized exhibits can be awkward and cold; undersized exhibits can be underwhelming and stuffy. Judge based on your goals, your message, and the exhibition space you’re working in.

Mistake 3: Not Securing the On-Site Storage

Trade show security can be dubious. Even when you have a proper place for all your exhibit items, you need to be able to trust that they will stay where you put them until you need them! 

Trade show security is always important but becomes even more critical when you’re dealing with easily-stolen items. 

Electronics, jewelry, and other small valuables are going to be a much more enticing target than a handful of promo pens. Keeping your booth uncluttered and well-staffed helps to prevent theft of small items. You may also want to consider using locked display cases and/or steel cables to secure items in your exhibit.

And if your exhibit has built-in storage features, does it have secure locks? 

Do make sure the level of security you go for is appropriate to the value of the products you’re exhibiting. Some venues offer on-site storage facilities for keeping your valuables. Many have security guards who patrol the show floor after-hours. Whether you choose to trust your venue’s security is up to your discretion.

Some exhibitors choose to hire armed guards, while for some that may be a poor financial investment. As with most things, it depends on your setup, your location, and the value of what’s in your exhibit. Use your best judgment, but always err on the side of caution.

Trade show tip: Prevent theft at your exhibit with an innovative trade show security solution: specialized remote trade show surveillance.

Remote video surveillance can give you peace of mind that your total exhibit is safe from theft and vandalism, even when you’re not there. You can equip your site with a mobile unit designed for:

• Instant set-up
• Deterring theft
• Streaming live video
• Remote monitoring

“Enough about storage at my booth, I need to know how to store my booth!”

So, now you know how to address storage on-site at your next trade show or exhibition booth. But what if you need to actually store your trade show exhibit? If you’ve worked hard to perfect your exhibit, you need to ensure it’s stored safely until your next show. 

We have tips for that too.

According to the custom booth design experts at ProExhibits, there are seven critical things for trade show exhibitors to remember when actually storing an exhibit:

1. Store your exhibit with the professionals who can take care of it properly
2. Use a climate-controlled warehouse to store at the ideal temperature your materials
3. Don’t skimp on security: Surveillance cameras help to protect your investment.
4. Ensure your exhibit properly, against flood, fire, and damage.
5. Maintain quality inventory control
6. Always preview your trade show display prior to your exhibition
7. Make sure you can contact whoever is storing your trade show booth 24/7

If you have any questions about securing your trade show exhibit or are interested in how a mobile video surveillance solution could work for you, please contact us at Mobile Video Guard. We are Washington D.C.’s leading provider of remotely monitored tradeshow surveillance solutions, and we look forward to serving you.