the Cost of Trade Shows

This amount was the amount of our booth rental at a small trade show that was for a highly specific group of individuals. The attendance at this two-day trade show was approximately 50 people who were in a similar job title in a similar industry. This fee also included the sponsorship of the mid-morning snack bar during the first day. We received program and speaker recognition for this sponsorship.

This was an extremely good investment for us. We are a small business, so we must pass up many trade show opportunities based on the cost alone. Although there were not a lot of attendees by trade show industry standard, the fact that they were a beneficial target market for us made the decision to be in this show a good one.

It is not always the size and scope of a trade show that matters, especially to businesses whose size dictates their trade show budget. Many businesses spend more to be in one trade show than we will to be in a dozen all year long. It is more important to consider what purpose can be served at a trade show than how many business cards you will collect. Getting 500 contact names is insignificant if only 2 or 3 of those people will do business with you. On the other hand, setting up a booth in a local show that will result in 25 bona fide business relationships makes much better business sense.