I will soon be attending my first trade show (Pacific Jewelry
show, LA) and need to design my booth. If anyone has any
suggestions on the best set up, etc, I’d love to hear ideas!
Also, if there is anyone out there who has participated in this
particular show and has feed back, please pass it along. thanks
so much,
Sarah
I’ve never been to the Pacific Jewelry Show…What kind of show
is it? I assume wholesale, since you called it a “trade show”,
but, then again, the term is quite broad nowdays.
Some other things to consider when planning your booth design:
Are you going to be taking orders only? Or cash and carry? What
kind of buyers shop the show? (department stores, larger
corporations, or smaller boutique shops and galleries?) How big
is your booth? Will you have full sized sidewalls or just 3 foot
dividers? Are you in an in-line booth or on the corner? How big
is your budget? Can you afford to rent showcases? Have you
"shopped" this or another show like it before? What kinds of
displays did you see at that show?
All of the answers to these questions will affect your display.
I’d be willing to give you some suggestions, but, I’ll need a
little more specific info 
By the way, there really isn’t a “best set up” for a booth. It
largely depends on the kind of show and the kind of buyers that
will be there. Some shows (like the gift shows I’ve done) like
to have “store-like” booths, while other cash and carry shows
prefer showcases and little or no decoration. Retail shows are
all about controlling loss (shoplifting).
Good Luck!
Marlo M.
hi i have done these trade shows for 20 years now and i would
recomend keeping things simple especially for you first show. i
imagine that you have a 10x10 foot booth space that is not on
the corner. am i right? then you have 10 feet of frontage to
worry about. i suggest you rent one 6 foot 1/4 vision display
case and one pedestal display case from the folks that run the
show or grice a display company out of north carolina i believe.
make sure you get the inside dimensions of the cases so that you
can make your displays. then to make your booth interesting bring
3 to 6 large photos to hange on the back wall along with a nice
sign of your logo.[ note the photos need to be really big about
3x3 to 3x6 feet to make an impression. if you decide to bring
your own cases you may well be dealing with the unions during
their overtime rate shedule and paying up to $100 an hour for a
knumskull. remember keep it simple you will be under enough
stress
you may well be dealing with the unions during their overtime rate shedule and paying up to $100 an hour for a knumskull.
My experience with Union guys in NY and other venues is that
they are not stupid. At least not any dumber than the average
exhibitor. They have good paying jobs and they move a lot of
freight in and out of these halls on a regular basis. They may
not be happy to unload your station wagon though. Here’
why:Often they are in a queue for the “next” job, and unpaid
until they get something. They might get some three story Watch
Company booth and it’s two day’s work. Or they might get a one
hour project and it’s back to the end of the line. A union
carpenter told me this at New York in the 80’s sometime. He was a
nice guy but hesaid don’t get a carpenter any more for a one hour
job, it was no good to anybody,me or him. Also unloading cars,
vans, and pickups at a dock set up for trailers is not much fun.
j