The reality is that showcasing at an exhibition is never cheap – and the good ones tend to be the most expensive. Whether you’re working with a limited budget or you want to set aside some cash for other things, trying to cut costs wherever possible is often desirable. Before we get started, we feel it is important to point out that you should never cut costs with safety and material quality – this isn’t going to do you any favours in the long run.

So, how can you design creative expo stands whilst keeping in budget?

• Get rid of the unnecessary What will you really need at the exhibition and what could you do without? That coffee machine might be a great way to draw people into your booth, but remember that it will cost money to run and to transport to the location – can you really afford these costs, or can you think of another (less costly) way to draw people in?  
• Be modest If you are exhibiting on a budget, you should avoid booth design options that will bump up the costs significantly. These include raised floors, double decker stands and hanging banners. These sorts of additions do look fantastic, but they can be expensive to implement and may also require special permissions (for an extra fee).  
• Re-use and re-build If you participate in multiple exhibitions each year, you’ll know that it can be expensive to design and build a completely new booth each time. By using the same stands, you can save a significant amount of money. It also gives you the opportunity to invest in more expensive stand components, as you’ll be saving money by reusing them in the long run. But what if the same visitors attend multiple exhibitions? To avoid people cottoning onto the fact that you’re using the same expo stands all the time, ensure that they can look different each time they’re assembled. Perhaps you leave one stand at the office for a smaller booth or arrange all the components in a slightly different order.  
• Cut costs elsewhere Of course, you also have the option to not cut costs around your expo stands at all. Instead, there are other ways that you can save your exhibition budget – if you have to travel, stay in cheaper accommodation; sign up to exhibitions earlier to take advantage of early bird discounts; or choose not to travel to attend exhibitions at all.

We hope that the above tips have given you some ideas of how you can cut costs and design expo stands that are within budget. After all, exhibitions are expensive enough – there’s not need for your budget to completely blow out beyond what you can handle. With our wide range of products and sizes, Displays Direct can help you make stand choices that look fantastic and are within budget - contact us today on (02) 9439 4399.