10 Creative Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for Small Budgets

Banners are trade show staples, and you can take advantage of both types to make your booth stand out. Place standing banners on the far sides of your booth to create a branded perimeter around your exhibition. As for the hanging banners, their purpose is clear – hang them high so everybody can see your logo and name, no matter where they are in the exhibition hall.

No matter what your brand colors are, they should be the only colors on display in your booth. Trying to add too much color – perhaps in an effort to stand out – just makes a small booth look too “busy.” It’s off-putting to the eye because there’s too much going on. That’s why picking a straightforward color scheme, and sticking to it, is one of the best small trade show booth ideas.

Interactivity is big in the trade show world, which is why 71% of exhibitors say they’re considering improving user interactions with their displays. But when you have a small booth, there’s not much room left over for interactive elements. Enter touchscreens – such as iPads and tablet computers – which you can display on stands to deliver information with which your visitors can engage.

This is one of the best small trade show booth ideas for getting more footfall. And it’s a simple idea. Exhibition visitors need their phones to take calls, record videos, and take phone numbers. All of these activities drain the phone’s juice. You take advantage by offering a cell phone charging station where these people with low batteries can park up and recharge. Now, you have stationary visitors who aren’t going anywhere while you introduce your business to them.

People love taking photos.

The majority of visitors to a trade show will start taking photos of booths they like, along with selfies, to post on social media. So, give them backdrops for those photos. A custom-designed wall with bold images and fun backdrops is ideal for those selfie moments. And, of course, you should add a small brand logo to the wall so every share of one of those photos exposes your brand.

Just because something is one of the most commonly used small trade show booth ideas, that doesn’t make it ineffective. Promo products exist for a reason – they let you take advantage of the law of reciprocity. In other words, people like you more when you give them things, making them more likely to return the favor (i.e., buy from you).

With all of the company branding that’s going in with your walls and banners, it’s easy to overlook your tablecloth. Don’t do that. In particular, the table skirt – the vertical piece of cloth overhanging the table – is prime space for some more branding. You could go down the basic route and simply add your logo. Or, you could use that space to highlight a few standout features of your product, thus making it a way to draw people in before they’ve heard what you have to say.

Even the best small trade show booth ideas aren’t much use if nobody can actually see them. So, don’t rely on the venue’s lighting. Bring your own. You can get creative here, too, with backlit displays that serve as light sources while also carrying your company’s branding. Another idea is to use neon light signs – they catch the eye and make your booth feel like the place to be.

The last thing you want for your booth is to have it just fade into the background, eaten up by a sea of bigger booths. That’s why you need some separation – a way to make your booth stand apart from the crowd. You have several options here. Using hanging fabrics, banners, and tables lets you create temporary “walls” around your booth. You can even take advantage of a large rug or piece of carpet, which creates a floor-based area that’s dedicated solely to your exhibition.

People spend hours wandering around exhibition halls during trade shows. They could go and buy some expensive food from the venue. Or, they could head on over to your stand to get a free snack – complete with your branded packaging – to satisfy their hunger. Of course, every person who’s tempted in by the food may stick around to listen to what you have to say. And even if they don’t, your branded food packaging will be seen by anybody who sees that person eating.

Succeeding at a trade show is all about drawing attention.

Those with huge budgets do that with bombastic displays that are impossible to ignore. But as somebody with a smaller booth, you have to get more creative. You also have to get aggressive with your branding, which is where Trade Show Today comes in.

Pop-up displays, banners, backlit backdrops, and tabletop displays are all on offer, each customizable to your branding and needs. Visit us today to find out more – we have everything from booth decorations to promotional items for your next trade show.