Whether you’re a first-timer or a frequent trade show attendee, getting the most out of your budget is always an important consideration. This is especially true if you are exhibiting on a tight budget.

Whilst trade shows do offer undoubted benefits, they can be a costly affair if you don’t keep your spending under wraps.

Equipment, design, delivery, promotional items, space rental, utilities, staffing, advertising, promotion and the potential loss of earnings as a result of being away from the office, are all costs likely to be incurred, although the list can go on and on!However, with some shrewd decision-making and know-how, some of these costs can be reduced or even eliminated altogether from your trade show. By adopting a lean approach and a tighter control over your spending, it is certainly possible to exhibit at a trade show for £1000 or less, allowing you to tap into a vast range of potential leads, partnerships and exposure that a trade show can offer.

These 10 money-saving tips can help you to be on your way to exhibiting at a trade show on a tight budget.

10 Money Saving Trade Show Tips

Attend local shows – This avoids a lot of costs such as travel and accommodation,
Look out for special offers and discounts – This applies to both the display/exhibition stands you will need, and also the exhibition space.
Order in plenty of time – Avoid having to pay expensive express delivery costs for ordering last minute.
Reduce spend on promo items – Don’t spend money on cheap giveaways and print. Instead, have an email sign up list so you can contact potential leads directly after the show.
Don’t hire reps – Either train your own staff or do it yourself!
Source free images for your design – we have written a guide on the best sources of free images to assist with this.
Use social media for advertising – This can include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and/or Pinterest.
Take advantage of free marketing – There are many ways of acquiring free marketing, examples include: building a newsletter database to inform potential leads about upcoming events, asking happy clients to submit reviews of your business and submitting press releases about events you are attending.
Replace your graphics – If you have an old system and just require a graphics refresh, you can save a lot of money by buying replacement graphics, rather than buying a whole new system.
Go modular – A modular exhibition stand can be reconfigured to fit different exhibiting spaces, meaning it can be reused for multiple events. Whilst the initial spend is higher, you will undoubtedly save on new stands in the long run!