Counters At Trade Shows Are Often Overlooked
When marketers and designers put together their requirements for buying or renting a new trade show booth, counters & tables are often overlooked. That said, in my 15 years experience in working in the trade show business, I have seldom seen a booth designed without a reception counter, work stations, meeting tables or demo counters. The look and functionality options vary greatly and therefore it can be a difficult decision for buyers, especially for buyers who have limited time to shop and compare.
The reality is though, that the variety of options out there are because of the different requirements for designing counters for those specific needs.
One requirement could be portability. Many exhibitors and event managers go to a lot of local shows or want to keep their shipping costs to a minimum for their out of town trade shows. In that case, portable counters (translation: light weight and easy to set up) are the solution. Many Skyline counters are designed specifically for that reason. The keys to look for are the quality and durability of the materials, what case options there are, the fit and finish & of course the branding capabilities. Comparing options solely on images on websites is not recommended because of the temptation to buy on price alone. The old saying of “you get what you pay for” is truly applicable.
Another requirement is the desire to have a custom look and good storage space. This was the requirement put forth to Skyline engineers when coming up with the Tablox table. It had to look good, set up and tear down easily, be price competitive and most importantly be durable. Tablox tables are designed to last for many many shows. That’s why Skyline chose to work with a thermoform versus a laminate finish. Laminates chip easily and therefore custom fabrication with laminates is flawed because of the constant need to upkeep the finish. An exhibitor can often spend more on shipping costs and repairs than the original purchase price of a custom counter. The features on Tablox tables also answer the demand of looking great, integrating LED strip lights (be careful as lighting consistency and quality also matters) and branding options. While they aren’t as well or as easily packed as portable tables, Tablox tables are a great alternative to custom. Look out for new Tablox options coming this summer.
While there are many other reasons and specifications for table designs, the custom counter build is often too appealing for the brand manager. It’s understandable of course. For this reason, Skyline can and will build any table design (just ask your local Skyline Trade Show Consultant to go over the details of what you want, they will happily design one for you), but the other option is to rent one of these fantastic looking designer rental tables available through Skyline Service Centers strategically located in major trade show cities.
Lastly, a growing trend in exhibit marketing is to allow customers to interact with your brand. A lot of exhibitors (and retail outlets) are opting for interactive kiosks which allow your brand messaging to change as often as you need it to, collect data (such as contact information) and allow you to communicate as much or as little as you want by giving the visitors as many options as you want. The world is changing and with mobile users out there wanting interaction, why not give them what they want. Learn more about changing approaches. Naturally, if your interest is for custom and interactive, yes, of course we can build that too.
By: Doug Noftall – March 23, 2017
