The first step in cleaning your graphics is to verify what kind of damage you will be trying to clean. For small stains or light scuffs you can use window cleaner or any light-grade general purpose cleaner. Apply first to a cloth, before working your way up to directly applying it to the stain. For more significant damage avoid using bleaches or other powerful cleaners. This can cause significant and irreversible damage to the outside of the graphic.

When cleaning the graphic avoid scrubbing or rubbing the affected area. Doing this can cause damage to the graphic, causing scratches, gashes or tearing the vinyl. Any damage, even slight, made to the laminate can become worse over time.

Additionally be careful when cleaning the edges of your graphics, since the vinyl does not cover this area. If your cleaning solution gets under the edges it can cause the graphic itself to be damaged, with either bleeding of the ink or causing the graphic and vinyl protective laminate to become detached.

For more information about protecting your trade show display graphics and other trade show display products visit Hot Pepper Displays at www.hotpepperdisplays.com or call 1-866-994-1608.

Hot Pepper Displays has seven unique configuration and designs to choose from. Alumalite Zero includes options for halogen lights, literature rack, counters and frosted or graphic headers and wings. You can also choose between ink jet graphics or dye sublimation graphics.

For more information about the Alumalite Zero or other products from Hot Pepper Displays, visit www.displaystradeshow.com or call 1-866-994-1608.

With the total price tag for exhibiting at each trade show changing from show to show, planning for the variable costs can be daunting guessing game at times. Finding ways to reduce the cost upfront will give you more flexibility in the long run to be creative with your approaches.

Early planning is strategic to effectively reducing your trade show costs. Deciding which shows you will be attending and scheduling staffers for each show is the first important step in lowering your costs. Most shows offer reduced registration for purchasing booth space in advance. In addition booking hotels and flights are easier and cheaper several months out.

The other considerable cost of trade show exhibiting is of course the cost of your trade show display. Beginning your shopping for a display, whether it is custom or portable, allow you to lower the cost, by shopping your needs to different distributors. Also your trade show display has several features that are optional.

Using items such as carpeting or flooring that are provided by trade show halls is another way to reduce booth cost. However, the quality and appeal of these floors is usually less than adequate when promoting your display. Save money by declining optional services provided by the show though, bring items like a broom, vacuum or cleaning supplies along with you is a great way to save money.

Besides reducing your costs there are some slight advantages to planning early. If you register early at trade shows, you have a better chance at being placed in a booth that will have more foot traffic.

Fortunately there are several options for these companies available today within the trade show industry that not only help alleviate some of the high cost associated with purchasing displays, but also give back to the environment.

A company looking to exhibit at a convention or trade show will pay for several other things beside the display itself. Registration, renting booth space, travel and miscellaneous expenses could easily reach $5,000 even before you consider adding a booth. And with the cost of booths reaching the several thousand dollar mark in some cases, purchasing a one-of-a-kind display tightens your overall budget that much more.

Employing a used trade show booth is just one of several ways that a company can reduce its overall trade show cost. There is a large market for custom, as well as modular and portable trade show displays, which can be bought through a trade show distributor. These used displays can either be purchased or branded by these distributors so that booth truly represents your company and message.

Another commonly used alternative is renting used or in some cases new trade show displays and branding it to fit your message. This is an ideal strategy for business and organizations that attend a small amount of shows or also want to be able to create a new look from show to show. In addition, renting trade show products is also environmentally friendly, as it helps saves thousand of retired displays, booths, exhibits and products from reaching landfills and dumps.

And although a proper greeting has been the norm for several years, it is time booth staff start taking a difference approach towards reaching out to potential customers. With all the booths and products starting to look a like, a staffer needs to get up and say, “excuse me but have you seen the new product that will help you save more than 15 percent on your shipping cost throughout the year.” Instead of an old fashioned line like, “hello how is your day?”

The first method is much more appealing to those people who maybe haven’t thought of their shipping costs and happen to be walking past your booth. In my case I would have at least given someone the time of day had they approached me instead of having me come to them.

Give your staffing some motivation to bring in the most people and offer them a reward for that.

On the first day take inventory of who visit’s your booth and they interested in your product. The best way to obtain this information is to speak personally with everyone who visits the booth, trade business cards with them and ask questions that will help you determine their interest level in your products. Let them do most of the talking and instead of lead the conversation with questions. Before the show set up an indication scale that you can quickly mark on the back of their business card, a 1-5 scale usually is the best, and put the business card in your pocket.

Upon the completion of the first show, go back through the pile and begin to sort he business cards into interest level piles. This will help you decide where to spend the majority of resources during the remainder of the show or after and the best plan of attack for following up with each client at the completion of the show.

If traffic at your booth makes you unable to interact with everyone, try setting up a point for them to drop off their business cards. Entice them to leave their cards by entering them into a drawing. To generate return traffic to your booth people can drop of a business card a day. This of course will create more chances for your booth staff to speak one-on-one to.

In the occurrence a client with a great deal of interest visits your booth and wants to speak more about your product, ask him/her to meet with you and your staff after the show has ended for the day. This will show the client that you are serious about winning their business, but freeing you up to interact with other people visiting your booth.

Remember the first day is also the best chance you have at making an impression with clients that could last a lifetime. Don’t let a fumble on the first day of a show stick in someone’s mind and choose a competitor on the basis of your unprofessionalism.

You may notice, during the pre-show assemble, that parts are missing, faded or destroyed graphics and defects to the frame itself. Taking inventory of your display before attending an event allows adequate time for replacement parts or graphics to be order and shipped.

10' Graphic/Fabric Pop Up Displays

One of the more popular displays in the trade show industry is the various styles and sizes of pop up displays. Ranging from six-foot table top displays to 20-foot modular displays, these displays are portable and serve as a functional method to market your product and company.

Just about every trade show company, distributor or manufacture has a display that is a pop up, that is why it is important to know what can distinguish a good pop up display with a bad pop up display.

Every pop up display starts with a frame and is usually the best indicator for quality of the product. Fully erect, the frame should be very sturdy with limited wobbling. The frame should also be easy to erect and should be able to pop into place on its own about when opened about halfway. There are also different metals that frames are made of. Typically aluminum frames are the best because they can hold they are the lightest and also most durable.

Next, look at the channel bars of the pop up display that will provide stability to the overall frame and allow you to place fabric or graphic panels up. Higher end pop up display will only six channel bars for a 10-foot, while lower end models with have 24 channel bars. Also, higher quality products will have channel bars that snap on to points in the back instead of slid on.

Another important note about channel bars is the quality of the peg on the top of each that allows graphic or fabric to be fastened to. You want to look for metal, instead of plastic, which is more prone to breaking or wearing down.

Graphic or fabric panels are the final step in looking for quality. Fabric should feel like a high grade twilled and should be available in many colors if it is high quality. Graphic panels that are high quality should be expensive thanks to the protective material it is printed on.

Finally, ask about the case. Some pop up displays ship in cases that are soft plastic. You are better off searching for someone who provides a hard case. The obvious difference is protecting your investment and ensuring its life.

Many times companies make last minute decisions about purchasing a new display or product for its existing trade show booth, but find out that the price for rush ordering is too expensive or that the product won’t even be ready by the time they need it.

Three weeks is usually the minimum for trade show companies to be able to properly work with you to ensure a high quality product.  This will give enough time for manufactures and distributors to put together a formal quote and be able to work with you on graphics and design, if needed.

So remember to order early and start weeks ahead of your trade show to ensure a smooth process, which also goes for any hand outs, promotions or anything else that will be an intricate part of your booth presentation.

However, having just one person standing at your trade show booth may be blocking important information about your company for someone else. This is why it is important to fill up empty space, especially in front of the booth, with displays that are less likely to be impeded by people visiting your booth.

The most popular displays to achieve this goal are banner stands, extending graphics attached to a poll that can be placed just about anywhere, in this case towards the front of your booth space. Several styles and sizes gives companies the chance to place the banner stand that they believe can be the most effective to draw even more interest to its booth.

Retractable banner stands are usually the most popular, due to the protection it provides to graphics during shipping, durability and ability to use interchanging graphics. Other common banner stands include double sided, table top and scrolling.

Creativity is also another feature about the banner stand that most display can’t provide. Banner stands can also be an effective display for a lobby of a hotel, terminal in an airport, outside of a business, show rooms, waiting rooms and just about any other place you can think of having one.