After setting up your trade show calendar you'll need to start thinking about trade show graphics. Displaying eye-catching, effective graphics at a trade show can really set you apart from competitors at the same event.

Making a connection with a trade show audience is vital. Visuals that can evoke an emotional response will make your message come across loud and clear. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. A good art display can portray all that you want to say.

As an exhibitor at a large trade show, you have about 3 seconds to make an impression and grab someone's attention to your booth. Bring your company's image into the spotlight with excellent trade show design. To make your convention graphics decisions, consider the following:

1. Keep specific show goals at the forefront of your display graphics choices.

2. Budget enough for an effective trade show graphic display.

3. Effective trade show graphics incorporate branding goals and guidelines.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get ideas from award winning trade show exhibits

Keep informed of changing ideas and trends in trade show exhibits so that your booth can really shine. Be open to inspiration as it can come in a variety of forms.

I recommend: Explore exhibit trends and ideas in design, presentation and branding from Exhibitor magazine. You'll need to pay a fee for each article download. The Trade Show Exhibitors Association offers monthly webinars to help keep you up-to-date on a variety of trade show issues.

Hire a professional trade show graphics designer

A number of professional graphic design firms can help come up with a design concept for your trade show booth. When choosing a designer, make sure it's someone you feel comfortable with in expressing your ideas and company objectives.

I recommend: Joseph Merritt & Co. specializes in trade show graphics. The Noteworthy Group provides photo murals and detachable graphics. The best part is that this company is up front about its trade show graphics pricing with listings right on the same page. They also inform you on how to care for your graphics so they last all year.

Choose a quality service to print graphics for trade show displays

You can have the best graphics but if they aren't printed as a sharp, distinctive presentation all that work will be for naught. Make sure you choose a reputable printer and ask for references or to inspect samples of their work before entering into a binding contract.

I recommend: Vengra Design Group uses large inkjet printers for a variety of graphic design needs. The business also performs file creation where you can dictate what you want it to look like, upload your elements and they layout the design. Or request a sample from UPrinting Network. Work includes printing poster size on a variety of media.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Visual graphics for trade show booths get an emotional reaction, thus making your exhibit more memorable to the audience. Consider hanging displays for more visibility.
• •  Use the 15-foot rule to make sure text can be easily read from that distance. Your company's logo should be identifiable from an even greater distance.
• •  Text-heavy charts should only include a headline and at max 4 bullet items. Bullet points should be limited to 10 words or fewer.
• •  Murals and fabric backgrounds can increase the perceived value of the display graphics.