The Ultimate Guide to Trade Show Budgets

Budgeting is a crucial part of any event, as it enables businesses to maintain control over spending and maximise profits. 

It’s a good idea to establish your event budget at the very early stages of the event planning, as the budget informs all of the following decisions; your positioning in the hall, stand size, stand type, exhibition stand design, promotional materials and even the number of staff. 

In this guide, we offer a comprehensive look at trade show budgets, including how much exhibiting costs, what should be included in a trade show budget, and how to allocate spending. 

Budgets not only enable businesses to keep a handle on costs, but they also serve as the scaffolding for all organisational and creative decisions.

• Streamlines Planning – A clear budget streamlines all of your planning: Booking floor space, arranging the stand design, and even selecting hotels is much easier when you know how much you are able to spend. 
• Profit Generation – A clear estimated budget is vital for ensuring an event generates profit. Without this step, it is easy for spending to spiral. 
• Evaluating Planning – When estimated spends vary significantly from actual spends, it shows a fault in the planning process. This is essential for the success of future events. 
• Return on Investment– Budgets are an important metric in the calculation of ROI – you cannot calculate your return if you don’t track spending. 

One of the most important things to know in trade show budgets is that time equals leverage – the earlier you book, the more money you will save. 

Early bird discounts are common among both organisers and exhibition stand designers, ranging from around 5 to 25%! 

Organisers like to fill their hall spaces as early as possible to create revenue and generate a buzz around the event. Likewise, exhibition stand designers may offer discounts for early bookers, as it can help significantly with planning logistics and resource allocation. 

That’s why, if you’re working with a tight budget, it’s best to book in as early as possible, as this is when you’ll find the best prices.

Your goals for the event should directly impact the amount you will spend and how it is allocated, so before you begin with the numbers, clarify what you would like to achieve. 

For example, a drinks company that’s primarily aiming for exposure and brand awareness may concentrate spending on giveaways, and an island stand with maximum entry-points and visibility. In contrast, a games company releasing a celebrity game may gain more return by investing budget in a celeb appearance, to help get leads over the line! 

Part of a successful event budget is anticipating potential costs. We always recommend using a spreadsheet, grouping elements by shared category. 

In order for your event budget to be accurate, you must anticipate all of the potential costs, no matter how small or inconsequential something may appear. Start by tracking what you know and then fill in the gaps with research, referring to contractor prices, organiser manuals, blogs, videos and forums. 

As you are identifying these costs, look for accurate pricing to go alongside. You can’t always rely on estimated costs, as with inflation and rising costs, these numbers are no longer accurate and can distort your predictions. Instead, look for up to date pricings, and where you’re really unsure, reach out to contractors directly. 

There is a lot of information online suggesting price guidelines for trade show spending, and while this can be a useful guideline, your actual costs will very much depend on your individual goals and strategy.

Below is our trade show budgeting template to help you keep track of spending and compare estimated and actual event costs. 

Most exhibition budgets are made up of the following costs, though as we mentioned before, your individual spending may be different. 

Exhibitions are one of the only spaces that unite your greatest competitors with your highest-value prospects. In order to win businesses and stand out from the crowd, you must invest in a brilliant exhibition stand design. 

On average, businesses spend twice as much on their exhibition stand as on the floor space. 

Floor spaces vary by show, position and stand space, so it is worth investigating specific options for an accurate trade show budget. 

Many visitors make the mistake of investing in the floor space before setting the trade show budget, which can lead to insufficient budget for the stand. It’s better to outline the budget first, so that you’re in full control of your spending. 

Once you’ve set your exhibition budget within our free trade show budget template, you’ll know exactly how much you should spend on floor space. 

If you are deciding between a large floor space or high-quality stand, we always recommend prioritising a high-quality stand. Unless you can fill the space with an equally impressive stand, you’re better off investing in a smaller space. 

On-site costs vary considerably depending on the budget depending on whether you’ve booked a shell scheme or space-only setup. 

In shell scheme, most of the costs are included in the wider package. That being said, if you have many lighting and AV features, you may need to invest in additional sockets. 

In space only setups, on-site services can require a significant portion of your budget. Space only offers you an empty square, marked out with tape. Everything else that you need (including the flooring) will be charged, with many exhibitions charging £200+ per socket.

Furniture hire and screen rental costs are usually fairly low, but it’s always worth incorporating them into your budget from the get-go. 

Exhibition furniture hire in the UK typically ranges from £1.50 per chair to over £150 for specialised display cabinets, with most tables and stools costing between £15 and £40 per 3-day hire. Accurate costs depend on the items required. 

Event promotion is a crucial part of trade show success, particularly in making attendees aware of your presence at the show, and more importantly, getting them to your stand. Event promotion can be anything from social media marketing and email marketing to press releases and networking events.

Lastly, a core part of your trade show costs is staff expenses. This includes paying your staff to work the event, investing in hotels, travel, food and beverages. Staff costs vary significantly based on the distance to the event, number of nights, experience level of the staff and additional spending such as hospitality staff. 

Like the stand, booking in advance can keep these costs down! 

Regardless of where your budget is allocated, you must set aside a sufficient contingency budget.  At a minimum, leave 5%, but ideally, we recommend 15%.

Every event is different, and sometimes you’re thrown a curveball. With a larger contingency fund, you’ll be completely prepared if something goes wrong. 

We hope we have been able to help you in creating a trade show budget. While your individual spending may differ from the numbers above, they should serve as a helpful guideline. 

If we can stress anything in this guide, it is the importance of tracking spending and booking early. 

It can be tempting to let little costs go unnoticed, but as they add up, they can make your budgets inaccurate. By using our budgeting template or creating your own, you can make sure that every single cost is tracked and accounted for. 

We cannot emphasise enough that the sooner you begin planning and booking, the cheaper your costs will be. If you need an exhibition stand design for your event, contact our team today. Email our team at design@quadrant2design.com or call 01202 723 500 for a free, no-obligation design proposal. 

For more tips on lowering your exhibition spend, check out our guide: How to Save Money on Exhibiting.