What's The Story?

Trade show booths & equipment seem to come in all manner of shapes and sizes. If you've never used one, the variety of options can be very confusing. If you have been to shows you've probably seen those poor people across the isle who spent all day trying to put their booth up, only to find they were missing some critical tool that forced a great deal of ill-advised engineering improvisation. It did not look like a fun afternoon.
The story is that portable booth equipment comes in four basic varieties - Folding Panel, Pop-up, Modular and Custom (see below for more on their individual attributes).. Each of these has its own advantages but which type is best for you will depend on several factors.

The key things you should keep in mind are:

1. The type of products you will be promoting
2. Weight (of the booth)
3. Durability
4. Ease of setup and take-down
5. Versatility
6. Aesthetics - you want to stop the crowd!
   

Products

The type of products you are promoting, be they large tangible items or services, need to be considered when picking out your booth. Will you be displaying items on the booth or will they be set out on counters in the front. Will you have product demonstrations going on or perhaps a video or computer simulation running? Maybe all you need is pictures depicting the type of work you do. In any event the type of promotion you do at the show needs to be complimented by the design of your booth.

Weight

This is a consideration no matter what size you need - Table Top booth to 50 X 50 two story island booth. In almost all cases, booth manufacturers have gone to extraordinary lengths to make their booths as light as possible, although sometimes an engineering trade-off must take place to provide greater supporting strength. Weight affects the ease of setup, and of course shipping costs. Most manufacturers have built their booths to break down into dimensions that will ship UPS (or similar carrier) or check as luggage. Some designs may prohibit this but no matter what you choose you should keep the weight of the equipment in mind.

Durability

An obvious consideration but worth mentioning. You don't want to have repairs each time you go to a show. You also want it to last at least the average life span of a booth (3-5 years). This factor is most effected by construction materials and new technology. For example: recent advances in fabrics have made them resist Hook and Loop pulling making a booth look good for longer. Internal aluminum frames and designs with easily replaced parts also help increase a booth's longevity. High marks in durability means that your cost per use of the booth will be lowered.

Ease of Setup

Does the booth require tools to setup? How long will it take from start to finish? Do you need any special equipment that you will have to rent from show services? In some convention halls if you need so much as a ladder the local union must be employed for booth setup. These are factors that will affect the cost and frustration level of your show experience. After all, you're there to generate business not do construction.

Versatility

When choosing a booth you want to keep in mind the future. Is the type and design of your booth such that you could expand it in the future? What type of accessories and add-on's are available? Updating the look of your booth is a good way to keep customers coming back to your booth year after year. After an initial investment you want to be able to do that without replacing everything.

Aesthetics

This is the overriding factor. Do you like straight sleek lines or the more fluid curve? Various colors and textures are available on any of the styles but the architecture of the booth should compliment your products, your business and your taste.

Pop - Up's

Three main ingredients make a recipe for success:

Typically the popup booths will pack into smaller cylindrical type cases with wheels, which although smaller in size than the panel booths, will weigh about the same. A typical 10 ft. booth packed in 2 cases will weigh about 100 lbs.

"Pop up" frames are all constructed of a series of aluminum or steel rods that are connected by an complex network of connecting "hub" in such a way that it expands or contracts by simply pulling up on the frame to form a back wall wall structure. Once upright the frame appears to be a series of square "quad" sections joined at the corners by the plastic "hubs". These hubs provide a point to attach the channel bars which support the panels. Table top booths are typically 1-2 quads high and 2-3 quads wide. Full height booths are 3 quads high and 3-4 quads wide. The actual dimension of a quad will depend on the lengths of the rods used by a particular manufacturer. Frames may be manufactured in either a straight-line or curved configurations. Almost all Pop-up systems carry a full "lifetime" warranty on the frame and mounting systems. Leveling feet are available on some makes/models.

The Mounting System:
The mounting system provides an easy way of attaching the panels (see below) to the frame and adding extra stability and options as well. These "channel bars" fit vertically between the hubs to provide the mounting base for the magnetic fastening system on the panels. These mounting bars can be either separately attached or a hinged assembly that attaches in one piece depending on the system. Most manufactured systems offer front loaded shelves which attach to these channel bars in provided slots. Some systems also support internal load bearing shelf systems for product booth or monitors. The connector bars in this case usually are slotted on the sides to accept brackets that can be positioned at the proper height. Internal shelves can easily support up to 85 lbs. or more.

The Panels:
The panels are made of light-weight plastic sheeting covered with fabric, or large mounted mural graphics that are designed to roll up and ship in the cases. The panels are one-quad wide and hang from the top from pins or "buttons" and snap in place vertically magnetically. The magnets hold the panels to the "channel bars" to provide a truly "seamless" appearance. On the ends of the booth curved "end caps" attach similarly to provide a pleasant rounded look to the ends of the booth. Panels can be installed on either side of the booth, usually to the concave side of the curved frames. Pop up booths provide the lightest weight system around. The frame enables a perfectly straight wall as a possible configuration or a smooth continuous curve. Straight and curved frames can be combined to make many unusual shapes. "Case-to-Counter Concealment Kits" which convert your cases into a handy counter are available and allow the exhibitor to keep his cases in the booth with him and eliminates the need for storing the cases. Some kits do offer internal under counter storage as well. Maintenance on these booths is minimal and the panels are easily changed or replaced if necessary. A lifetime warranty on the frame is standard. Other accessories such as shelving, literature holders, backlit headers, panels, and slat wall inserts are readily available.

IT'S AS EASY AS:

THREE

Folding Panel

Tried and True!

Folding panels, because of the accordion fold design, are virtually maintenance-free and assemble with no loose parts or tools. Set-up only takes a few minutes. Our folding panel booths are one of the best made and offer a wider range of accessories and components to truly customize your booth.
Our folding panel booths are all constructed using a lightweight internal aluminum frame work with a high strength, ultra-light honeycomb board core, covered with "Hook and Loop" compatible fabric. The panels are typically 22"-23" wide and 44" - 46" high. Each panel is permanently attached to the other with a "lifetime" 360 degree hinge. Different styles may accomplish this differently, but with the same result.
Typical table top booths are 3-4 panels and some will have curved ends. Floor booths are made up of two 4,5,or 6 panel sections that are stacked to create the different 8 or 10 foot configurations (in our catalog a "10 panel" means two 5 panel units stacked on top of each other.). Larger booths can easily created by adding panels sections. Smaller booths can be created by folding panels back or at different angles.
Folding panel booths feature reversible panels that can be different fabric colors on each side for added flexibility in design and appearance. "Featherlite" features a middle set of panels about 8" high that stack between the top and bottom sets. This "midband" allows you to drop the height of the booth when setting up in a room with a 96" ceiling. Because of the hinged nature of the panel systems, many different configurations and applications are possible with the booth.
The only consideration is that the panels be folded in such a way as to provide sufficient structural integrity to stand up. Normally you can safely run a straight line of up to three panels before angling a panel. Although the pins in the panels are permanently installed you can also order removable pins so that un-stacked full height may be used independently as Table Top booth.
A full range of affordable components are available for our folding panel booths. Curved panels may be used on the ends or as connecting panels for multiple units. Many different counter styles and lighting systems, slat wall for displaying products, holes for monitors, shelving, and literature racks are all popular additions to folding panel booths. We offer many sizes of graphic headers for backlighting and can turn your standard booth into a large 70" X 70 backlit photo mural for extra impact. A 5-year warranty comes with each folding panel system.
Folding panels are a the best choice for heavier products, or for exhibitors who will change the configuration of their booth for different events. The stability provided by the internal frame can support a great deal of weight. Not all manufacturers use the internal frame. While this may make the initial price lower we believe the overall value is greatly reduced, not to mention the amount of weight these booths can support. "No tool setup" is easy since you simply stack the panels. Weight per panel is less then 5 lbs., and a typical 10 ft. booth shipping in two cases with wheels will weigh around 110 lbs.

See our 10 Foot Folding Panel Catalog Page for ideas on popular "kits". Click here for assembly instructions.

Modular & Custom

The look of a Custom, the cost of a Portable!

Our "Custom-Modular" systems are difficult to generalize as they have little constraints as to form and engineering. "Modular" booths are a system of lightweight panels that are individually attached to each other by means of a mechanical connection. Splines, clips or hook-pin connections are the preferred and our modular connectors have no loose parts. Panel sizes will very but conform to size standards. Modular panels may be curved (either permanently or flexible to pack flat), triangular, rectangular or square. Custom panel specifications can be produced allowing an almost unlimited variety of configurations.

Modular systems are not limited in the types of materials and finishes the panels may be covered in. Plastic laminates provide a hard, smooth, custom look to the modular booth. Mixing complimentary fabrics with laminates and graphics provide unlimited creative options.

Set-up of these booths is easy, but will take longer, since you are assembling one panel at a time. A full range of accessories for custom modular booths are also readily available. Shelves and counters can support a great deal of weight and offer tremendous design options in a convenient package that is easy to ship. Shipping a modular is generally done in large crates or molded shipping tubs, since the panels tend to be larger then most "portable systems" and probably do not qualify as "lightweight".

E-mail us with your ideas and we can help you with a design that will meet your specific requirements, and budget. Check out our new Modular Design Gallery for ideas of what can be achieved.