5 Ideas to Cut Trade Show Costs without Sacrificing Anything Plan ahead! Reserve booth space & show services early to take advantage of discounts & avoid overtime rates at the facility. Take your own trash can, extension cords, and power strips with you instead of renting them at the show. Use one theme for all your exhibits in a year, then order promotional materials and giveaways in bulk (also saves on exhibit design/graphics & staff uniforms). If you have a full show schedule, simply ship from one show to the next instead of back to your home office each time. (Or ship to a branch near the show city.) Consolidate shipping by bundling small things together to make one large shipment & ship in advance to avoid rush charges. Excerpted from Build a Better Trade Show Image, © 2002 by Marlys Arnold www.ExhibitMarketersCafe.com/Build All photos, stock.xchng (bulb by brokenarts, clock by RAWKUS, crate by Capgros, planner by spekulator)