BUDGETING
Are you planning to add a new show to your schedule? Or maybe you simply need budget numbers — and fast. Here are two budgeting strategies to calculate some ballpark total-show figures. For more detailed estimates, consult the industry averages on the following pages.
Average Cost-Per-Square-Foot Calculation The most accurate way to predict future exhibiting costs is to average past exhibiting costs. Step One: Determine the cost-per-square-foot your company spent on each trade show last year (including amortized exhibit costs where appropriate). Step Two: Determine your company’s average cost-per-square-foot by adding together the cost-per-square-foot incurred at each show and dividing by the total number of shows you attended last year. Step Three: Multiply the average cost-per-square-foot by the square footage of the exhibit you plan to bring to the new show.		Space-Cost Calculations For a quicker, less accurate calculation, you can estimate the cost of exhibiting based on the cost of your exhibit space. Option One: According to the 2003 EXHIBITOR Magazine Readership Study, exhibit-space rental accounts for roughly one-third of a typical company’s total-show costs. Therefore, you can multiply the cost of your exhibit space by three for a ballpark, total-show estimate. Option Two: If you don’t know the show’s exhibit-space cost, use the average square-foot cost for floor space among Tradeshow Week’s top 200 shows in 2004: $22.32. Multiply that figure by the square footage of the exhibit you plan to bring to the new show. Then, multiply that number by three.
Upholstered arm chair $63.95 Side chair $47.44 Sofa (least-expensive three-seat sofa) $363.33 Carpet standard, 9-by-10-foot $111.70 4-foot green plant $43.30 Mums $21.94 Telephone line $225.38 Internet access (ISDN/BRI line) $646.27 Cell-phone rental (per day) $48.92 Small sound system with lavalier (three-day rental) $482.55 VHS player (three-day rental) $257.92 19- to 20-inch color monitor (three-day rental) $350.47 Draped video cart (48- to 52- inches high, three-day rental) $111.40 Video setup (VHS, 19- to 20-inch color monitor and cart, three-day rental) $476.59 HP laser-jet printer (series IV or V) $250.01 150-watt floodlight (rental and installation) $96.68 Power Macintosh (8000 series or greater, three-day rental) $669.51 PC desktop (Pentium or compatible, 133 MHz or greater, three-day rental) $387.50 PC laptop (Pentium or compatible, least expensive, three-day rental) $560.08 Lighting outlet 120-volt, 500-watt $80.02 120-volt, 2,000-watt $147.79 SOURCE: Tradeshow Week’s 2004 Survey of U.S. and Canadian Labor Rates, Copyright 2005 Tradeshow Week and Reed Business Information. www.tradeshowweek.com
Allocate for one staff person for every 50 square feet of open exhibit space. SOURCE: Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, consultant, trade show consulting, Vista, CA SOURCE: Tradeshow Week’s 200, which surveyed the top 200 shows in 2004. Copyright 2005 Tradeshow Week and Reed Business Information. www.tradeshowweek.com Exhibitors spend $116 per attendee that enters an exhibit and expresses an interest in its products/services. Exhibitors spend $195 per attendee that engages in conversation with a staff member. SOURCE: Exhibit Surveys Inc.’s Trade Show Trends Report 2004		Construction/fabrication labor $72.30 Exhibit design $95.55 Estimating $77.19 Project management $77.12 Account management $77.59 Detailing/drafting $78.58 Graphic design $88.28 Prep/handling labor $67.84 Coordination of show services and logistics $65.46 Field supervision (overtime) (weekend) $64.56 $97.12 $107.46 Raw materials used in construction/fabrication 70% Subcontracted materials and special purchases 50% Subcontracted labor 51% Transportation 26% Show services 27% Installation and dismantle labor 29% Monthly square-foot rate $.58 Monthly cubic-foot rate $.18 SOURCE: Exhibit Designers & Producers Association 2004 Economic Survey Average New-Exhibit Prices Inline: $176/square foot ($1,176/linear foot) Islands: $141/square foot SOURCE: Exhibit Designers & Producers Association 2004 Economic Survey
Total Square Feet of Exhibit Space / 8      = Total I&D Hours Total I&D Hours X 2/3      = Approximate Installation Hours Total I&D Hours X 1/3      = Approximate Dismantle Hours SOURCE: Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, consultant, trade show consulting, Visa, CA
It takes one to two hours to install one to four electrical drops in the average 20-by-20-foot custom exhibit. SOURCE: Melinda Stewart, founder, Laser Exhibitor Service, Napa, CA Let’s say you’re installing a 20-by-20-foot booth that involves laying carpet and pad and setting a custom 12-foot tower and four workstations. Your exhibit items are pre-assembled. Workers just pull them out of the crate and place them. Here’s an estimate of the time requirements:
Linda Armstrong senior writer