Trade Shows: Fair Pricing

In the June 2011 issue of Inc. magazine, Seth Burstein of Trade Show Internet writes to Norm about the exclusivity of some in-house services at trade shows. Unfortunately, many exhibitors believe that they are forced to utilize the "preferred" or in-house services, but there are ways around that. There is no reason that you cannot search for what meets your company's needs and budget. The trade show and conference managers know this too, that's why they provide an Exhibitor Approved Contractor sheet in many exhibitor manuals that exhibitors fill out. This sheet tells the organizer of the trade show or conference that you've decided to use a vendor not listed in the exhibitor manual.

In the Inc. column, Norm does suggest some ways for Seth to keep momentum with his company stating, "Seth and his partner need to stay focused on their real goal, which is to build a viable business, not to change the way trade shows are managed."

There will always be road blocks and naysayers trying to prevent you from achieving your goals, but just make sure that you've vetted all possibilities and resources to continue on your path around them.