by Gail Gromaski

Created on: May 04, 2009

"You don't have to have a good booth location in order to have a good show." Even though this widely-regurgitated statement may be true, it shouldn't be an excuse for trade show coordinators not to try to obtain the best location possible for their company on the show site. Some believe it takes a lot of time and money to earn a spot up front, but even small companies or companies just entering the market have a good chance as long as they don't settle too soon on a location that's only okay. A bit of patience and determination are all you need to get your company in a location that will not only bring more traffic to your booth, but will also make your company, no matter what size or status, look like a major player in the industry.

When deciding on the best booth location for your company, you want to keep in mind the way people move through a shopping mall, because it's typically how attendees move through a show hall as well. Upon entering the hall, attendees will frequently turn to the right first and move counterclockwise towards the left portion of the hall. Therefore, booths that are to the right of the entrance (but a few rows away from the right wall) tend to get the most traffic. You obviously want to get your company as close to the front of the hall as possible as well as on a main aisle. If some companies have already been assigned spaces, you will want to try to obtain a space in front or to the side of a well-known company in the industry. Attendees on the way to the booth of a well-known company may stop by your company's booth if something catches their interest as they pass.

Many large trade shows use a priority points ranking system in order to assign companies booth spaces. Companies can earn points for the amount of times they have exhibited at that show over the years, the amount of square footage they've purchased, sponsorships they may have funded, association memberships they hold, etc. Many exhibiting companies are aware of this system, but what some do not know are the following simple strategies that can give any company a great advantage in obtaining an ideal booth location.

1. Be fast.

Many may think that the order in which show organizers receive space contracts doesn't matter as long as it's before the official space draw date, but you can use this ignorance to your advantage. Even though companies are drawn for placement in specific spaces, they are still ranked by priority based upon the criteria listed above, and another one

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