Trade Show Blog
Practical guides on booth planning, display selection, and exhibiting well — written by the team behind your next show.
10x20 Trade Show Booth: Layouts, Costs, and Ideas
A 10x20 is the most common upgrade from a 10x10 — and the layout decisions you make early decide whether it feels twice as big or just twice as long. Here are the layouts, the costs, and the traps.
Trade Show Booth Rental Cost in Chicago: What to Expect
What renting a booth actually costs in Chicago — by size and configuration — plus the freight, labor, and storage lines that turn a low headline price into the real number you will pay.
How to Choose a Trade Show Display Company in Chicago
Most exhibitors pick a display company on price alone, then discover the hidden costs of a vendor who cannot deliver locally. Here is the checklist that separates a good Chicago partner from a cheap out-of-state one.
How to Design a 10x10 Trade Show Booth: A Step-by-Step Guide
The 10x10 is the most common booth size in North America — and the easiest to design poorly. Here is a working, step-by-step process from footprint to final layout.
Retractable Banner Stand Sizes: Standard Dimensions and Which to Choose
Retractable and roll-up banner sizes are confusing because the width, the live graphic area, and the case are all different numbers. Here is the standard dimension chart and how to pick the right one.
Backlit vs. SEG Displays: Which Should You Choose?
Backlit and silicone-edge-graphics (SEG) displays both give you a large, seamless graphic surface — but they solve different problems. Here is how to tell which one you actually need.
Marketing & Promotional Displays: A Buyer’s Guide
From lobby counters and retail point-of-sale to trade show promotional displays, the right piece depends on where it stands and how long it has to last. Here is how to choose the format, build quality, and print that will actually hold up.
Retractable Banner Stands in Chicago: Prices, Sizes, and When They Make Sense
Reprint-friendly, travel-light, and cheap to start — retractable banner stands are the workhorse of the trade show floor. Here is what they cost, which size fits your booth, and the limits to know before you order.
Trade Show Exhibit Rentals in Chicago: When Renting Beats Buying
Renting a trade show exhibit removes freight, storage, and build risk for the right shows. Here is the honest math for Chicagoland exhibitors, and the situations where owning still wins.
Drayage and Union Labor at Chicago Trade Shows, Explained
Two line items catch first-time Chicago exhibitors off guard more than any other cost: drayage and union labor jurisdiction. Here is what each actually means and how to budget for them.
Literature Racks for Trade Shows: Sizes, Uses, and What to Print
A literature rack is the cheapest way to let attendees take your information home with them. Here is how to pick the right size and what actually gets picked up.
How to Light a Trade Show Booth (And Why Most Exhibitors Get It Wrong)
Lighting is the cheapest upgrade with the largest visible effect on a show floor — and the one most consistently skipped. Here is how to do it properly.
The Trade Show Booth Checklist: What to Do, Pack, and Bring
A working checklist covering the eight weeks before the show, what goes in the crate, what goes in your carry-on, and what to do before you leave the hall.
Custom Trade Show Booths in Chicago: How to Brief a Local Builder
A custom trade show booth is only as good as the brief behind it. Here is what to decide before you sit down with a local fabricator — footprint, height, sightlines, power, and the render that turns an idea into a booth you can walk through.
How to Set Up Artwork Files for Trade Show Graphics
Resolution, bleed, color mode, and safe areas — the specifications that decide whether your graphic prints sharp or arrives soft, cropped, and the wrong blue.
Exhibiting at McCormick Place: A Practical Guide for First-Timers
Chicago venues have rules, jurisdictions, and cost structures that surprise exhibitors who have only done regional shows. Here is what to know before you ship.
Tension Fabric vs. Pop-Up Displays: Which Should You Actually Buy?
Both give you a 10-foot backwall for broadly similar money. They differ in ways that only become obvious after a few shows — here is what separates them.
How Much Does a Trade Show Booth Cost? A Real Price Breakdown
Booth pricing ranges from a few hundred dollars to six figures, and most published numbers leave out the costs that actually get you. Here is what each tier really includes.
Rent or Buy? How to Decide on Your Next Trade Show Display
Renting and buying both make sense — just for different exhibitors. Here is a practical way to figure out which one is cheaper for your actual show schedule.
How to Choose the Right Trade Show Display for Your Booth Size
Booth size drives every other decision — from display type to graphics to shipping. Here is how to match your display to your space before you buy or rent.
IMTS 2026: A Chicagoland Exhibitor’s Prep Checklist
IMTS is the manufacturing world’s largest fall show and one of the hardest venues to exhibit at well. Here is a pre-show checklist for Chicagoland exhibitors, built around the venue rules, drayage, union labor, and rigging that catch first-timers out.