If you're going to exhibit at a trade show, then you need to bring your A game. More importantly, you need to ensure that you spend as little as you can while still making the biggest possible impression on those you meet. So, while it's a good idea to bring some extra business cards and that pop-up display that catches the eye of every passerby, here are some things you should avoid doing in order to cut down on the amount of wasted material, time and effort at your next event.

1. Useful Promotional Giveaways

If you're going to offer a promotional product, it's important to make sure it's memorable, useful, and that people are going to have it in front of their faces on the regular. So, while a pen or a pad of paper is perfectly functional, neither of those stand out. If you want people to remember you, offer them something quality. A USB thumb drive with your company logo on it, for example. A t-shirt with a cool design. Maybe a shoulder bag for a laptop. Whatever you use, though, make sure it's sleek, memorable and most of all, that people who take one are going to want to keep it.

2. Shipping Costs

If you do a lot of events in a year, chances are you have a pretty good setup for your booth. Chances are even better that you have all that stuff shipped to the event, rather than trucking it there yourself. However, if you're shipping your wares to an event, and then paying to have it shipped back to the office afterward, you may be flushing money down the toilet. Instead, have your event materials shipped to your next event. This will require a little extra legwork, and making sure you're regularly attending shows and conventions, but it's overall worth the effort in how much you save.

3. Reuse Your Trade Show Graphics

You know that graphic you had hanging up in your booth? The one you paid a lot of money for and that always gets people to slow down to look at what you've got to offer? When the show is over, make sure you roll it back up and have it ready for the next event. Graphics tend to age pretty well and as long as it isn't faded, torn or otherwise damaged, you can use the same graphics for years, which saves a lot of money.

4. Rent Instead of Buying

If you go to a big show or convention, you'll see companies that pulled out all the stops. They have hanging displays all the way up to the ceiling, lights, flooring, the whole nine yards. If you're wondering how to compete with that without breaking the bank, the simple answer is to rent it. You won't need such a big, flashy booth for every event, so rent it for the big events and save yourself a lot of cash in the long run.

5. Do-It-Yourself

Perhaps the best way to save money and reduce waste on your next event is to bite the bullet and do it yourself. Whether it's designing the booth layout, choosing the colors for your tablecloths or just arranging the graphics; the more of it you can do in-house, the cheaper it's going to be. So before you buy a banner stand or a new display case, ask if you could make one yourself and how much it would cost to do so.

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