Trade Show Planner: Actual Spend vs. Budget
Your 12 month trade show checklist
Comparing actual spend to budget is just one task in a large checklist you’ll need to complete as a trade show exhibitor. Review my entire pre-show, on-site, and post-show checklist of exhibitor planning activities.
Trade Show Planning:
Compare Actual Spend to Budget
POST SHOW. WITHIN 5-7 DAYS AFTER SHOW.
Although you may still receive invoices up to a month after the show is over, it is important to sit down while the event is still fresh in your mind and compare your actual expenses against your original budget.
If this is your first show, you will most likely be over budget. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. It takes time and experience to be able to anticipate all the potential costs associated with exhibiting.
Even a very experienced marketing or event management professional can go over budget due to unforeseen circumstances.
If you come in under budget, congratulations!
If you come in over budget, use this review to learn what can be done differently next year. Maybe you will begin the booth design and development earlier so you can ship it to the advance warehouse. Maybe you can print half the amount of collateral that you printed for this show. Maybe instead of sending six people to staff your booth, you can send five.
CONTINUE YOUR TRADE SHOW PLANNING WITH RELATED CHECKLIST ITEMS.
Are you new to trade show exhibiting and feel completely overwhelmed?
Trade Show 411: The Essential Guide to Exhibiting Like a Pro is a must-have for marketers and small business owners. It gives you both the strategy and action plan to set you off on the right foot. By linking your pre-show marketing strategy to onsite activities and post-show follow-up, you’ll get the most out of your sales and marketing efforts and maximize your trade show results.
