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Top 3 Reasons to Start Your 2023 Trade Show Planning Early
In a world where supply chain shortages are the norm, you always want to be thinking ahead. Waiting until the last minute won’t just cost your business money – it can actually cause you to miss out on important opportunities to showcase your company’s talents. Things that might have taken weeks to plan might now take months.
In the trade show world, this couldn’t be more true. As more businesses are returning to in-person events, the demand for updated display graphics, hardware replacements and new exhibits has skyrocketed. This means you could be waiting a long time to get the materials you need to build your trade show exhibit.
The key is to order your trade show display early so that you can handle potential delays. Below are three great reasons not to wait to start planning for your trade show booth in 2023.
1. Global supply chain delays are common.
With so many significant shortages happening in 2022, things aren’t going to snap back to normal in 2023. Global supply chain delays are still common, which means manufacturers are facing labor and parts shortages, stopping them from producing the same volume as they used to.
Therefore, your trade show exhibit company may have to wait longer to get the products and materials they need to build your exhibit. As a result, you’ll be waiting longer, too. This is why we recommend planning early for a trade show so that you have enough time to build the exhibit you want, while accounting for supply chain disruptions.
2. Materials are more expensive.
When there are supply shortages but demand stays the same, guess what happens? The prices increase. Be prepared to pay higher prices than you’re used to. Many businesses have had to start planning early for trade shows in order to prepare themselves for the new prices and spread their dollar further.
Some of the shortages that we’ve seen hit the trade show industry most are on backlit displays, hard shipping cases and display lights, so you can anticipate paying more for them and waiting longer for them to ship as well. And with world events, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the cost of crude oil is increasing and will impact the cost for travel and shipping.
3. Shipping is taking longer than usual.
A recent Gartner survey found that 76 percent of supply chain executives say their company is facing more frequent disruptions than three years ago. Furthermore, shipment delays between China and major U.S. and European ports have more than quadrupled since March 2022.
With this in mind, you’ll definitely want to plan ahead for your trade show exhibit, otherwise your project could run over and fail to meet your deadlines. Everything from shipping containers and material freight to warehouse deliveries and deliveries to end users are impacted.
Start Planning for Your Exhibit Today!
These are three great reasons to start planning for your trade show early. IGE is committed to delivering quality solutions to clients, and we are working hard to make sure our clients get their exhibits on time. We will be honest and upfront about how long it will take to build your exhibit, but we do recommend ordering on the early side. Contact us today to learn more about our timelines.