Planning and attending an exhibition can be a very expensive exercise so accurate calculations must be made before the event to ensure the appropriate return on the investment can be made. If exhibition budget levels are not controlled, costs can spiral and reduce the return on investment (ROI) to zero.

Working with an experienced exhibition management company to develop a comprehensive brief and subsequent design, can help reduce the risks. While dedicated project management, throughout the process, can ensure costs are identified and monitored.

For details of our free exhibition design service and project management team, contact us


Planning the budget/targets

An exhibition budget plan could look something like this.

Costs

	Exhibition space	£1000
	Exhibition stand	£1500
	Exhibition graphics	£500
	Brochures, handouts and giveaways	£2000
	Hotels and expenses	£500
	Manning time (3 days x £250)	£750
	Total Costs	£6250

Example – sale of weekend breaks.

The average weekend break is sold for £500 but costs £250. 25 weekend end breaks will need to be sold, therefore, to cover costs. Any more than this will generate profit, any less will incur a loss. If some days at the show are slow, prices may need to be reduced to generate the revenue to cover costs.

Exhibition Targets

A good way of keeping to exhibition budget is to set targets. These could be broken down into the number of sales per day or profit required per day. Whatever the targets set, they must be achievable. Balancing target against plan may necessitate a budget review or even question the decision to exhibit at all.