PORTABLE/MODULAR EXHIBITS
 I need to update my company’s old modular exhibit. Should I refurbish the booth or buy a new one?
 Given the endless variables — such as the age, type, and weight of your modular exhibit — there isn’t a single cut-and-dried answer to your question. However, there are a few steps you can take to help you decide which option is right for you.
1. Research costs. Before you start your evaluation process, gather information about current costs — both up front costs and ongoing operational costs, such as setup, shipping, storage, etc. — of a new portable/modular booth. Obtain ballpark figures for a handful of options, such as an aluminum-extrusion and fabric-graphic system, a pole-and-panel system, and perhaps a tension-fabric system.
Then determine your current exhibit’s operational costs, i.e. your expenses to store, ship, set up, and maintain your booth. Given today’s ballooning gas prices, carefully examine your shipping charges as they stand today, rather than six months ago.
You might find that your exhibit property is in decent shape, but its operational costs are much higher than some of the newer portable/modular systems, which are often lighter weight, pack tightly into shipping containers, and require less I&D time.
If your current operational costs far surpass those of a new exhibit, it might make more sense to simply scrap the old booth, and use the refurbishment costs toward the purchase of a new exhibit.
2. Consider current design trends. If you’ve determined that your current modular exhibit is still cost effective to operate, your next step is to consider whether the system’s overall style and aesthetic fits your company’s image. You can install all new hardware and graphics and eliminate any signs of wear and tear, but if the system’s style is outdated, it can reflect poorly on your company’s image.
Most people have a good sense of what’s outdated and what’s not. But if you’re unclear, scour this magazine and others for photos of new exhibit systems and compare them to your exhibit’s colors, forms, and overall aesthetics. A quick side-by-side comparison should help you determine how your design stacks up.
3. Evaluate your exhibit’s condition. Next, carefully examine the condition of your booth. Visible wear and tear not only distracts your prospects, it sends the message that your company doesn’t care about its image — or that it can’t afford to fix it.
Then make a list of any necessary repairs and ask your exhibit house to provide a detailed refurbishment estimate including all associated fees, such as inspections, setup time, and shipping charges. It’s pretty easy to replace individual parts and pieces on a portable or modular exhibit, but if you want to repair or replace larger structures, such as laminated walls, your costs will escalate quickly.
Once again, compare the refurbishment costs and any impact the changes will have on your operating costs against the costs of purchasing a new portable/modular booth to determine which option is best for you, not only in the next three months but in the next three years.
4. Analyze the graphics. Your next potentially major consideration is your graphics, and how difficult — and costly — they are to replace. Start by determining what percentage of your exhibit actually comprises graphic panels. If the graphics make up the majority of your exhibit, it might make sense to keep your system and put your money into well designed graphics, which you’d need to purchase with a new system anyway. If graphics are but a small part of your structure and thus not that costly to replace, they’re probably not a significant consideration in your decision.
While these four steps won’t provide a black-and-white answer to your question, they’re certainly valuable tools to aid your decision-making process. After a bit of research and comparison, you should be able to determine whether to fix your current portable/modular exhibit or trash it.
— Josh Axelberd, president/CEO, Displayit Inc., Suwanee, GA
GREEN PLANTS
Should I use live plants in my exhibit? Aside from an aesthetic touch, do they offer any other positive attributes?
Exhibitors are continually razzed for their use of myriad yellow mums and frail ficus, but green plants actually perform a valuable service to all show participants by cleaning the air.
While most people quickly turn to green plants to help improve the air quality of their homes and offices, few people extend their use of plants to include their trade show exhibits. But according to a study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), common house plants can remove indoor air pollutants, such as benzene and formaldehyde, whether in a trade show environment, home, or office building.
And when you think about it, green plants are doubly important on the trade show floor, which is typically filled with troublesome toxins found in many exhibit materials. For instance, materials such as particleboard, pressed-wood products, and adhesive wood binders in floor coverings produce formaldehyde. Solids and liquids such as inks, oils, plastics, rubber, dyes, tobacco smoke, and synthetic fibers, contain benzene. Meanwhile, xylene is typically found in liquids such as solvents, lacquers, dyes, and rubber cement. And solids and liquids such as degreasing agents, dry-cleaned fabrics, printing inks, lacquers, varnishes, and adhesives typically contain trichloroethylene (TCE). These toxins are responsible for respiratory issues and fatigue, and have been known to affect staffers’ energy levels and productivity.
The study funded by NASA and ALCA suggests that one 10- to 12-inch potted plant placed in each 100 square feet of floor space dramatically reduces low-level pollution from organic chemicals. The study also found that in addition to green foliage, roots and soil microbes feed on the pollutants as well. Consultants associated with this study recommend leaving the plant’s soil exposed to the air, unshielded by low-hanging leaves or rocks, to allow the soil and roots to work their magic along with the leaves.
Just about any green plant will offer some environmental benefits, specific plants are better at absorbing toxins than others, and some are known to absorb specific pollutants more effectively than others. Here are some of the most common trade show toxins followed by a list of plants that are known to absorb them.
 Formaldehyde — Boston fern, chrysanthemum, ficus, peace lily, corn plant, and gerbera daisy
Xylene — dwarf date palm,
dracaena marginata, corn plant, peace lily, and gerbera daisy
Benzene — chrysanthemum, gerbera daisy, English ivy, dracaena marginata, peace lily, and warneckei
TCE — gerbera daisy, peace lily, warneckei, chrysanthemum, and
dracaena marginata
Granted, if you want to maintain an aesthetically pleasing exhibit, you’ve got to give some serious thought to where and how to integrated green plants into your exhibit plans. But plants can not only improve the look of your booth, they can also improve the show’s air quality and maybe even the health of all who come in contact with it.
— E. Jane Lorimer, managing director, Lorimer Consulting Group, Denver
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