I realize there is no perfect booth location, but what can I do to ensure I select the best spot to suit my program?

Everything from competing exhibitors and venue columns to educational-session hours and food-court sites can dramatically affect show-floor traffic patterns – and thus, your exhibit-marketing efforts. In fact, what's a high-traffic locale at one show may be a veritable ghost town at another. And to make matters worse, there are multiple trains of thought about effective positioning. However, there are several things you can do to guarantee you select and secure the location that best fits your program.

Ask for Input
Despite having a host of stakeholders and decision-makers at their firms, most exhibit marketers assume they must go it alone when it comes to space selection. That's simply not true. Actually, it's downright unfair to have to make this critical decision involving thousands of dollars without some input from stakeholders.

So get others involved. These "others" could be your boss, peers, product managers, salespeople, or practically anyone with some skin in the game and some experience at shows. They will likely have insights, recommendations, and preferences – regarding everything from the impact of key competitors to venue irregularities – that you may not have considered. You don't have to let these folks drive the bus, but you can certainly use their input to help decide where you're headed.

Investigate the Selection Process
Every show has its own space-selection methodology. Some shows use a points system where exhibitors get a certain number of points based on the booth size, number of years at this show, sponsorships purchased, etc. The higher your point total, the sooner you get to pick your space. Other shows simply assign locations as they please, and some let exhibitors pick in the order in which they purchased their spaces (i.e., the first buy, first pick scenario). So before you start evaluating spaces, know the type of selection process you're working with, as it will probably impact your decision-making. If you know you're going to be picking dead last, for instance, your strategy will likely be different than if you're at the head of the line.

Inspect Venue Layouts
Here's where your show or association rep comes in handy. Ask him or her for some critical insights to aid in space selection. For example, where are the main doors for the show, and which will remain closed to inflowing traffic? Are there any side entrances that might score considerable traffic? Where do buses drop off? Where are the reception areas, food courts, and restrooms? Where are big-name exhibitors located, and do they have any planned activities that might spur show-wide or intermittent traffic?

Also ask your rep to help highlight structural elements such as columns, HVAC vents, and variable ceiling heights on the floor plan so you can plan around these potential impediments. The more you know about traffic patterns and competitive influences, the better decisions you can make when the time comes to pick your space.

Contemplate Categories
In some shows, how you categorize your company can affect your hall location. For example, your firm might offer both lighting and irrigation. But if you list the firm as a lighting company, you may end up in the "illumination" hall near the front entrance to the show. Meanwhile, if you'd identified as an irrigation firm, you might have landed in the boondocks with the other sprinkler companies. Thus, carefully consider how you identify your firm based on show-hall categorizations.

Investigate Sponsorships
If your show uses a points system, sponsorships can dramatically increase your picking priority. And even if there isn't such a policy, some shows will offer you a better selection position if you buy a sponsorship. Find out if sponsorships influence the selection process and whether an earlier pick is worth the investment.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
The space-selection process for many shows takes place on or after the first day of the previous year's event. If this is the methodology your show uses, you must not only arrive at the show with a solid space-selection strategy in place but also come prepared to make last-minute changes to that plan if the show dictates. For instance, if you are scheduled to make your selection at 1:30 on the opening day of the show, spend as much time as possible leading up to this appointment to suss out any factors you may have overlooked and to ascertain the effectiveness of your existing locale and any other hot spots you might have already identified. Show-space selection isn't rocket science. But if you botch the process, you're putting your program, not to mention thousands of dollars, at risk. However, the preceding tips and tactics can ensure you enter the process with a solid strategy and plan of attack.