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How To Conquer the Top 5 Challenges of Trade Show Exhibiting

You’ve invested months preparing for the biggest trade show of the year. Your team is ready, and your brand message is clear. But as event day approaches, challenges start piling up.

Budget cuts slash your grand exhibit plans, logistical hurdles threaten to delay setup, and the competition seems to be stealing the spotlight. Sound familiar?

Trade show success is never guaranteed, but with the right strategies and a trusted partner, obstacles can be turned into opportunities. Here’s how to turn the top 5 common trade show problems into wins with our trade show exhibit solutions.

Challenge 1: Budget Constraints

Many companies face budget constraints, which impact their ability to create standout exhibits. Exhibitors worldwide cite financial pressure as a top barrier. In 2025, 68% expect internal budget pressure and 66% anticipate high exhibit costs as major challenges

One solution? Adopt modular trade show booth designs.

Highmark’s Solution: Modular Booth Designs and Reusable Components

Highmark’s flexible systems let you reuse and reconfigure, slashing build costs over time. This approach supports scalable layouts and helps with trade show budget planning by saving costs on materials and reducing transportation and setup fees.

Modular exhibit structures allow consistent branding across multiple events without rebuilding each time.

Challenge 2: Logistical Headaches

A survey by Exhibitor Media Group revealed that 52% of exhibitors consider logistics one of the top three challenges they face, with an emphasis on shipping, storage, and on-site labor management.

CES 2023, one of the largest tech trade shows globally, faced significant logistical challenges with shipping delays and labor shortages due to COVID-19’s lingering effects. Intel, a major exhibitor, adopted a strategy of shipping materials well in advance and partnering with local logistics companies to avoid delays. Additionally, companies used local rental options for displays and AV equipment to minimize shipping requirements.

Here at Highmark, we take this preplanning and logistical headache off your hands.

Highmark’s Solution: Streamlined Shipping, Setup, and Local Partnerships

With a deep understanding of trade show logistics, we’ve mastered management strategies, including pre-show planning, shipping, and on-site setup. We follow a comprehensive trade show logistics checklist and work closely with trusted partners to ensure timely delivery and smooth setup, even under tight schedules.

Our event structures also include lightweight, easy-to-assemble components that reduce labor costs and setup times.

Rest assured that everything will be in place well before the show starts. Watch how we partnered with several different brands at the world’s largest construction expo—each structure being just as unique as the next. We worked with each brand to take the heavy lifting of logistics off their hands.

Challenge 3: Standing Out in a Crowded Space

At Dreamforce 2023, Salesforce implemented immersive, interactive experiences using augmented reality (AR) to grasp attendees’ attention. This approach allowed them to stand out by providing a unique engagement that differentiated them from competitors.

According to Event Marketer, the majority of event professionals believe that creating unique experiences is a must for standing out in crowded trade show floors.

We’re no strangers to this challenge, but we’re also no strangers to overcoming it. We do exactly this every year at EMS since 2017.

Highmark’s Solution: Interactive Exhibit Designs and Experiential Marketing

We use booth engagement ideas like digital touchpoints, AR/VR elements, experiential marketing tactics, and creative lighting. These booth design strategies are how to attract attendees to trade show booth and differentiate in dense environments.

Challenge 4: Sustainability and Environmental Impact

Today’s audience values eco-conscious brands. In 2025, 81% of attendees say they’re more likely to return to an event that’s engaging and sustainable

While many brand clients claim sustainability is a priority for 2025 events, their operations teams find it challenging to make it a reality. The high costs of creating a sustainable brand experience often exceed budget limits, leading operations managers to implement “sustainability best practices” where feasible, rather than fully taking eco-friendly measures.

Highmark’s Solution: Eco-Friendly Materials and Sustainable Exhibit Practices

Highmark is committed to sustainability. That is why we build our modular exhibit structures using eco-friendly materials to help exhibitors reduce their environmental footprint.

Matt Andrews, SVP at Highmark TechSystems, emphasizes using recycled materials and a rent-or-lease model to support sustainability in event production. Andrews says, “For us at Highmark, we use steel and aluminum, which are the most recycled materials on the planet. Our outdoor structures are like Legos; they go together and come back apart.”

Our exhibits can also feature LED lighting, energy-efficient electronics, and digital displays to minimize waste from printed materials.

Highmark’s modular designs are easily reconfigured for future shows—supporting your corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals and offering a solution to event marketing challenges are eco-friendly.

Challenge 5: Keeping Up with Technology

Cisco Live 2024 showcased how exhibit booth ideas can involve cutting-edge technology like facial recognition for personalized greetings and tailored content delivery at booths. Exhibitors such as HP used these technologies to capture data and optimize booth experiences in real-time.

The widespread use of technologies like AI, AR, and data analytics enhances the trade show experience. Your brand doesn’t want to be left in the dust.

Highmark’s Solution: Incorporating the Latest Tech Innovations

Our customizable event booth design can accommodate high-tech elements such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to keep up with trade show exhibiting best practices. With the capability to showcase LED screens, the possibilities are limitless.

Highmark will work with you to identify the best tech solutions for your goals and ensure that each exhibit is both visually stunning and functionally innovative.

Get A Modular Event Structure For Your Next Trade Show

Picture your trade show booth attracting the right crowd, your team confidently sharing your brand’s story—all while budget planning, logistics, and technology seamlessly fall into place.

Our temporary and portable trade show structures solve common trade show problems, from pre-show setup to follow-up. Whether your goals are engagement, sustainability, or ROI, our customizable approach covers it all.

Contact us to build your standout exhibit for indoor or outdoor events. We know what makes a successful trade show booth, and we’re ready to create one for your brand.

FAQs

What are the biggest challenges of trade show exhibiting?

Common trade show exhibiting challenges include budget constraints, logistical complexity, standing out in crowded halls, keeping up with technology, and implementing sustainable practices.

How can I make my trade show booth stand out?

Try creative experiential marketing booth ideas like interactive digital walls, AR/VR tie‑ins, gamification, and lighting effects.

What is the best way to budget for a trade show?

Use a trade show budget planning template, allocate about 30–40% to booth design and engagement tech, and opt for modular booths to spread costs over multiple events. Work with a trusted partner, like Highmark, to gather the best trade show booth tips for budget and design.

How do I attract more attendees to my exhibit booth?

Promote pre-show, use engaging giveaways or gamified elements, interactive demos, and signage. Emphasize trade show lead capture ideas that create buzz.

What are some creative trade show engagement ideas?

Examples of engaging trade show booths include those with quiz-based games, photo activations, AR product demos, “brand scavenger hunts,” QR‑based challenges, and personalized content delivered right on the show floor.

How can I improve ROI from trade shows?

Set clear trade show ROI strategies, capture leads with real‑time data tools, follow up quickly, and measure cost per lead and conversion rates.

How do modular booths help with trade show logistics?

Modular exhibit structures simplify shipping, setup, and storage. They scale to different sizes and help reduce labor and transport costs year after year.

What are the benefits of custom trade show booth design?

Customizable event booth design ensures your brand identity is clear, supports unique interactive elements, and lets you tailor layout and flow to match your marketing objectives. Get in touch with Highmark about trade show booth design tips that will create a real difference.

How can I capture more leads at trade shows?

Not preparing to capture attendee data is one of the biggest trade show planning mistakes to avoid. Use digital tools like badge scanning, RFID/NFC, mobile apps, or QR code retrieval. These systems provide rich attendee data and enable real-time follow‑up strategies.