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You are about to mount a major product introduction at the industry's premiere trade show. The company wants to make a dramatic statement, and you want to own the exhibit hall floor with a creative, custom-built exhibit.

Truly the status trade show exhibit, the custom booth can be virtually anything you want it to be. As the term implies, the exhibit is custom-built to the trade show exhibitor's exact specifications. You have a clean slate to capture the drama of your firm's breakthrough product offering and you get to dazzle the visitor and out-perform the competition. With a custom-built trade show booth, there are virtually no limits to design, graphics, materials, size, elevation or AV components. The traditional custom trade show exhibit is the "piece de resistance" of the trade show display product field, where an exhibitor is willing to create high drama and powerful imagery for the sake of a truly powerful impact. Allow enough time to start from scratch to deliver the exhibit that will have award-winning potential. Understand the trade show schedule and allow four to six months for a large custom build and six weeks to 12 weeks for a mid-size island or smaller. One thing you will have to prepare for with the custom display is the cost. It is the most expensive to produce and has the highest operating costs due to size and number of packing crates.

If cost is the dominate concern, consider a custom modular exhibit that offers high quality exhibit imaging without the higher operating costs of custom displays. Modular construction takes advantage of a large inventory of interchangeable pre-designed and engineered components such as back walls, counters, display pedestals and exterior panels. Lightweight structural materials such as aluminum, Plexiglas and high-grade tension fabrics provide simplified assembly, space-saving packing and often 400% lower shipment and handling costs. The flexible design trend display components allow you to reconfigure the design or size of your trade show booth from tradeshow to tradeshow. Custom modular tradeshow exhibits offer design and image quality with substantial savings in operating costs due to less weight and size and number of shipping containers.

Another option is the portable system that offers trade show display versatility. Lightweight portable exhibits are ideal for trade show exhibitors who require ease of use and a variety of display configurations while presenting a distinctive creative image. Easily set-up, the portable system has a skeletal frame with attachable laminate panels, which simply clip together in virtually unlimited structural styles. Accessories such as bridges, counters, alcoves and backlighting enhance versatility of the interchangeable portable systems. The trade show portable systems can convert from tabletop to island exhibits in minutes and adapt to almost any trade show display situation with minimal effort. Usually your own booth staffers can transport and assemble the exhibit themselves saving time and the added costs of drayage and contract workers. Portable displays are an especially suitable option for the first-time trade show exhibitor and for appearances at smaller, regional trade shows.

Dick Wheeler, is President of Professional Exhibits & Graphics, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. The firm is a full-service premiere trade show exhibit, graphics and management services company. Go to http://www.proexhibits.com