How to Build a Booth Without Losing Your Nerves: Things You Might Not Know

You’ve picked a good spot at the expo and found a contractor — it feels like everything is ready. Time to book your tickets and relax? Not quite.

Our event team prepared three useful tips to help you go through the booth setup without stress and avoid common problems during the preparation.

Storage Area — a Must

First, you make a nice guest area and forget about storage. Then you have no idea where to put all your stuff, and it turns into chaos. In reality, you need space for merch, team’s things, drinks, water, boxes, and bags. The storage area should not be visible to guests — the best option is to hide it neatly behind the bar counter.

Always discuss with the contractor:

• – Where the storage area will be
• – How much space you need
• – Is it easy to access during busy hours
• – How many trash bins there are and where they are placed (more is better, and they should be built into the design)

Good Briefing for Your Staff

You come to the expo, walk up to a booth — and the hostess doesn’t even know the company name. Or acts like the CEO of the world.

Important to remember: a hostess doesn’t need to know everything about your product or explain integrations. But she must understand:

• – What your company does
• – Who in the team can help the visitor
• – How to guide the conversation politely and kindly

The hostess is the face of your company. She is the first person visitors talk to. And that first impression should be professional. If it’s not, the whole company might look unorganized.

How to prepare your hostesses the right way:

• – Choose professionals. People with experience know how events work and how to talk to visitors
• – Make a short briefing document. Add company info, your goals at the event, names and roles of the team, and basic product or service info. Share it with the hostess 7–10 days before the event.
• – Give a quick tour before the event starts. Show where the merch is, where the team stands, where to find everything. Explain who is responsible for what.
• – Smiling is a must. It’s the easiest and strongest way to be welcoming.
• – Plan break times. A tired person won’t do a good job.
• – Provide food. It’s better to feed your hostess than lose her for two hours while she searches for a burger and comes back smelling like onions.
• – Make sure the outfit and shoes are comfortable. If a person feels bad physically, it affects the whole atmosphere.

Wait, how much does it all cost?

A booth is much more than just renting a space and building the stand. If you’re doing it for the first time, some costs can really surprise you — they’re just not obvious at the start.

It all seems simple: choose the spot, confirm the design, calculate the booth build, add the travel costs — and you think you’re ready. But then come the unexpected extras.

Expo spot, hotels, flights, daily expenses, logistics, merch — okay, that’s clear. But even without a bar, you’ll still need water, napkins, and coffee. Then there are costs for staff, staff clothing, hair, and makeup.

And now the fun part: Electricity, internet, cleaning, trash removal (and yes, your booth is also trash after the event). Got a hanging structure? You’ll need permission to install it, pay extra to hang it, and get insurance — both for the structure and the people around it in case it falls. And all this comes on top of the basic event insurance you already have to buy anyway.

Can your HR or office manager really handle all of this?

Hire a professional event manager.

Expos are not easy. Seriously.

🎯 Want to meet us in person? Catch us at these upcoming conferences:

• CONVERSION CONF KYIV — September 17, 2025
• SBC Summit Lisbon, Stand F2 — September 16–18, 2025
• Sigma Central Europe Rome, Stand 5113G — November 3–6, 2025

Come say hello, grab our exclusive cocktails, and experience a booth built the right way. See you there! 🚀