Carpeting, along with high density padding, will be the most practical material and least expensive floor covering in terms of purchase cost, maintenance cost and cost of labor for install and dismantle. In general, carpeting will cost at least 30 percent less than any of the other flooring alternatives to purchase and perhaps another 30 percent less to install.
When choosing nylon versus polyester carpeting, there are a few things to consider. Nylon is preferred because of its excellent resilience (the ability of a fiber to spring back to its original configuration), abrasion resistance, mildew resistance and very good color retention. Polyester is not made from continuous filament yarns and, thus, tends to shed, especially when considering the high foot traffic density at a tradeshow. Nylon is slightly more expensive than Polyester.
Wood, tile or rubber flooring, because of their stunning looks and their lack of popularity at tradeshows, will really help you to define and create a distinct look within your exhibit space. This difference in aesthetics may be just what you need to set the tone for your product and get people to notice your exhibit, once they have donned the “blinders” that at some point affect every tradeshow attendee.
However, wood and rubber will often have to be spaced above the tradeshow hall floor in order to allow for under floor wiring for electricity, phone and computer networking and locating electrical drops that come from the floor rather than overhead.
Other aspects to consider – when deciding on carpet verses a more complicated and expensive wood, rubber or tile floor, consider the added transportation and packing costs of such a floor.
A carpet and padding floor can be wrapped-up and bagged for shipment in very short order. In addition, carpet and pad are usually put on top of one of the crates or a couple of skids, taking up no additional billable space in a truck and therefore costing you no more to ship than your exhibit, booth or display without carpeting. A hard floor with some kind of structural frame will, on the other hand, require a more involved method of packaging for transport and much more labor for installation and dismantle.
Questions about this article?
Brett Lipeles is president of Exhibit and Display Consultants, a seasoned group of corporate event marketing experts that is 110 percent focused on increasing your marketing impact and reducing your event costs. To contact, call (508) 695-0544 or send e-mail to info@exhibitconsultants.com for a free consultation.
