If it were back in the day when people still used adding machines with paper, your office would be filled to the ceiling with literally miles of that little paper ribbon, you've run the numbers so many times. No matter how many times you've run them, though, there just isn't enough money for a new trade show booth.

Before you give up and allocate what budget you do have into another round of direct mail - that won't get results -, consider renting a trade show booth.

Yes, renting has many advantages beyond just saving you money on the initial trade show booth purchase. For starters, if you don't currently have a trade show booth, then it's a safe bet that you haven't done any, or at least very few, trade shows. Renting a booth can give you an opportunity to give trade show exhibiting a trial run, so to speak, before you make a major investment in a permanent trade show booth. You can learn the ropes of trade shows without spending a mint to do it!

Plus, this not only means you get to learn the ropes of trade show events with far less of an investment, but (shh!, don't tell anyone else) renting a booth gives you a chance to go and see what everyone else is doing-and gives you a bird's eye view of seeing what really works and what doesn't before sinking a ton of money in a booth that you'll be using for a long, long time.

It also will keep you from ending up, by accident, of course, with a trade show booth that fifteen hundred other people have. That's the last thing you want for your trade show booth! You want to stand out, not get lumped in with everybody else which will get you yawns, not sales. You want to be different from the crowd, and by renting a trade booth for your first few shows, you'll be in a great position to do something unique with your own booth.

Renting also gives you the advantage of not being stuck with a trade show booth you don't want if you should decide for any reason that trade show events are not for you. And trade shows aren't for everybody, that's for sure. Trade shows involve an incredible amount of work when they're done right, but the results are more often than not well worth your tired feet and aching back!