6 exhibitor guides

Trade showguides

What a booth costs, what drayage really covers, which footprint fits, and the deadlines that decide show week. Written from our own projects — the numbers are on the page, not behind a form.

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In short

Solid Exhibits publishes six free trade show exhibitor guides: what a booth costs by footprint, whether to rent or buy, the standard US booth sizes, what drayage covers and how it is priced, a six-month exhibitor checklist and a guide to booth ideas that work. All of the figures are on the page, written from the company's own builds rather than industry averages.

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Everything anexhibitor asks

Compal USA island booth at CES 2026 built by Solid Exhibits

Cost guide

How much does a trade show booth cost?

Booth budgets are quoted line by line, but they cluster in predictable bands by footprint. Here are the ranges most projects land in, what sits inside them, and the show-service fees that are billed separately.

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Silfab Solar booth built by Solid Exhibits

Decision guide

Rent or buy a trade show booth?

The honest answer depends on how many shows you do each year and how often your message changes. Here is the comparison we run with clients before quoting either option.

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Circadian Risk 20×50 ft booth at GSX 2026 built by Solid Exhibits

Size guide

Trade show booth sizes

US shows sell space in 10-foot increments, and each step changes what you can physically do in the booth. Here is what fits in each standard footprint, and what it usually costs.

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Crated booth being installed at CES by Solid Exhibits

Cost guide

What is drayage at a trade show?

Drayage is the single most misunderstood line on an exhibitor invoice, and usually the one that blows the budget. Here is what it actually covers, how it is priced, and the decisions that move the number.

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Large island booth installed at IAAPA Expo by Solid Exhibits

Planning guide

Trade show exhibitor checklist

Most show-week problems were created months earlier by a deadline nobody owned. This is the sequence we run with clients, from the first brief to the morning the doors open.

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BBC Studios booth with backlit graphics by Solid Exhibits

Design guide

Trade show booth ideas

Good booth ideas are not decoration — they are decisions about where people stop, what they touch and how a conversation starts. Here is what works, broken down by the space you have.

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Free guide · 7 pages · PDF

The Trade Show Exhibitor Playbook

Cost benchmarks by footprint, from 10×10 inlines to double-decks
Which line items the booth builder bills and which the show does
The month-by-month countdown, from the brief to dismantle
The pre-flight list people only remember during move-in