According to Spingo, 88% of businesses hope to improve brand awareness by taking advantage of trade shows. They set up an exhibit with exciting freebies and hope to draw in as many prospects as possible. Despite this noble goal, many of these businesses choose to set up their tables with cheap table skirts.
Cheap table skirts for trade shows are hurting your business much more than you realize. A trade show tablecloth might seem insignificant, but it's bursting with the potential to either make or break your sales.
If you're preparing for your next exhibit, take time to reevaluate how your table will look and function. We're here to help you understand why cheap table skirts are a bad idea and how to use quality trade show table skirts to boost your success.
How Cheap Table Skirts for Trade Shows Hurt Your Chances
When prospects are walking down the lines of exhibits, a large part of their decision to walk up to a specific table is the quality of the display. When the key aspect of your display is the table itself, what you do with this space matters.
Your success at a trade show will come down to how professional and intriguing your exhibit looks. Table skirts take up a large space in your overall presentation, so which event table covers you use is a huge deal.
Cheap table covers fail to deliver in all aspects, including function and aesthetics.
Underwhelming Blank Space
Businesses want to impress at trade shows, especially since 83% of them explain that their main reason for attendance is to improve sales numbers. Unfortunately, these businesses still have to keep to a budget. Tablecloths are often a detail that suffers from much lower monetary allocation.
The cheapest of all table cover options is the solid color table covers. Without any design or branding, these cloths do the absolute minimum for your display. The only thing worse than a cheap blank tablecloth is no table cover at all.
As we mentioned, tablecloths actually take up a large area of your overall display. They don't just cover the tabletop, but fall all the way to the floor and span usually 6 to 8 feet across. All of this blank space is truly an eyesore and very underwhelming.
Frankly, it's a huge missed opportunity. When you're trying to grab the interest of passersby, a tablecloth poses vast available space for marketing.
Of course, you don't have to use up all the blank space, but you should do something with it, even if that something is getting a stunning banner or table runner that dresses it up.
Wrinkles and Tears
Don't act surprised when your cheap tablecloths come out of your event decor box looking less than pristine. More affordable tablecloths are cheaper because they use low-quality materials. Instead of using polyester twill, which is naturally wrinkle-resistant, they often use low-quality materials that wrinkle and damage easily.
Let's face it, most of us don't bring irons or steamers to the event, so if you're tablecloth is looking rough, you don't have many options. This is especially true if you suffer any rips and tears.
Polyester tablecloths are the best choice for trade shows because they are very durable and can withstand more wear, both indoors and outdoors. They're shinier than cotton while being smooth like silk. This material is also a great weight for event tables, with just enough heft to not shift around while in use.
When you buy from a great vendor, they'll also make their tablecloths stain-resistant. If you do need to wash it, this material is machine washable, so you can reuse it every year.
Dreaded Shrinkage
When you're preparing for an exhibit, you need trade show fitted table covers. Fitted table covers ensure that the tablecloth fits your table perfectly so it doesn't drag on the floor or shift excessively during the event. One of the biggest enemies to the perfect fit is shrinkage.
Many tablecloth materials are easy to shrink if you're not careful. Materials like cotton can shrink up to 8% when washed and dried, but polyester does not shrink. If you have designs such as logos and text on these tablecloths, they're subject to warping.
High-quality, trade show-worthy tablecloths will ensure the perfect fit and look every year.
Poor Quality Logo and Design
It's possible to dress up a poor-quality tablecloth by adding a logo or design. When paying the extra money for this service, however, be wary. Low-quality tablecloths will have iron-on designs that sit on top of the material.
These kinds of additions can look okay at first, but don't last very long. These designs can wear and tear, peel, and fade easily. Not to mention, it's easy to see that these designs sit on top of the material, so they are visibly cheaper.
Higher-quality table cover vendors will offer full-color printing for a custom look. You'll be able to design your table cover exactly the way you want it, and your design will be the tablecloth itself, not sitting on top. You won't have to worry about the design peeling off - it'll always look top-notch.
It's Plain Unprofessional
Trade shows aren't for the faint of heart. They're large events that draw in tons of potential customers who are actively looking for new products. These events are not the time to show up with a makeshift exhibit.
With so many businesses present, you need to stand out. However, you don't want to stand out because of how unprofessional you look. You need to draw people in by presenting your brand in the best possible way.
At a trade show, your business has 7 seconds to make a great first impression, and 55% of that impression depends on what the consumer sees.
Low-quality tablecloths are a surefire way to tell attendees that you don't care enough about your business's image. It comes off as unprofessional and makes you look unprepared. This is not the first impression you want to offer to potential customers.
Makes Your Business Seem Low-Quality
Not only are low-quality tablecloths unprofessional, but they give the overall impression that your brand is low-quality. You don't see big names like Nike and Garmin showing up to trade shows with plastic tablecloths and cheap freebies.
Sure, these brands are hugely successful and have a bigger budget, but that's not the point. You need to follow that old adage that you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Upgrading how others see you will persuade them to treat you better, and in this case, it means that they'll see your brand as higher-quality.
In other words, you could have a product or service that fundamentally changes the world. It won't matter how profound it is if you've presented it held together by duct tape and clothespins. To help people see your brand's potential, you must show them.
Choosing a high-quality tablecloth for your trade show display will show that you're confident about your brand and willing to invest in its success. In turn, others will be confident about your abilities and the potential of your product or service.
Improve Sales With Stellar Table Skirts
It's clear that investing in a high-quality tablecloth will do wonders for your trade show exhibit and last year after year. You won't have to buy a new one for every event and go through the trouble of getting them designed over and over. In the long run, you'll actually save money.
While you're saving money, you can also improve your sales by attracting high-ticket customers who see the potential of your brand and offerings. To help you get started in finding the perfect table skirt, here are some unique and eye-catching ideas.
Invest in a Table Runner
If you've decided that a solid color tablecloth is the best for your brand, that doesn't mean you have to be boring. A great way to dress up an otherwise blank tablecloth is to add a table running!
High-quality table runners hang in the front of your table and can present your logo, company name, or other information in a unique way. These table runners can add a pop of color to catch the eye and provide a great frame for your branding.
If you're on a very low budget, you can get a table runner with no design so that you still have that pop of color. If you have some wiggle room, you can get a table runner printed with your logo or printed edge to edge with an awesome design.
Try a Themed Tablecloth
Many businesses use the table skirt to present their logo, company name, and other company-specific information. To stand out, you could try using a themed tablecloth instead!
Think about your brand and your target audience. Do you offer solutions for outdoor adventures? Try a tablecloth printed with imagery of the outdoors.
Do you offer solutions for farmers or sell rustic products? Try this themed barnwood printed tablecloth!
Themed table skirts give you a stunning, detailed design that stands out from the typical one-color branded tables. You'll also be communicating the message of your brand to your target audience, drawing in people more likely to be interested in your company.
Be Prepared For Anything
A smart way to maximize on your branded tablecloth is to buy a convertible tablecloth. These versatile table skirts can easily be used for several different-sized tables so that you can use them at any event easily. Convertible tablecloths have a full size of fitting an 8-foot table, but can easily fit smaller tables when you gather up the extra material, fold it to the back, and attach the ends to the hidden velcro.
These awesome tablecloths are printed in any way you'd like, but your branding will always be front and center no matter the size of the table. Even if you have the table skirt printed from end to end with a design, it won't be ruined or look messy due to the excess gathering. These table cloths are meant to fold up the excess tightly and neatly on the sides so you can barely tell!
Keep Things Functional With 3-Sided Tablecloths
Traditional table cloths hand over all four sides of the table. Four-sided tablecloths are great for dining room tables where the table will be seen from all sides. At trade shows, however, that fourth side just gets in the way.
Since you'll be the only ones seeing the table from behind, there's no reason to deal with the excess hanging fabric. This fourth side can make it hard to pull your chair in and out and sit down. This fabric can also get caught under the chairs or your feet, risking shifting the tablecloth and ruining your display.
Three-sided tablecloths are the simple yet genius solution to trade show tables. They allow the back of your table to stay open so you can easily maneuver your seating arrangements and sit down. You can also quickly see and access anything you have stored underneath, such as extra supplies, business cards, and your personal effects.
Don't Miss This Opportunity
We hope you never risk the success of your business and brand again with cheap table skirts for trade shows. These low-quality tablecloths will keep your brand from standing out and turn away potential customers. At the same time, you don't need to sacrifice affordability.
Custom Banner Lab offers affordable table skirt and table runner options as well as many other display elements for your trade show needs. You'll get high-quality table skirts made of durable polyester and custom printed for the most stunning displays.
Get the right display materials today!