Divideing your floor space, indoor show?

[classylady71118]

Ok, I'm researching for shows here locally and there are several indoor shows called Shop til you Drop at one of the convention centers, in the information section for vendors it states "You should provide back drops, beside and behind you to divide your floor space" I'm guessing some kind of walls? Can someone help me out here as to what is used to do this? The spaces for rent are either 10x10 or 10x13 and they have ongoing shows for Sept, Oct., Nov., Dec. and Feb.. At this stage I'm just researching but I'm hoping to be ready to do the Dec. and Feb show, I do have another show in Oct somewhere else, but the show I'm doing is only a one day show and the Shop til you Drop is a 2 day show the same week end I'm doing my show so I can go that Sunday and scope it out. I've only done one show last year and I want to get in the bigger shows like Shop til you Drop which is a BIG show around here. When I signed up for the Oct show I didn't realize Shop til you Drop was also slated for that week end and to be honest the fee is more than double the fee for my show. BUT you have to spend money to make money and I would get SO MUCH more exposure at the convention center show, therefore the research. I welcome ANY and ALL advice!

TIA,

Beverly

[wonderfullywicked]

Cheap plastic tubing from a hardware store plumbing department to make your *panels*. They have the elbows to make the ends. For 3 10' panels, you'll need 12 elbows and 12 10' lengths of 2 or 3" tubing. (provided you want the height to be 10 foot.)

Scads of cheap neutral fabric to make the curtains. Sew (staple or glue) the fabric to the top and bottom tubing. Put in the 'sides' of the tubing when you are at the show to make the panel. You could cut out your company name from fabric and attach it to the back panel. All sorts of options, but if you keep it neutral you can always use it.

HTH a little.

[classylady71118]

Any chance you have a picture you can post of this that your describing? And thanks for replying!

Beverly

[Tess]

The whole cheap plastic tubing thing (PVC) is not worth the time money and trouble to make. It is flimsy and well cheap. TRUST me. I made this same mistake. Ask the show if you can rent a backdrop. OR if you are serious about doing these type things by one. The cost about 600.00 bucks for a teloscopic adjustuble one, which I am sure you can get cheaper, I just HAD to have the extras lol. Let me get my pics for you, just search "backdrops" on the forum and you should get my results.

[Tess]

Actually search pipe and drape on here and there is some info, particularly my thread on it. Here is a photo with the pipe and drape. It is telescopic, I used white and red fabric for this show. It is kinda messy, this was a photo for inventory placement during set-up, so bear with it.

[wonderfullywicked]

I can't find my bookmarks, but here are the directions for a photographers backdrop. It's basically the same as I had bookmarked, except for the fabric being gathered rather than pulled tight.

http://homepage.mac.com/geerlingguy/jeffscomputersupport/tech_help_articles/photography/homemade_greenscreen.html

[KristinesShower]

Sometimes it is worth the money to go get yourself a canopy or an ezup. Alot of indoor shows let you set up inside with them & they are all on sale now since it is the end of the summer.

A couple years ago when I was doing a local home & garden show, this lady had plants and one of those enclosed screen tents as her booth. The front was all the way open and on the screen all around and on the ceiling she had white lights so it looked really cool in there.

That is an idea? I would just make sure they are ok with all of that first - because you don't want to spend $70.00 on something that you can't even use.

[Tess]

I can't find my bookmarks, but here are the directions for a photographers backdrop. It's basically the same as I had bookmarked, except for the fabric being gathered rather than pulled tight.

http://homepage.mac.com/geerlingguy/jeffscomputersupport/tech_help_articles/photography/homemade_greenscreen.html

See that would be fine for something like a photography backdrop. But at a show you will need stabilty. DH made me something exactly like this. Even had Floor supports to stabilize it. Nope, that thing wobbled like crazy. Another thing was that the people behind me and to the side were tripping over the bottom PVC Floor support thing (because it was sticking into their booth) That also made it wobble. Customers would lean on it, and the whole thing would shake. I believe he used the 2inch PVC cause it was way less flimsy that the recommended 1 1/4in. The back drop I use now (the telescopic one) is made of metal pipes so they are not flimsy. The floor stabilizer is flat (like everyone Else's), so it is not in the way of the neighbors. Theirs sticks into my side a little as does mine, but because it is flat it does not get tripped over.

Stability is definately key when dealing with neighbors, customers leaning on things, and the risk of the whole thing falling onto your product. In fact I am thinking of it now, and I did a show in March, and there were some first timers with the PVC backdrop thing, (Just like ours lol), and the thing fell in the middle of a Saturday. I am not sure what caused it, she was across and down about 4 booths, but the whole thing collapsed into her booth. Luckily she had nothing breakable just clothes.