What Should I Do with My Old Booth?

Are you and your team getting ready to create and purchase some new trade show exhibit hardware? If so, you’re probably also trying to decide what to do with your old booth. Should you discard it in the trash? Sell it on eBay? Recycle it or donate it to charity?

If you’re not sure what to do with an old booth, keep reading. Listed below are some ideas on how to move on from your last exhibit and get ready for new events.

Signs It’s Time to Get Rid of Your Booth

It’s not always easy to know when it’s time to retire your old booth and invest in a new one. If you’re on the fence about getting rid of your booth, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How Long Have I Had It? The lifespan of a typical booth is about 3 to 5 years. How long have you had yours?
• How Does It Look? Does it still look pretty good, even if you’ve had it longer than 5 years? Does it just need some minor repairs?
• Has My Marketing Strategy Changed? Is your booth’s design no longer relevant? If your entire marketing strategy has changed and your booth no longer fits, that’s a sign that it’s time to get rid of it.
• Can I Afford a New Booth? Do you have the means to invest in new booth hardware? If not, you might want to try and refurbish what you have instead of starting from scratch.

What to Do with Your Old Booth

If you’ve decided your old booth can’t be salvaged, there are a few different ways to get rid of it. In general, taking your booth apart and throwing it in the trash isn’t a great choice — especially if you’re in a location with strict landfill requirements. Luckily, there are other ways to get it off your hands, including the following:

• Talk to the Exhibit House: As you’re preparing for your last show of the season, consider getting in touch with a representative from the exhibit house and ask them if they offer any booth disposal services. The exhibit house may charge an additional fee to get rid of your booth for you. However, this can be a good option if you don’t want to deal with the stress of making plans for your booth by yourself. Keep in mind, too, that the exhibit house can also handle the recycling process for you. They’ll get rid of batteries, electronics, and other elements in the proper way and ensure they get taken to the right recycling center.
• Recycle It: Speaking of recycling, you can also take your booth apart and do the recycling yourself if you wish. Many different parts of your booth, from the particleboard and aluminum to the wood, can be recycled. This is a much eco-friendlier choice than throwing the booth in the trash. It’s also better for your brand image — no one wants to be known as the brand that threw their whole exhibit booth in a landfill and didn’t care about where their materials ended up, right?
• Donate It to a Charity: Another way to give your booth new life — without having to go through the process of taking it apart and transferring the materials to various recycling centers — is to donate it. A local school or university, museum, chamber of commerce or nonprofit organization may be able to use your booth — or at least certain parts of it — for an upcoming event. The downside to this option is that you’ll have to hold onto your booth until you find a good match. If you start searching early, though, you can make arrangements so that you don’t have to store it for very long.
• Sell It Online: You may also be able to sell your booth online on a site like eBay.com or UsedBooths.com. This is a great way to get some of your money back, and you’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping someone else get a booth at a lower price.
• Sell It Back to the Manufacturer: Another choice for those who want to sell their booth is to sell it back to the manufacturer. If it’s in good shape, the manufacturer may be willing to take it back and repurpose it for a future project. You might not be able to get cash for your booth if you choose this option (one Skyline office offers $0.10 to $0.15 on the dollar to buy back old Skyline hardware that they can repurpose). However, you could get a discount on your next booth, which will free you up to dedicate more of your budget to other design elements next time.

Say Goodbye to Your Outdated Booth Today

It doesn’t matter if you’re booth is broken down or just outdated. Either way, these tips will help you decide what to do with it. Keep them in mind and you’ll have no trouble making the right choice for your future exhibition needs.