What Goes Into a Trade Show Budget
A complete trade show budget is more than the booth rental. Plan for eight line items: booth space, often priced per square foot for a 10x10 inline or 10x20 corner, the backdrop and retractable banners, branded staff polos for everyone working the booth, giveaway swag handed out per badge scanned, drayage and material handling at the venue, electrical and carpet, travel and lodging for the team, and inbound and outbound shipping. This calculator lets you toggle each line, set the unit price from your own quotes, and see both the grand total and your cost per expected lead. Staff apparel and memorable swag are two of the smallest lines yet they drive booth traffic and lead volume, so they earn their place. Quote the branded pieces with us at no minimums with two-day shipping, so a last-minute size run before the show is never a problem.
FAQ
A 10x10 inline booth commonly runs a few thousand dollars for space alone, before the backdrop, drayage, staff apparel, swag, travel, and shipping stack on top. Use the tool above to toggle each line, set your own unit prices, and it totals your full booth budget and your cost per expected lead instantly.
Start with booth space, then add the backdrop and banners, staff polos for the booth team, giveaway swag per badge scanned, drayage and material handling, electrical, travel and lodging, and shipping. Set a realistic unit price for each line and let the tool multiply by quantity and total it live as you toggle items.
Book booth space early, ship your crate to arrive inside the drayage-free window, and order the apparel and swag at volume so the per-unit price drops. Trim the lines with the least effect on booth traffic and let the tool show each change against your cost per lead instantly.
They are realistic starting estimates for a mid-size booth that you can edit to match your venue and show quotes, since drayage and space rates vary by city and hall. For exact apparel and swag pricing, send us your list and quantity and we will price it with no minimums.
Yes. Use the quote link in the tool with your booth apparel and swag list and quantity, and we will price the branded pieces with no minimums and two-day shipping so they land before the show.
No. Arklavo has no minimum order, so you can outfit a two-person booth or a few thousand pieces for a national show floor with the same no-minimum terms.
Last updated July 1, 2026