Trade shows can be a great way to promote your business, but can also be very expensive if you aren't careful. There are several effective ways to save money at trade shows.

The key to saving money at trade shows is planning in advance. Some trade shows offer discounts for early registration. Additionally, many trade shows offer a variety of services, including electricity for your booth and table and chair rental. Most trade shows offer deeper discounts for these items the earlier you order them; prices rise as the show draws near. (While some trade shows offer discounts for last minute registration, consider that you must accept whatever they have available, which may not be a very favorable location.)

When reserving a spot, remember that front and corner booths will cost more money, but they may not be the best locations for you. It would be worth your time to contact businesses who have displayed in the past to ask about the flow of traffic on the floor.

Another important consideration: plan in advance if you'll be staying overnight. Again, the earlier you book your room, the better, as hotel rates tend to increase the closer to the date you'll need a room. Stuck in a bind and need a room last minute? Try priceline.com or expedia.com for last minute deals. If you're traveling with associates or employees, set a meal and incidentals stipend ahead of time to avoid overspending.

You'll need to transport your supplies and your display to the show. Can you bring these items with you? This is usually less expensive than shipping them to the show. Can your booth be disassembled for transport in a smaller vehicle or truck? This requires on site set up. It is best to create an eye-catching display that can be assembled and disassembled.

You can purchase a prefabricated trade show booth display, but these can be expensive and may not suit your needs. Research prefab displays carefully before you make a final decision. Many design firms can custom produce trade show booths to your specifications, but it may be rather expensive. If you've got a simple design, and prefer to have something custom built, look for a local handy man to create your booth to your specifications. It can be built to be disassembled by simply removing screws.

When you attend trade shows, you'll need items to hand out to the attendees. It's good to have items with your business name, phone number and website address on them. The goal with promotional items is to provide something useful to the customer, so that your company's name develops positive associations. Some possible relatively inexpensive promotional items include pens, scratch pads and key chains. Perishables, such as gum, miniature candy bars, chips and cookies may present a favorable image to the customer--and are a great incentive for booth visitors--but most likely won't do much to promote your company in the long run.

One of the most important things at a trade show is handouts, brochures, business cards and samples. You can bring standard corporate identity materials and informational brochures, or produce inexpensive handouts that are tailored to particular trade show audiences. Simple and eye catching handouts can be made in any word processing program and inexpensively reproduced in-house or at local office supply stores.

Saving money at trade shows is imperative, especially if you plan on traveling the trade show circuit. Be choosy and evaluate if the trade show expense is worth the exposure you'll receive.

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