Trade shows are back in full swing and they’re bigger than ever. Businesses across industries are investing heavily in exhibitions, expos, and marketing events to showcase their products and services. But here’s the opportunity most print service providers are overlooking trade show display printing.
Demand for trade show displays is surging, yet online competition remains surprisingly low. For print businesses, this represents a golden opportunity to diversify revenue streams, tap into premium product lines, and establish dominance in a market where few competitors have optimized for digital sales.
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Why Trade Show Displays Are a Big Opportunity
The global trade show and events industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with projections to surpass $50 billion in revenue by 2025. This surge is driven by post-pandemic business rebounds and the renewed recognition of in-person marketing’s irreplaceable value.
For print businesses, this category offers two compelling advantages:
- Higher profit margins than traditional print products like brochures or flyers, often commanding 2-3x the markup
- Consistent demand from businesses, startups, and marketers who participate in multiple events annually, creating reliable recurring revenue
Instead of competing in saturated, low-margin categories, forward-thinking print service providers can establish themselves in this profitable niche before it becomes overcrowded.
Trade Show Display Trends Print service providers Should Know
Understanding current market trends positions you not just as a print service providers, but as a strategic partner in modern marketing experiences. Here are the key trends driving customer decisions:
- Sustainability Focus – Eco-friendly substrates, recyclable fabric materials, and modular booth frameworks that can be reused across multiple events
- Immersive Brand Experiences – 3D promotional props, augmented reality integration points, and custom floor graphics that create memorable interactions
- Hybrid Physical-Digital Integration – Traditional displays enhanced with QR codes, embedded digital signage, and interactive touchscreen elements
- Ultra-Portability Solutions – Lightweight pop-up systems and modular displays that simplify setup while reducing transportation costs
By staying ahead of these trends, you transform from a simple service provider into an essential partner for companies seeking competitive advantages at their events.
Profitable Trade Show Display Products to Offer
Not all trade show products deliver equal profitability or market demand. Focus on these proven revenue generators that offer optimal margins, quick turnaround times, and strong upselling opportunities:
Large-Format Banners & Backdrops:
The cornerstone of professional booth presentations. These high-visibility displays leverage your existing large-format printing capabilities while commanding premium pricing due to their size and impact.
Standees & Stand-Up Banner Systems:
Lightweight, portable, and cost-effective solutions that businesses frequently order in multiples. Their repeat-purchase nature makes them reliable revenue boosters with minimal production complexity.
Custom Trade Show Booth Displays:
Standard configurations for popular booth sizes (10×10, 10×20, 20×20) position you as a comprehensive solution provider. These trade show booth displays with modular package offerings simplify customer decisions while increasing average order values significantly.
Retractable Roll-Up Banner Systems:
Quick setup and compact storage make these among the most frequently reordered items for recurring events. Their convenience factor ensures strong customer loyalty and predictable repeat business.
Custom Floor Graphics & 3D Props:
This rapidly growing segment helps brands create distinctive experiences that command premium pricing. Creative installations and unique designs justify higher margins while showcasing your capabilities.
Branded Table Covers & Display Accessories:
Essential elements for smaller booth configurations and networking setups. Low production costs combined with high perceived value make these extremely profitable add-on products.
Pro Tip: Bundle core displays with complementary materials like brochures, catalogs, and branded collateral to create complete “Event Marketing Packages.” This strategy increases average order values while positioning your business as a full-service partner rather than just another printer.
How to Grow Your Trade Show Display Business Printing
Building a successful trade show display printing service requires understanding both market dynamics and strategic positioning. Here’s how to capture this growing opportunity effectively.
Low Competition Equals High Potential
The market reality most print businesses haven’t discovered is striking: while traditional print services face intense competition, trade show display printing remains remarkably underserved online. Most print service providers continue focusing on commodity products like business cards, flyers, and basic posters leaving this lucrative segment wide open.
This presents an exceptional first-mover advantage for print service providers who optimize their digital presence now, before the market saturates. Early adopters who build targeted landing pages and develop content strategies today can dominate search rankings and establish market authority while competition remains minimal.
SEO Keywords to Target (High-Demand, Low-Competition)
Strategic keyword targeting in this underserved market can deliver exceptional organic traffic growth with relatively modest SEO investment:
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition Level | Strategic Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade show display printing | 500–1,000 | Low–Medium | High commercial intent |
| Custom trade show displays online | 300–700 | Low | Excellent long-tail opportunity |
| Eco-friendly trade show displays | 200–400 | Low | Growing sustainability trend |
| 3D trade show display printing | <200 | Very Low | Emerging niche advantage |
| Portable trade show booth displays | 2,900 | Medium | Validated high-demand product |
| Trade show graphics printing | 500–800 | Low–Medium | Broad market relevance |
The combination of decent search volumes with low competition levels creates ideal conditions for rapid ranking improvements and sustained organic traffic growth. Focus on creating dedicated landing pages for each keyword cluster, optimized with relevant content and clear calls-to-action.
How Print Service providers Can Add Trade Show Displays to Their Web to Print Storefront
Transform your existing platform into a trade show display powerhouse with these strategic additions that will position you as the go-to provider for event marketing needs.
Dedicated Product Categories: Create distinct sections for trade show displays, complete with detailed product descriptions, size specifications, and application examples that help customers make informed decisions.
Visual Product Presentation: Invest in high-quality mockups and lifestyle photography showing displays in realistic trade show environments. Customers need to visualize their success before making purchasing decisions.
Strategic Product Bundling: Group complementary products into themed packages that address complete event needs, from booth backdrops to supporting collateral materials.
Design Template Libraries: Provide ready-to-customize templates using banner design software that accelerate customer design processes while ensuring professional results that reflect well on your capabilities. A robust web to print platform helps customers visualize their final products and streamlines the ordering process.
Educational Content Marketing: Publish helpful guides like “Essential Elements of High-Converting Trade Show Displays” to build authority, attract organic traffic, and demonstrate expertise to potential customers.
Action Plan
Follow this systematic approach to establish your trade show display printing services:
- Market Research Phase – Identify active trade shows, conferences, and business events in your geographic region to understand local demand patterns and potential customer base
- Product Integration – Add comprehensive trade show display categories to your existing storefront with proper organization, filtering options, and detailed product specifications
- SEO Optimization – Optimize all product pages using the targeted keywords identified above, focusing on local variations and creating valuable content around each product category
- Paid Advertising Launch – Implement Google Ads campaigns targeting commercial-intent keywords like “trade show display printing near me” with compelling ad copy and landing pages
- Social Proof Development – Create compelling case studies and customer testimonials that demonstrate your capabilities, quality standards, and successful client outcomes
- Partnership Building – Connect with event planners, marketing agencies, and business consultants who can refer trade show display projects to your business
Conclusion
While your competitors remain focused on low-margin business cards and flyers, a $50 billion market opportunity sits virtually untapped. Trade show displays offer everything print businesses dream of: premium pricing, recurring customers, and virtually no online competition.
Consider this: every business card you print for $50 could become a $500 trade show banner order. Every flyer customer could become a client ordering complete booth packages worth $2,000 or more. The same printing equipment you use today can generate 3x higher margins tomorrow.
But this window won’t stay open. Smart print service providers are already discovering this opportunity. The question isn’t whether trade show display printing will become competitive, but whether you’ll be positioned as the established leader when it does.
Your next move is simple: start with one trade show display product category this month. Test the market. Watch the orders come in at margins you forgot were possible.
Ready to claim your share? At DesignNBuy, we provide the infrastructure you need to quickly launch trade show display services, helping you transform this opportunity into sustainable competitive advantage.
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Start selling trade show displays with DesignNBuy today