What to Do With Your Trade Show Displays After the Event; Storage, Reuse & ROI Tips

So… the show’s over. Now what?

Picture this.
It’s 5:30 PM, the last attendee just walked out, and your team is exhausted. You’ve been on your feet for three days, you’ve had the same mini-muffin for lunch twice, and now everyone’s ready to call it a day.

The problem? Your booth isn’t going to pack itself.

So what happens? The banners get folded, the backdrops get jammed into bins, and the cables… well, no one really remembers where those went.
Fast-forward two months later, you’re prepping for the next event and half the setup is missing or wrinkled beyond saving.

Sound familiar? Yeah, you’re not alone.

According to Exhibit Surveys Inc., the average small business spends $7,000–$12,000 per trade show, and a big chunk of that goes into booth displays. Yet, more than 60% of exhibitors admit they don’t have a formal process for post-show storage or reuse (PrintDrill Internal Study, 2024).

That’s thousands of dollars left to waste just because the packing part felt too tiring to deal with.

But the thing is, your trade show gear isn’t single-use. If you treat it right, it can last years. And if you’re smart about it, you can even repurpose it between events, pop-ups, office setups, or in-store branding.

So yeah, let’s fix that.
Here’s how to make sure your displays stay fresh, functional, and ROI-friendly long after the event lights go off.

 

Why should you even care about post-event booth care?

Let’s be real. You don’t want to keep buying new banners or backdrops every few months.
If your display gear starts falling apart after one show, that’s not only wasteful, it’s eating into your marketing budget that could be used for ads, samples, or travel.

Think of it like this: your booth setup is part of your brand’s infrastructure.
Just like you’d maintain your website or your product packaging, maintaining your trade show materials keeps your business looking consistent, professional, and trustworthy.

Our internal PrintDrill tracking survey found that businesses that maintained and reused their trade show gear for at least three events saved an average of 42% on annual marketing expenses compared to those who replaced everything each season.

So yeah, a little care goes a long way.

1. Clean before you pack (or regret it later)

Here’s the truth: most booth damage happens after the show, during teardown.
You’re tired, everyone’s rushing, and suddenly a spilled coffee or stray tape mark becomes a permanent stain on your $400 banner.

So before you pack up anything, do a quick 10-minute cleanup.

For Fabric Displays:

• Shake off any dust or debris.
• Spot clean with a gentle, non-bleach wipe or damp cloth.
• Let it dry completely before folding or rolling, moisture can cause mildew in storage.

You’d be surprised how often people fold up slightly damp fabric and discover moldy patches the next time they unpack.

💡 If you’re using PrintDrill’s Fabric Pop-Up Straight Display, the fabric graphic can stay attached to the frame, just collapse it carefully and store it in its carry case. That alone can save 15–20 minutes per teardown.

For Vinyl Banners:

• Wipe them gently with a microfiber cloth.
• Use mild soap and water for dirt or fingerprints.
• Never use alcohol-based cleaners, they’ll fade your print.
• Always roll them with the printed side facing out.

Check the edges too, if grommets are pulling out or corners are curling, mark it for repair before your next event.

🔗 Try: Custom Vinyl Banners

 

2. Roll, don’t fold (seriously)

This one’s simple but huge.
If you remember nothing else from this blog, remember this: folding kills banners.

Every time you fold a vinyl banner, you’re basically creating tiny cracks in the ink layer. Those creases might not show up right away, but under event lighting or camera flash, they’ll glare like crazy.

The same goes for fabric backdrops, folding might seem harmless, but deep creases can take hours to smooth out.

Pro tip:

Invest in a couple of shipping tubes or reuse the original packaging your banner came in. Label them clearly by event or campaign name.

If you’re using pop-up displays or step and repeat frames, collapse them slowly and guide the fabric in, don’t jam it. That’ll prevent snagging or stretching.

🔗 Try: Step and Repeat Fabric Pop-Up Straight Display

 

3. Label everything like you’ll forget tomorrow (because you will)

You will forget which pole goes where. Trust me.

It always happens. You’ll think, “Oh, I’ll remember this setup, it’s simple.”
Then six months later, you’re standing at your next booth, staring at 20 unlabeled metal rods that look exactly the same.

Here’s how to save yourself that headache:

• Use masking tape and a marker to label parts (e.g., “Left Side Frame,” “Top Support,” “Banner Clips”).
• Keep all small accessories, screws, pegs, ties, in a labeled zip bag.
• Create one dedicated “Booth Setup Box” with tools like scissors, velcro strips, zip ties, extra tape, and a small screwdriver.

You’ll thank yourself next time when setup takes 20 minutes instead of an hour.

 

4. Repurpose what you already have

Here’s the fun part, you don’t always need a new design or event to reuse your displays.

A backdrop isn’t just a backdrop. With a little creativity, it can become:

• An office photo wall for your social media posts.
• A backdrop for team photos or webinars.
• An in-store display during seasonal sales.
• A background for client Zoom calls or online workshops.

Old vinyl banners can be repurposed too, some brands cut and reuse them as:

• Reusable floor mats for pop-up shops.
• Outdoor signage at employee entrances.
• Weatherproof covers for loading docks or gear bins.

The cool part is, every time you reuse your signage, you’re also improving its ROI.
Instead of one-time use, it’s now a cost that keeps returning value.

🔗 Try: Custom Backdrop Stand

 

5. Update graphics, not hardware

This one’s a biggie, especially for growing businesses that attend multiple events.

You don’t have to buy a full new setup every time your logo or message changes.
Most of PrintDrill’s trade show products, like our retractable banners and pop-up displays, use modular hardware, meaning you can just replace the printed graphic and reuse the same frame.

Let’s do some quick math.
Say your retractable banner setup originally cost $250, with $180 for the stand and $70 for the printed sheet.
If you only replace the print, your cost for the next show drops by over 70%.

That’s money you can put toward travel, giveaways, or lead follow-up campaigns instead.

🔗 Try: Retractable Banners

 

6. Track ROI like a pro (it’s easier than you think)

Now for the part everyone forgets: figuring out if your trade show was worth it.

If you don’t measure ROI, you’re basically running blind. You’ll never know if the $5,000 booth actually paid off or if your banners pulled any weight.

Here’s a simple formula:
Cost per impression = total booth cost ÷ total visitors engaged

Let’s say you spent $2,000 total (travel, booth fee, display, etc.) and engaged 1,200 visitors.
That’s just $1.67 per impression, which is pretty good compared to digital ads.

We built an ROI tracker spreadsheet internally for our clients (you can recreate it easily in Excel):

Field	Description	Example
Total Booth Cost	Everything you spent	$2,000
Leads Collected	Actual leads from event	120
Sales Closed	Revenue from those leads	$3,600
Cost per Impression	Cost ÷ visitors	$1.67
ROI %	(Revenue - Cost) ÷ Cost	80%

 

The point is, when you reuse displays across multiple shows, your ROI automatically improves because your fixed cost per use goes down every time.

That’s how small businesses can compete with big brands, not by outspending, but by outlasting.

 

Bonus Section: Smart storage hacks from seasoned exhibitors

You’d be surprised how much you can learn just by watching how veteran exhibitors pack up.

Some of their best hacks:

• Store your gear vertically. Keeps edges from warping or bending.
• Use silica gel packs inside banner tubes to prevent moisture buildup.
• Keep a storage checklist taped to your carry case, write down every part that goes inside.
• Schedule a “booth check day” every quarter to inspect for wear, missing parts, or outdated messaging.

And if you’re short on space, consider renting a small climate-controlled storage unit near your event region. It’s cheaper than shipping large frames back and forth multiple times a year.

 

So… what’s the real goal here?

Your booth isn’t just a one-and-done thing. It’s an asset.
Every pole, fabric, banner, and stand you’ve bought should serve you multiple times over.

When you build with reuse in mind, clean, store, relabel, reprint when needed, you’re not just saving money. You’re saving time, headaches, and waste.

The best part? Your brand stays consistent across every event because you’re using the same core setup, just refreshed for each campaign.

Or as one of our clients from Chicago put it:

“We’ve used the same PrintDrill pop-up backdrop for six shows and two photo shoots. Still looks brand new. That alone saved us over $800 in replacements.”

 

Ready to make your booth last longer?

Explore high-quality, reusable trade show essentials from PrintDrill, all built to travel, survive, and shine again and again.

• Custom Vinyl Banners
• Fabric Pop-Up Straight Display
• Custom Backdrop Stand
• Retractable Banners

Your gear doesn’t have to end up in a storage nightmare.
Treat it right; and it’ll be your brand’s best companion for years to come.