Overhead Lights for a Reptile Show Table

[cchardwick]

I was browsing through some photos from the Spring 2018 Colorado Repticon show this year and came across this overhead lighting on one of the tables, I absolutely love it! Although it does seem to take up some space on the table and I'm not sure how stable it is. If you look closely it looks like there are only four legs on each end and the legs are pretty close together, doesn't look like it clamps to the table? Does anyone know where to get lights like this and the brand? I really like that you can talk to customers without the lights hitting you in the head LOL.

[Prognathodon]

I exercised my Google-Fu for “trade show booth lighting” (without quotes), that should get you started. You might also tack “frame” on the end.

My guess is that the lights are LED. Odds are the frame parts are modular, probably 4-6’ long sections. Nice stuff, looks like it wouldn’t be too difficult/heavy to move, especially if it’s aluminum, but a bit bulky for storage . . . says the woman with Stupid Amounts of gridwall (more than enough for a 10x20’ booth)!


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[Prognathodon]

Depending on booth space, table sizes, and modularity, you could probably run the legs all the way down to the floor for more table space.


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[Prognathodon]

Bwah ha ha ha ha!!! Google-Fu, I haz it!

Pretty sure this is it:
http://lightdesignsystems.com

The other brand I’m seeing for trade show booths is Orbital truss, Google for “trade show orbital truss”


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[Sonny1318]

You could always try calling the number and ask, couldn’t hurt.

[cchardwick]

So the big question is, what is the standard size of a table at a show? Are they six foot tables? Are all shows all the same?

[Prognathodon]

Based on other types of shows that I’ve done (historical reenactment, SF cons, anime cons, craft shows, in everything from church halls to huge convention centers), either 6’ or 8’. *Sometimes* a mix of both, but you can’t depend on a certain size unless you bring your own. Some shows do booths of X by Y rather than tables.

Start finding vendor information for all the shows you might possibly/vaguely be interested in and start making notes so you get a feel of price ranges, table/booth sizes, and policies (setup/teardown times, overnight security, etc.). Dont forget to check if chairs are provided. I always assume BYO tablecloths, some venues provide, some don’t. Ditto table skirts.

Depending on what type of venue, tables can be an additional fee, as can power. At the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, it would be cheaper to buy tables and gridwall and then throw them away after the event (yes, really!) than to rent from the convention center. Big convention centers seem more likely to default to 10x20 booth.

Errr...ummm...I’ll stop now. I’ve been in-person vending for over 20 years, and could go on and on and on...


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[cchardwick]

I'm actually planning on vending three local shows this year, the local Repicon is the cheapest at $95. The other show (COEPE) has single tables at $195, not sure of the table length yet. Looks like a single table at NARBC is $275 for an eight foot table and electricity costs $85! Although I won't make it to NARBC this year. NARBC also has 10' x 8' booths for $345. The 6' vs 8' vs 10' differences may make a lighting system difficult to move from one size table / booth to another. Also, in most shows it looks like most of the tables are side by side with no room between them, so a rack lighting system would have to go on top of the table or on the floor (or maybe a low profile leg in front of the table).

[Prognathodon]

Yep, I’ve seen power cost that much. I have a deep-cycle marine battery for powering my iPad (PoS software) and receipt printer at longer shows, which paid for itself pretty quickly. The most I’ve paid for a booth was $1600-ish for two 10x10s at an anime convention. And there were one or two more pricey/better location tiers.

I’ve gotten to the point where I prefer fixed-size booths/spaces to buying space by “tables”, as that way I know how much depth I’ve got to work with - I can’t remember the last time I set up just a straight line of tables frontage. Here’s a link to a photo gallery that includes a layout diagram and pictures of the actual 10x20 setup at Anime Central (ACEN) - when we’ve got a booth that big and multiple assistants, pre-planning becomes important.

http://www.otternecessities.com/gall...hp?/category/3

Looking at the truss website (hardware lust, I haz it), you can get any length truss piece you want/need, so you could get short pieces to splice in for longer tables. The other thing is that in a 10’ booth you generally need to leave yourself an in/out, so you’ll probably still only be using 8’ tables. And if you do end up with 10’ of table run, one foot outside each end of an 8’ light frame should be ok, you’d just have to set the lights up on or behind the tables.

I spent a lot of years not having fixed layouts, this kind of thinking is kind of fun for me. If you were closer I’d offer setup help.


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[cchardwick]

I didn't even think about how to get in and out from behind a wall of tables LOL. I'm just starting out this year with my first shows so I'll probably just do one 8 foot table with clamp on lights and ARS acrylic display cases. Next year I may do two tables per show and expand things a bit and think about upgrading to overhead lights. The display cases are going to be a big expense for me this year and my operation is still pretty small, I'm hoping to have about 100 or so hatchlings this year, enough to fill up an 8 foot table (hopefully)! I'm also eying at least one more ARS rack, so that brings me to about $4,000 in equipment expenses this year, probably not too much left over for lighting! But next year I'll consider it for sure.