Trade show model rates and what a booth really costs

Two people standing at the same booth can cost very different amounts. The gap usually comes from a short list.

The ranges in this guide match the typical bands in our model rates guide. They are orientation, not a quote, and a real person can sit outside them.

Say you exhibit at a three day show in Chicago with a 10 by 10 booth. The floor is open 9 hours a day, and you want one booth model for demos and lead capture, plus one for the busiest day.

The numbers below are illustrative, using the middle of the typical band. They are an example of how to build the sum, not a price list.

Two lessons come out of that sum. First, a second person on only the busiest day often costs less than staffing two people all week and still covers the rush. Second, the briefing hour and meals are small, but leaving them out is how a budget goes over by 10 percent.

If you film the booth for paid social, add the usage buyout chosen at checkout. A clip for your website costs less than the same clip bought for paid ads across the US for a year. Read usage rights and buyouts before you decide.

Short blocks suit a product talk at a set time, an evening reception or a morning setup. Full days suit the show floor, because visitors arrive in waves and nobody can predict the quiet hours. Most people on ShootModel list hourly, half day and day rates, so you can compare the real total for your schedule rather than guessing from a headline hourly number.

• 01Book the full day when the floor is open six hours or more
• 02Book half days for a Friday that closes early or a morning only seminar track
• 03Add an hourly block for a reception after the show floor closes
• 04Keep breaks in the plan, since a person who works nine hours without relief gives a worse pitch at hour eight

Quotes from agencies and staffing firms often bundle these in. When you book direct, they appear as separate lines, which is easier to compare.

• 01Travel, parking and a meal on long days
• 02Wardrobe, such as branded tops you supply
• 03A briefing call or a rehearsal hour
• 04Show rules, such as exhibitor badges or sampling permits
• 05Overtime when load in or tear down runs long

Agencies and staffing firms add a markup for finding and managing the people, which is the fair price of a managed service for a large crew. For one to three people on fixed show days, booking direct usually costs less and lets you see the profile first. See the model agency alternative for a side by side.

Exhibitors who front the staffing bill for a client and then wait on payment can use a service such as Debtagent to chase overdue invoices, so the cash tied up in a show does not stay open for months.

Enter the show city, each day and the hours the floor is open, choose Model, and compare the rates shown for your hours. Pick the people whose photos, past work and travel radius fit, then book instantly or send a request. The booking agreement, release and usage license are created with it, and payment is held until the show day and released 48 hours after. ShootModel's 15% fee comes out of the talent payout, so no booker fee is added at checkout.

Start from trade show models for hire for the booking steps and a role table, or from promotional models if you want sampling and activation work too. If the staging needs a presenter in character, see hire actors for events. For official guidance on worker classification when you pay people directly, check the US Department of Labor page on the Fair Labor Standards Act.