What a Trade Show Video Costs

A trade show video costs what the filming time and edit cost together. Using Fame Crew's list prices, a half day of filming plus three social clips is $1,200 or £960, and a full day with a highlight reel and clips is $2,150 or £1,720. Interviews, crew size and edit length move the total most.

What you are paying for

A trade show video has two separate costs: someone filming at the show, and someone turning the footage into something you can publish. Many quotes that look very different are simply splitting these differently.

Some shows also have appointed suppliers. As one old example, a 2016 exhibitor price sheet for the RSNA meeting listed $700 for 5 to 10 minutes of silent booth footage, with a further $386 for a short edit. Those prices are a decade old, so do not use them as a benchmark. They do show how narrow a package can be: short, silent and booked by the half hour. A package like that may be all you need to show the stand, but it will not give you customer interviews.

Fame Crew's list prices

These are the Fame Crew list prices most relevant to trade show videography. The full list, in five currencies, is on our pricing page.

• One videographer: $600 or £480 for 2 hours, $900 or £720 for a half day, $1,100 or £880 for a full day.
• A second crew member: $540 or £430 for 2 hours, $810 or £650 for a half day, $900 or £720 for a full day.
• Second camera: $250 or £200 per day, useful for interviews.
• Highlight reel of up to 3 minutes: $750 or £600 each.
• Three vertical social clips of up to 60 seconds: $300 or £240 per set.

Example budgets at list price

These add up Fame Crew's list prices. Your quote will depend on your brief.

• A short stand film for social. Half day with one videographer, plus three social clips: $1,200 or £960.
• A recap of your show. Full day, plus a highlight reel and three social clips: $2,150 or £1,720.
• A recap with interviews. Full day, second camera for interviews, highlight reel and three social clips: $2,400 or £1,920.
• Footage only. Full day, raw footage delivered to your own editor: $1,100 or £880.

If you want several interviews edited into their own films, say so in your brief and we will quote for it. As one example of what is possible from a single show, a Fame Crew shoot for CNG Expo Events captured the footage for 12 interview videos and an event highlight video.

What changes the cost

• Interviews. Each one needs a willing person, a quieter spot and clean audio. They take longer than most people plan for, and each extra edited film adds to the bill.
• Show hours. If you want an empty stand, you need access before the doors open. If you want crowds, you need the busy hours. A 2-hour booking may not cover both.
• Noise. Exhibition halls are loud. Good interview audio relies on lapel microphones, so check your videographer will bring them.
• Number of finished films. A single recap is one job. A recap, a product demo and customer stories are three, even if they use one day of footage.
• Speed. Footage is most useful while people still remember the show. Tell your supplier if you need clips during the event itself.
• Live podcast recording. Recording episodes on the stand requires a multi-camera setup, lighting and audio, so it should be scoped separately.

Which film do you actually need?

Most exhibitors want one of four things, and each needs a different shoot.

• A recap. Shows the stand, the crowd and the energy of the show. It suits next year's budget case, your website and social posts. Coverage across busy hours matters most.
• Customer interviews. Short conversations with people who already use your product. These can be some of the most useful footage from a show because your customers are all in one place, but they need arranging in advance.
• A product demo. Someone on your team shows the product working. This suits a quiet time on the stand, so you can control the sound and the framing.
• Live social clips. Short vertical videos that go out during the show. These need a fast edit and someone on your team ready to post them.

Pick the one that matters most, then see what else fits. Trying to do all four in a two-hour booking usually leaves you with thin versions of each. If you need more than one, tell your supplier when you ask for a price, as one extra hour on the day often costs less than a second visit that is impossible once the show has closed.

Check the show's rules first

Read your exhibitor manual before you book. Rules on filming differ from show to show. Look for:

• Whether outside videographers need a badge or exhibitor registration, and the deadline for getting one.
• Whether you need consent to film on neighbouring stands or the show floor.
• Whether there are limits on tripods, lights or drones in the hall.
• Whether proof of insurance is needed. Fame Crew's partners carry liability insurance, and can supply a Certificate of Insurance if you tell us the venue needs one.

How to get more from the budget

Decide the use before the shoot. A sales team that wants a customer story needs different footage from a marketing team that wants a recap for next year's stand budget. Write down the three shots you could not do without, and name the people you need on camera.

Book interviews in advance rather than hoping people will stop by. Put quiet times aside for them, and give your interviewees a time and a place. You can see how the brief, shoot and delivery fit together on how it works.

If your show is in a major exhibition city such as Las Vegas or Dubai, a local crew also removes the cost of flying someone in, and may already know the hall.

When Fame Crew is not the right choice

If you only want a few seconds of the stand, the show's own supplier or a team member with a phone could be enough. If your show film is really a scripted product launch with animation and actors, you need a corporate video brief with a production agency behind it. Fame Crew fits best when you need real footage from the floor, shot by someone local, without having to manage them yourself.