Prime location premium

Location premiums exist because exhibitors aren't buying square meters, they're buying attention, and attention is distributed unevenly across a hall. The strip facing the main entrance sees every single visitor; a back corner might see a fifth of them. Charging the same rate for both means the entrance booths are a giveaway and the corner is overpriced — the premium corrects that. Setting it well means knowing your actual traffic patterns, not assuming them: entrances and main boulevards are obvious, but catering placement, feature stages, and even registration flow create prime zones that shift when the layout changes. Typical premiums run 10–30% over base rate depending on the show's pricing maturity and how starkly traffic differs. Two things keep premiums defensible. First, evidence — if you can show zone-level traffic data, the premium is a fact, not a negotiation posture. Second, follow-through — a "premium" zone next to a feature you later move or cancel is a refund conversation waiting to happen, so premium placement and floor design have to stay coordinated. The common mistake is stacking premiums (corner uplift plus zone premium plus early rate expiry) until the quoted price has no visible logic; exhibitors accept paying more for better spots, but only when they can follow the math.