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Five trade show display logistics tips
to save time and money
You can fly to the show early, stay up late and bite your
nails. Or you can save your nerves, your nails (and some money) by following
these tips for bringing your exhibit in on time and within budget.
- Ship early, but don’t ship to the warehouse. With most
shows, it costs significantly less in drayage to ship your freight directly to
the show site vs. to the general contractor’s warehouse. How can you take
advantage of those savings and still avoid the expense that goes along with
show-site freight delivery (especially when shipping in bad-weather months)?
Try this trick: Ship early, and tell your carrier you want your freight held
in the show city and delivered on the first direct-ship date. Many carriers
(especially those that handle a lot of freight) will hold your truckload
shipments for a minimal charge. You get the benefit of headache-free shipping
and the savings of direct drayage rates.
- Let your carpet travel on its own. Want to start
installing your booth at the first possible hour without paying the higher
costs of shipping your display to the warehouse? It’s easy. Ship your carpet
and pad to the contractor’s warehouse, and ship your exhibit directly to the
show site. Since warehouse freight typically is brought in first, your I&D
company can lay your electrical, pad and carpet while your direct freight is
being brought into the hall. The drayage rate savings from shipping your
display direct will more than cover the extra freight charges you pay to ship
the carpet and pad separately.
- Send your exhibit’s lead carpenter, not your account
executive, to supervise setup. When your display house’s account executive
offers to accompany your booth on the road, say, "Thanks, but no thanks." Then
instruct them to send your lead carpenter instead. For out-of-town
installations, you’re better off having the carpenter supervise installation
and breakdown. Who’s best to handle display-based problems? Clearly, the
carpenter who prepped the display before it went on the road. Take advantage
of that person’s knowledge and experience in getting your booth up right - and
fast - and save those daily account executive charges.
- Make a map for the electricians. Don’t wait for the
electricians to come to your space to start your electrical work. Ship your
I&D company your electrical (and other utilities) plans, and have them send a
carpenter to mark the floor and supervise electrical installation. By
installing your utilities early, you will avoid paying for labor to wait
around to get started or work overtime to finish. When you and your display
arrive, your space will be ready for carpet and pad, and you’ll be off to a
great start.
- Inspect your booth at the close of the show. Rather
than waiting for the display to return to your exhibit house to do a refurb.
inspection, take a walk-through at the close of the show with your lead
carpenter. If you make a list of the needed repairs before your display goes
back into the crates, you’ll save on inspection charges. Before your next
show, you and your lead carpenter will know just what needs to be done.
Remember, the fundamentals still hold true: Planning and
foresight will ease the confusion of trade shows and ensure that you come in on
budget.
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