1.
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 freight carrier
you want your freight held in the show city and delivered
on a 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.
2.
Let your carpet travel by itself. 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.
3.
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.
4.
Inspect your booth at the close of the show.
Rather than waiting for the display to return to your exhibit
house to do a refurbish inspection, take a walk-through
at the close of the show. If you make a list of the needed
repairs before your display goes back into the crates, you’ll
save on the inspection charges. Before your next show, you
and your key employees will know just what needs to be done.
