In my past two articles on cutting your trade show cost, I discussed the high cost of drayage and labor on the trade show floor. In this part of my article there are pointers on the best way to ship your exhibit booth to and from the show.
Most people feel that the cheapest price is the best, well not so. Some carriers specialize in transporting furniture; some specialize in food product, and some – trade show exhibits. It is for you the exhibitor to choose the best one for your product…trade show booth. Some carriers do charge more than others. You want a carrier which has the expertise to transport your trade show display safely to and from the convention. They should know about the particular show, where is the drayage yard, are they going direct to the convention center. Most trucking companies quote a figure that is just to transport.
You should get the total cost for fuel, and wait time. Sometimes the wait time can be 2 hour or it can be 8 hours. Someone has to pay for this time, guess who …that’s right the client, you. Make sure all this is clear before using any shipper. Most exhibit house will ship your booth to and from the convention hall; this can be very good because you get the best of both worlds – reduced cost and quality. Exhibit house at times get preferred rate simply because they use the same shipper over and over again; and generally that preferred cost trickles down in savings for the client.
Your exhibit booth should be kept as light as possible not only to keep the drayage cost down (please read previous article where I discussed this in depth) but also helps in shipping cost of your booth. Keep you crate or packages as small as possible and on skids. Never ship items loose. Most shows charge a special rate for loose items. Once one item is shipped loose you will be charge for the whole load spec (more…)
