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How to Safely Ship
Your Tradeshow Exhibit
Hiring an
inexperienced shipping company to transport your tradeshow exhibit can
dramatically increase your costs.
You run the risk of running over budget and having your exhibit arrive
late, broken, or missing pieces. You also face the complete loss of your
exhibit do to damage and placing your own job at risk.
You want to find the most competent professional company out there to
transport your booth. While there will always be unforeseeable
circumstances, such as a winter storm, you want to give your exhibit the
best chance possible of arriving on time and in great condition. You
should learn the proper criteria to use to select the right exhibit
shipping company so that your exhibit will arrive on budget, on time,
and in great condition.
Having the right information can really help you manage your trade show
exhibit better. Of course some things, such as the weather, are beyond
your ability to control. You do want to give yourself the best chance of
having your exhibit arrive intact even when things go wrong. One way to
do this is to properly label each separate container so that it can be
brought to you as soon as possible, just like luggage lost while
traveling.
One recent trend is equipping trade show booths with GPS technology.
However, it still needs to be labeled to be found. Often your exhibit is
handled by many different people on its way to the trade show, allowing
more and more possibilities for errors to occur. There are steps you can
take to help ensure the safety of your trade show exhibit. Your first
step is to find a shipping company that specialized in trade show
exhibits.
An industry expert has offered the following tips on picking a
professional a trade show freight carrier:
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Your carrier should
compile detailed information about your exhibit such as exact
dimensions, weight, total number of pieces, schedule, and
destination. This information is required to determine both
shipping and drayage costs. Drayage costs are the fees charged
by the unions to bring your exhibit from the loading dock to
your exhibit booth space.
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To help protect your
booth all the way through the process choose a carrier that has
a good relationship with the unions. A shipping company that has
regular business with trade show conference hall unions will
also be able to help you avoid unnecessary charges. It is also
good to go with a carrier that is familiar with the major
conference centers around the county such as the Moscone Center
in San Francisco or the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.
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A major part of your
transportation company’s income should come as a result of trade
show business. Often companies that have multiple shipments to
the same convention can offer you additional discounts. Large
carriers with multiple trucks heading to the same convention are
often able to get additional fees, such as truck waiting fees,
waived for their exhibitors. These marshal yard or waiting fees
can often run $45 - $85 an hour.
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The company you
choose to transport your trade show exhibit should have
excellent communications equipment and capabilities. Since trade
shows do not operate on a 9 to 5 schedule you want to work with
a company that gives you access to a live representative 24
hours a day. The shipping company should also be given all the
pertinent contact information for your employees attending the
trade show. In case air bills or bills of lading get misplace,
check to see if your shipping company gives you immediate access
to duplicates over the internet.
To avoid late fees you
should always ship your trade show exhibit seven to ten days ahead
of your move in date. All the information about your shipping
company should be forwarded to the company you hire to install and
dismantle your exhibit. There should be excellent communication
between all parties involved in your trade show booth.
You can avoid many of the pitfalls of shipping your trade show
exhibit if you conduct a little bit of research ahead of time. You
can help to minimize problems by picking a professional and
experienced company to work with.
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