Archive of E-Zine Articles

Trade Show Exhibit Booth and Display Freight Handling Order Form--Part 2

Volume 1, Article II, November 7, 2005

Advanced or Not-Advanced, that is the question? In considering how to maximize the straight time available for installing and dismantling your exhibit, sooner or later you will be faced with the question of whether or not to use the advanced warehouse. It is not unusual for exhibitors to use the advanced warehouse as a way to insure that their exhibit is on the floor as early as possible.

Consider that the additional funds to pay for an advanced shipment may be wasted. At most shows, there is a premium charged by the general contractor for delivering your exhibit to their warehouse early. For this premium it is possible that your exhibit will be delivered to the show hall before exhibits that are shipped directly to the convention center, however, rarely does this early delivery allow for you to begin the installation early, as usually you are mandated to start the installation the day after exhibit delivery. As a result, we find that with careful planning it is possible to have your exhibit moved into the hall in plenty of time for you to begin exhibit installation at the same time as all of the other exhibits, including the approved early installs.

Determining the right strategy. If, however, shipping into the advanced warehouse allows you to begin set-up earlier at the straight time rate, it may well work in your favor to pay the premium for the advanced warehouse. To determine the proper solution, you need to estimate the additional cost of shipping into the advanced warehouse and subtract from this cost the potential savings generated by the resulting additional straight time available for assembly from a move-in using the advanced warehouse. Now compare the resulting number to the cost of exhibit installation when the display or booth is shipped directly to the show.

Advantages of not using the advanced warehouse. Remember that in addition to the money that you will save for not using the advanced warehouse, there is another potential savings from shipping directly into the show. If you ship to the advanced warehouse, your exhibit will be handled one additional time leading to potential for damage by the forklifts, and pieces of the shipment to be lost. If you instead have your exhibit left on your transportation company's trucks until such time that it is delivered to the show, there will often be no extra charge for the storage time and your exhibit will be handled one less time.

Special Note for those attending Medical Shows: We have noticed a trend at the medical shows overseen by the Freeman Companies to not charge for use of their advanced warehouse. At these particular shows, there is no extra cost for shipping the exhibit to the advanced warehouse and then having it moved to the show with the rest of the early move-ins. Check the rules and regulations of the shows you attend carefully. If there is no cost for using the advanced warehouse, this is a good way to get your exhibit to the show early, and minimize your efforts and costs to do so. By taking advantage of this loophole, you may even save a month of trade show exhibit storage expense, as often your display or booth may be delivered to the advanced warehouse 30 days before the convention center move-in process begins!

Coming Attractions! In our next edition, which you will receive in two weeks, we will discuss how to approach the RFP process. This is the foundation of an exhibit purchase. If approached poorly it is you and your staff that must live with the often times lacking end-product and ensuing complaints!