The Key To A Successful Trade Show: Planning, Planning And Planning!
Your exhibit has been designed and is ready to go. You’ve chosen your shows and committed to the schedule. All you have to do is ship it and show up, right? Wrong.
There is much more involved in going to a trade show than selecting your space and having your exhibit built. The first step involves extensive planning before going to the show. This should be done weeks, if not months, prior to the show date. Review your exhibitor manual and place your orders prior to the advance order date deadlines. Doing so will save you hundreds of dollars, if not more.
Review your exhibit layout and place on the show floor. In-line booths are fairly simple, you don’t have to worry about booth orientation, which way faces front or where the electrical drops will be placed. You will want to know how much power you require for your exhibit lights and ancillary equipment so you order enough electrical service. Consider things such as monitors, computers and whether staffers will need a place to plug in and charge devices. Where will you want these plugs to be located? Providing a layout with detailed information with your electrical order can save you a lot of hassle on the show floor.
If you are an island exhibitor, make sure to provide a booth orientation using the booth numbers around you for location placement. What you see as the “front” of your booth may not make sense to the electrician laying the power lines or Installation and Dismantle (I&D) crew setting up your booth space. It is imperative that you communicate this information, clearly, ahead of time. Having to tear down a booth and re-run electrical on-site, can significantly increase I&D and electrical labor costs.
When you’re shipping your exhibit, consider shipping to the Advance Warehouse. The deadline for delivery is about a week before the first day of install and your booth will be delivered to your space by the time you arrive. Make sure to track the shipment to confirm the delivery. If something seems off, you will have an opportunity to locate the shipment or prepare an alternative before the show starts.
Look at the delivery dates and post-show pickup dates. These dates can fall on a weekend or holiday. You’ll need to know what your delivery and shipping options are in those cases. Be prepared to pay higher shipping rates for weekends or holidays.
Most importantly, plan for something to go wrong. Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Be flexible and ready to go to plan B. If your monitor shows up damaged, what are your alternatives for replacing it? If graphics are missing or damaged, who can print them and deliver quickly? Doing pre-show setups of your exhibit can help you determine if the hardware is missing or damaged before you arrive at the show and give you time to replace what you need.
Taking the steps to plan well before the show will help make your experience all that much better. Add a portion of your budget dollars to a slush fund that can be available in case anything happens.
By: Michelle Smith –
