It's showtime!

Trade-show deliveries differ markedly from the typical truck shipment. Shippers can learn the rules of the road from van lines that offer specialized trade-show services.

By John Paul Quinn -- Logistics Management, 11/1/1999

The trade-show business is growing slowly but steadily. Approximately 1.4 million companies will participate in trade shows in the United States this year, a 4.5-percent increase over last year's figures. The number of major trade shows held annually increased by 4.0 percent to 4,467 events this year and is expected to rise an additional 7.0 percent in the year 2000. Given those numbers, it's not surprising that more logistics managers are getting involved in shipping trade-show exhibit materials these days.

Although shipping to trade shows might seem to be a fairly simple matter, in fact it differs considerably from the motor carrier shipping that is so familiar to most transportation managers. Trade-show shipments rarely take place on predictable schedules, the destinations are different for each shipment, packing exhibits can be difficult, and delivery, setup, and breakdown can present problems. More than one trade-show specialist, in fact, has drawn an analogy between trade shows and military operations. The comparison is apt because shipping exhibits involves moving in, setting up, breaking down, and moving out, all in a precise order and on a strict schedule.

For those who are new to this end of the business, help is just a phone call away. A number of motor carriers offer trade-show services; among the most popular are those offered by the major van lines, which have specialized trade-show divisions. These companies are willing and able to offer customers guidance on how to pack, document, and ship exhibit materials--and bring them back when the show is over.

Four Critical Elements

One thing all of the van-line specialists stress is the importance of recognizing that trade-show exhibits are more than just another truck shipment--they present your company's public face to potential customers and deserve the highest level of logistical planning and professionalism.

Companies give a lot of thought to their reasons for exhibiting at a given trade show and to the design and building of the exhibit itself, says Dick Gorbett, vice president of marketing of the Specialized Transportation Group of Atlas Van Lines. Too often, though, that's where such smart thinking stops, he says. "The attitude becomes, 'Well, now that we've got this done, let's ship it the cheapest way,'" he says. "And that's really not the right attitude to have."

The experts consulted for this article agree that there are four interrelated elements that are critical to successful trade-show shipping: packaging, scheduling, move-in, and move-out. Each one of these elements has a significant effect on an exhibitor's costs.

- Packaging: Because packaging can affect overall costs significantly, decisions about which kind of packaging to use should be made early on. There are two routes an exhibitor can go: crating (also referred to as containerization) or pad-wrapping. Both methods have their pros and cons.

Historically, most exhibitors have shipped their materials with pad-wrapping, says Deb Somerville, manager of trade shows at Mayflower Transit, but more and more shippers are turning to crating these days. That's because when shippers looked at the overall cost, many found that pad-wrapping wasn't as economical as they thought. "[P]ad-wrapping is expensive because it's labor-intensive--wrapping at the point of origin, unwrapping at the destination, and vice-versa on the return," she says. Companies that were using their exhibits a number of times during the year discovered that it made sense to have those exhibits containerized, she adds.

A frequently used exhibit packed in a customized container is more likely to escape damage during packing and unpacking than one that is repeatedly pad-wrapped. But, says Gorbett, although it costs less to move a crated exhibit, the average crate today costs about $1,500. That crate, moreover, has to be stored once it gets to the show. A pad-wrapped exhibit, by contrast, takes up less space in the trailer, allows the exhibit designer more flexibility with regard to configuration, and usually can be installed faster than a crated one can.

- Scheduling: The rule of the road here is simple--schedule the shipment as far in advance as possible and involve the van line in the planning.

Although the major van lines admit that, if pressed, they can handle a trade-show shipment if called two weeks to 10 days in advance, they don't advise it. Suggests Rick Bahr, trade-show manager at United Van Lines, "This is a precision operation; the exhibitor and the van line each have to understand exactly what the schedule is so there are no surprises. Each participant has to know what is expected of the other and when. We advise at least two or three months' advance scheduling."

"The shorter the time for preparation, the greater the cost and the greater the element of risk," agrees Jeff Bogdan, regional sales director of Allied Van Lines. "The best way to have a successful show is to preplan and schedule tightly with your carrier. Otherwise you'll end up pushing everything to the last minute, which often results in expediting charges."

Lack of foresight can cost an exhibitor big bucks, believes Carol Knapp, operations manager-exhibits and displays, at North American Logistics. For example, a show's receiving crew may impose a 200-pound minimum charge for each shipment received, even though they are all part of one exhibit. Knapp, therefore, advises shippers to plan in advance so they consolidate all packages and ship them together with the exhibit booth whenever possible. "Organization of the shipment into one delivery requires careful scheduling," she notes, "but it will [cut] costs considerably."

- Move-In: The document that will tell exhibitors all they need to know about move-in and move-out is the exhibitor's manual or kit they receive when they register. "Every exhibitor should make sure [to read] the show kit cover to cover," says Bogdan.

This document includes such vital information as the booth number, show rules and regulations, move-in and move-out dates, overall show dates, and show-management contacts on the floor. It's critically important for the exhibitor to share this information with the carrier, which has to know what to expect when the truck carrying the exhibit rolls in.

Briefly, a typical move-in goes like this:

The van line's driver pulls into the exhibit hall's marshaling yard and presents his paperwork to the yard boss, who reviews the documentation and asks whether the materials are crated, uncrated, or mixed. The driver is then checked in and given a card, which is placed in the window of his truck, and is directed to a parking space in the marshaling yard along with 200 other trucks. He can take a nap, eat his lunch, or read French verse or the sports page, but he has to stay put until he's called to unload at a specified dock.

At the dock, responsibility for unloading moves into the hands of the local drayage contractor who handles the loading and unloading of materials on site. If the exhibit is crated, the driver has no further duties; if it's pad-wrapped, he must go into the exhibit hall and unwrap the materials in the booth area. Actual assembly or fabrication of the exhibit is the purview of yet another organization, the installation and dismantle (I&D) company.

The trade-show floor is one place where it doesn't pay to be early. According to Mayflower's Somerville, many exhibitors instruct their I&D company to schedule setup for an hour or two after the van is due to arrive. But the driver may have to sit out in the marshaling yard for several hours--meanwhile, the I&D team is waiting inside and getting paid handsomely for doing nothing.

Some exhibitors try to cut costs once the materials are at the booth area by hiring their own crews to do the assembly rather than use the union specified by the show's organizers. But Gorbett of Atlas Van Lines says that exhibitors who do so should expect to encounter problems: "Every major trade-show city is union, and each city has its own labor regulatory variations. Trying to circumvent the system is foolish on the exhibitor's part."

- Move-Out: The military-operation analogy applies again when it's time for a strategic withdrawal from the show floor. With exhibits, it's not just a question of getting your people and equipment in, it's also a question of getting them out.

Again, following established procedures is the key to a successful move. For example, it's important that the exhibitor fill out the necessary exit forms properly. One common error exhibitors make is failing to fill in the "carrier" field on the freight bill. That one omission can cost exhibitors a lot of money, says Somerville. Knapp at North American agrees: "Never turn in an unrouted bill of lading from the show floor," she warns. "If the customer's van line of choice is not indicated, the drayage company has the option to give the exhibit material to anyone it chooses for transportation. If it's crated, [the company will] give it to a common carrier usually; if it's pad-wrapped it will go by the van line of [the drayage company's] choice."

That one mistake can turn out to be an enormous--and costly--headache. Not only does the exhibitor not know where its exhibit is, but it also doesn't know what the freight and delivery charges will be when the exhibit returns. In addition, it will have to pay a "downtime" bill to cover the lost man-hours that will accumulate when the driver for the original van line shows up and is told that the shipment has already been assigned to another carrier.

A Matter of Trust

Clearly, shipping trade-show exhibits comes with unique problems. The key to doing it right, say the van-line experts, is pinning down the details as early as possible with all the major players--the show management, local drayage contractors, installation and dismantle companies, and of course, the link between them all, the van lines.

"This is very much a matter of trust," Bogdan of Allied observes. "If the exhibitor and the van line have a good relationship, they can build out a full-year transportation program. This helps the exhibitor [keep costs down] because the carrier can fine-tune the pricing structure for a long-term customer."

Although the amount of advance planning and preparation may seem intimidating, it is worth the effort. An age-old show business maxim explains why: "The show will go on--with or without you," says Gorbett. "I was at a trade show some years ago and there was an empty booth with a man sitting in it on a straight chair, and behind him was a hand-lettered sign that said: '__________ [van] line didn't get my exhibit here on time.' And the van line's name was there for everybody to read. Whether it was the exhibitor's fault or that van line's fault is not the point--the point is, don't let the same thing happen to you."

Freelance writer John Paul Quinn reports on a broad range of business topics for journals in the United States and Europe.

Before You Ship ...

The experts consulted for this article offer the following tips on shipping exhibits to trade shows successfully:

- Do some comparative pricing of exhibit insurance rates with your own insurance carrier and with the van lines you are considering using.

- Schedule delivery times correctly. One of the costliest errors an exhibitor can make is delivering materials too early or too late. "If the customer misses his targeted move-in time," cautions Rick Bahr, trade-show manager at United Van Lines, "he will be hit with an off-target charge that could add as much as 30 percent to his costs."

- If your company has two shows within a month or so in roughly the same part of the country, consider having your exhibit materials stored between shows by either the van line or the drayage contractor.

- Don't label packages containing computers or other expensive exhibit materials. Use a coding system of your own for identification so that you don't invite pilferage.

- Consider joining a professional association such as the Trade Show Exhibitors Association in Springfield, Va. (703-941-3725) or the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association in Atlanta, Ga. (404-252-3663).

- To get the latest information about trade-show developments, read trade-show industry publications. One example is Los Angeles-based Tradeshow Week (800-375-4212).