Choosing a Carrier for Shipping

Now that you have taken careful consideration planning your accommodations and travel, what about your exhibit? It is, after all, the most important selling tool you have to offer for this show. Have you given much consideration to the safe transportation of your exhibit? While shipping may not be a major portion of your budget, it is crucial that you choose the best method

for your exhibit. If you are not handling your exhibit personally, you will need to choose a competent shipping company that understands the trade show business.

Some carriers, such as Allied, have a specialized exhibit and trade show department with a satellite tracking and communication system that can give you real-time progress 24 hours a day via the Internet. It is very important that drivers know how to deck, pad wrap and safely secure your load. Check to see if the carrier has air-ride suspension. This helps to cushion and reduce the vibration of fragile equipment.

When shipping your exhibit, you usually have three destination choices: your hotel (if it will accept exhibit materials – some don’t), your show booth (on the day of setup), or to the show manager’s advance warehouse.

It’s usually better to ship to the advance warehouse to avoid the at-show rush, and your materials will probably arrive at you booth earlier on setup day. Shipping to your booth on setup day usually means that yours will be one of the last to hit the loading dock, leaving you with less time for setup. Remember, the later you ship, the more you will pay for speed, convenience, and certainty. By setting up accounts with your preferred shipping company, you can arrange for both outgoing and return shipments with your local rep at the same time.

Consult you show manual for times when your exhibit must be off the floor. This way, you can simply schedule dismantle services and a time slot for your carrier to pick up. You can also elect to arrange return shipping through the show management. Their official shippers will take your materials off the floor and ship to your return address (or put in temporary storage if you prefer). This will happen by default if your shippers fail to show up on time.

• Tips for worry-free shipping:
• Make sure all of your crates, boxes, and packages are clearly marked with your company’s name, address, and phone number. Also label with the show name if going to advance warehouse.
• Make sure everything is labeled appropriately with messages, such as “Fragile”, “This side up”, etc. Also clearly number your crates, i.e. “1 of 2”, “2 of 2”, etc.
• Make sure you know your bill of lading number for outbound shipments.
• Make sure your bills of lading and return shipping labels are prepared prior to pickup for the return shipment.
• Make sure your booth personnel know how to handle the return shipment.
• Make sure your booth is insured any time it leaves your office. This can be done by adding your exhibit to your business insurance or taking additional insurance through your shipper.