3 Tips to Drastically Reduce Your Trade Show Costs

Aug. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- An organization should always challenge and incentive its people and vendors to make the most efficient and productive use of its limited resources. The list below
includes the usual costs and the optimal ways to manage these costs are:

1)Material Handling or Drayage Costs – The most brazen and least value added of all trade show costs. These are fees imposed by the trade show contractor to literally bring your crates, convention marketing materials and merchandise from the shipping dock as it arrives at the convention location to your company’s booth area on the convention floor. This cost is based on the weight of the exhibit. Some ways to minimize these costs are:

Challenge your trade show exhibit company to use lightweight materials without sacrificing functionality, especially parts of your exhibit that the attendees do not see such as the inside of the storage closets for example.
Utilize kiosks or other media that can email product or marketing brochures instead of distributing them at the convention. This should not only win an organization kudos for acting in a green and socially responsible manner but most of these brochures wind up in the garbage can before the attendee leaves the convention.
Shipping to Advanced Warehouse does guarantee that your crates will arrive at your space in-time for installation however this method will certainly increase your drayage costs (sometimes by 50% or more). In some instances, depending on the size of the exhibit space, the show contractor forces the exhibiting company to utilize this method however this is not always the case. Consult with your trade show exhibiting company for direction and other considerations as each convention has its own set of rules which will affect your decision.
If possible, avoid sending multiple small shipments to the convention as the show contractor will impose a minimum fee. Even if the package is only a few pounds, many will charge, for example, a 200 pound minimum.

2)Understand all of the convention AND trade show exhibit company imposed deadlines to avoid rush fees. Read the convention manual as well as encourage open communication with all stakeholders to understand due dates for submitting booth design renderings as well as electrical, furniture and graphic requirements.

3)Utilize local employees to staff your booth at the convention to minimize travel expenses, or utilize remote convention destinations to reward high-performing employees. We suggest a company’s trade show coordinator conduct frequent conference calls to set expectations on proper communication with attendees, appropriate dress code, multimedia training, communicate booth staffing schedule and coordination of arrival and departure times.