Monday, June 9, 2008

Daily rates

It's up for discussion: how much should you pay (or be charged) to have someone as an on-site supervisor for a trade show?

This might be a specialized situation, but what I'm talking about is those cases where a company or program doesn't have a dedicated trade show manager or has a show conflict where you need a second pair of arms and legs to make sure things go well on set up, during the show and at the tear down.

Most freelancers or show houses charge $400 to $1,500 per day for an on-site supervisor, with the typical fee being $600 per day. The on-site supervisor does three things:

1. Supervises the labor for installation of the exhibit and management (on-site) of all of the service orders.
2. Manages the staff and company employees, helps manage the lead process and collects bills on site.
3. Is the go-to person when there are issues that have to be dealt with in real time at the show.

This is a lot to ask of anybody. Whether they are a freelancer or an employee of an exhibit company or other agency, here's why you are paying the fee:

1. For their expertise. Chances are they know your company, the people and your products and things will go smoother when you have this dedicated person on the floor with the staff.
2. You are taking them away from other work. Hey, they are out of circulation with other clients or projects. They belong to you for whatever days you have contracted for.
3. You are buying an insurance policy. When they are there, they are yours, it's their job, their only job. If something goes wrong, they can be there to fix it. But chances are, they have already solved it before you notice it.

Lesson learned: don't be afraid to pay for solid, knowledgeable talent and be sure to use them to the fullest extent.

TTSG

No comments: