Drayage....even if you haven't heard the word before, it seems a bit ominous by it's sound.
Drayage, or material handling, is the cost the general contractor of a trade show charges exhibitors to move goods from the dock to the exhibit space on the show floor. Charged by the hundred weight (CWT), it is a fee that grows as the weight and size of your exhibit grows.
To calculate CWT, take the total weight of your shipment and divide by 100. Multiply that number by the rate. For example, 4,200 pounds of a shipment equals 42 CWT. At a rate of $40/CWT, that works out to $1,680. Be aware that there are minimums, so that even the smallest FedEx box dropped at your booth counts as a shipment and will be charged. Note that there are different rates for show-site deliveries versus advanced warehouse shipments and crated versus skidded shipments.
If you are a company growing from a small, in-line portable exhibit (say, in a 10x10) to a 20x20 or larger, you need to be aware of these charges. If you are handling it for your company, be sure you understand the material handling form in your show packet and can describe your incoming shipments on those forms.
If your exhibit company is handling this for you, be sure and have them disclose the cost to you prior to the show, so that there are no surprises when the final bill comes and/or you can plan your pre-show budget appropriately.
Even better, if you are new to using a custom exhibit, have your exhibit company do a "total cost of program" estimate for all of your shows for the year so that you realize what the increased expense will be. Be sure and go through this exercise when you are building a new booth as it may impact how many and at what size you do shows.
Lesson learned: be wary and aware of the Drayage Monster.
TTSG
Monday, June 16, 2008
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
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
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Leads--gathering and otherwise
The single biggest challenge I have ever encountered with shows (on whatever scale) is how to collect leads and what to do with them after you've collected them. The problem seems to start with the simple act of collecting them. There are three steps:
1. Collecting them.
2. Processing them.
3. Taking action with them.
Collecting. Whether you have a sophisticated electronic system or you just collect business cards in a fish bowl, you need to record who visited your booth. Take a step up to a form (providing a stapler and pen to your staffers) and you can add when they stopped by and the visitor's specific requirements of product and service. If you do it electroncially, consider printing out the form and collecting notes on the printout to go with the end-result electronic spreadsheet.
Processing. At the end of each day of the show, do some evaluation of each lead. Categorize them by importance--is the lead hot, medium or cool? Or do they require action now or can you hold them off with a brochure or a letter? Should you pass off the leads to the area sales rep tonight or wait until the end of the show? Can you get your telemarketing staff started on the leads before the end of the show?
Taking action. If you have a sales data base or management system (CRM or other; salesforce.com) they need to be entered and given to the appropriate sales person or executive to take action. Don't let them go cold: you've put a lot of effort into earning these leads, don't let them go to waste. Implement!
Lesson learned: collect, evaluate and take action. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
TTSG
1. Collecting them.
2. Processing them.
3. Taking action with them.
Collecting. Whether you have a sophisticated electronic system or you just collect business cards in a fish bowl, you need to record who visited your booth. Take a step up to a form (providing a stapler and pen to your staffers) and you can add when they stopped by and the visitor's specific requirements of product and service. If you do it electroncially, consider printing out the form and collecting notes on the printout to go with the end-result electronic spreadsheet.
Processing. At the end of each day of the show, do some evaluation of each lead. Categorize them by importance--is the lead hot, medium or cool? Or do they require action now or can you hold them off with a brochure or a letter? Should you pass off the leads to the area sales rep tonight or wait until the end of the show? Can you get your telemarketing staff started on the leads before the end of the show?
Taking action. If you have a sales data base or management system (CRM or other; salesforce.com) they need to be entered and given to the appropriate sales person or executive to take action. Don't let them go cold: you've put a lot of effort into earning these leads, don't let them go to waste. Implement!
Lesson learned: collect, evaluate and take action. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
TTSG
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Show evaluation: walking a show
The best way to evaluate a potential addition to your show schedule is to actually visit the show. Whether you have to buy an airline ticket and plan a trip or park near your local exhibit hall when the show comes to your town, it will payment immense dividends for you to walk teh floor of a show.
To help you judge the show, you will ahve already done your homework on it:
1. Is it in your market?
2. Do your customers or prospects attend and visit the show floor?
3. Do your competitors or partners attend?
You can make up a simple scorecard to judge the show. And always make notes for later evaluation. Once you have these data and done the other research you require (we'll cover the whole judging process in another entry), you're ready to hit the floor. Get a badge and a good pair of walking shows and a stack of cards--we're going to a show!
1. Where does the traffic go when you enter the hall?
2. Where and who are the big players on the floor?
3. What is working to engage visitors on the show floor and who is doing it?
Traffic. Most North Americans enter a hall and go right. There any number of hall traffic patterns, but this seems to be common. However, you may have those who come in, go left and circle the hall, aisle by aisle, like a grocery store shopper. Pay attention to who is going where. Do the corner booths get attention? How well are the islands attracting traffic? What's going on in the back of the hall? Where are visitors "pooling" or congregating?
Big players and prominent booths. When you first walk in the front door, who is there? How big is their booth? Do they use a hanging sign? Which way do their demos face? How is there staff deployed? Are there some big players at the back or sides of the hall?
Engagement. What are exhibitors doing to engage visitors? Is it staff deployment, booth demos on the aisle or a specific giveaway? Are there any live presentations? Which exhibitors used direct mail to get you to their booth (you'll know this if you're preregistered for the show)?
Lesson learned: keep your eyes and ears open as you walk; seeing is believing.
TTSG
To help you judge the show, you will ahve already done your homework on it:
1. Is it in your market?
2. Do your customers or prospects attend and visit the show floor?
3. Do your competitors or partners attend?
You can make up a simple scorecard to judge the show. And always make notes for later evaluation. Once you have these data and done the other research you require (we'll cover the whole judging process in another entry), you're ready to hit the floor. Get a badge and a good pair of walking shows and a stack of cards--we're going to a show!
1. Where does the traffic go when you enter the hall?
2. Where and who are the big players on the floor?
3. What is working to engage visitors on the show floor and who is doing it?
Traffic. Most North Americans enter a hall and go right. There any number of hall traffic patterns, but this seems to be common. However, you may have those who come in, go left and circle the hall, aisle by aisle, like a grocery store shopper. Pay attention to who is going where. Do the corner booths get attention? How well are the islands attracting traffic? What's going on in the back of the hall? Where are visitors "pooling" or congregating?
Big players and prominent booths. When you first walk in the front door, who is there? How big is their booth? Do they use a hanging sign? Which way do their demos face? How is there staff deployed? Are there some big players at the back or sides of the hall?
Engagement. What are exhibitors doing to engage visitors? Is it staff deployment, booth demos on the aisle or a specific giveaway? Are there any live presentations? Which exhibitors used direct mail to get you to their booth (you'll know this if you're preregistered for the show)?
Lesson learned: keep your eyes and ears open as you walk; seeing is believing.
TTSG
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Choosing an exhibit house
I was reminded of this process and experience recently when a business acquaintance told me he had to make some changes to his program. Whether it's cost-, geography- or personality-driven, sometimes a change has to be made.
Moving your exhibit properties is a big deal--or not Others in the industry have written exhaustively (and well) about this topic, among them Candy Adams and others on the staff of Exhibitor Magazine. This not meant to be an end-all or be-all, rather a starting place. Remember these three points when considering a new exhibit company:
1. Do you like them?
2. Are they convenient?
3. Can they do what you ask?
Do you like them? My chamber of commerce friends all live by the axiom, "people do business with people they like". It's true. If you don't want to meet the account executive or any of teh staff, why bother? That interpersonal relationship will drive just about everything else. It's like everything else in life: it's all about timing and chemistry. This also includes do you like the quality and type of their work.
Are they convenient? This doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be around the corner, but access is important. When I sold exhibits, one of the biggest obstacles to engaging a new client was where you were located in relation to where their program was managed. However, access and convenience can also mean where your properties are in relation to where you major shows are, the cost of storage and transportation in Texas versus California versus New Jersey, or the proximity of other vendors (graphics, van lines) to the main location. It also means do they have FTP sites, can you see photos of your properties or manage them from on-line, and other access measures.
Can they do what you ask? If you need a rental property at the last minute in a city you're not familiar with, can they come through? How many passes of a graphic revision does it take to get to production ready? Do they understand your properties well enough that if you call and ask about the "graphic that fits into the light box of the 20x20 we used at the NACS show" they will know which graphic you are talking about? Are they consistent about delivering what you ask regularly, on time and within your budget parameters? Do they ask and then confirm what it is you want before doing it and then sending you a bill anyway? This really goes back to point one.
If you do decide to change exhibit companies, always, always do it with professionalism and class. Don't burn the bridge because you never know when you will encounter these folks again. Be sure to settle up your bills, ask for and get what is yours and make a clean break.
Lesson learned: doing business with people you respect and like for a cost you can afford will always result in the product you need and want.
TTSG
Moving your exhibit properties is a big deal--or not Others in the industry have written exhaustively (and well) about this topic, among them Candy Adams and others on the staff of Exhibitor Magazine. This not meant to be an end-all or be-all, rather a starting place. Remember these three points when considering a new exhibit company:
1. Do you like them?
2. Are they convenient?
3. Can they do what you ask?
Do you like them? My chamber of commerce friends all live by the axiom, "people do business with people they like". It's true. If you don't want to meet the account executive or any of teh staff, why bother? That interpersonal relationship will drive just about everything else. It's like everything else in life: it's all about timing and chemistry. This also includes do you like the quality and type of their work.
Are they convenient? This doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be around the corner, but access is important. When I sold exhibits, one of the biggest obstacles to engaging a new client was where you were located in relation to where their program was managed. However, access and convenience can also mean where your properties are in relation to where you major shows are, the cost of storage and transportation in Texas versus California versus New Jersey, or the proximity of other vendors (graphics, van lines) to the main location. It also means do they have FTP sites, can you see photos of your properties or manage them from on-line, and other access measures.
Can they do what you ask? If you need a rental property at the last minute in a city you're not familiar with, can they come through? How many passes of a graphic revision does it take to get to production ready? Do they understand your properties well enough that if you call and ask about the "graphic that fits into the light box of the 20x20 we used at the NACS show" they will know which graphic you are talking about? Are they consistent about delivering what you ask regularly, on time and within your budget parameters? Do they ask and then confirm what it is you want before doing it and then sending you a bill anyway? This really goes back to point one.
If you do decide to change exhibit companies, always, always do it with professionalism and class. Don't burn the bridge because you never know when you will encounter these folks again. Be sure to settle up your bills, ask for and get what is yours and make a clean break.
Lesson learned: doing business with people you respect and like for a cost you can afford will always result in the product you need and want.
TTSG
Monday, May 12, 2008
Using literature effectively at a show
It never fails. The client wants to bring all of the brochures and collateral the company has on its shelves to a show. While the printed word in a 2-D form is a great supplement to an effective trade show, it can also be a distraction or a detriment. Three things come to mind when literature becomes involved with a trade show:
1. Handing literature to a client says "goodbye."
2. Extra, precious resources (money) is spent on shipping literature.
3. Literature makes a great follow up mailing after the show.
Saying goodbye. When a staffer hands a brochure to a visitor, it usually means the visitor has asked for it or the staffer is politely saying the conversation is over. It can also be a crutch for your sales staff, particularly those who choose to pass out giveaways and literature, rather than talking to or qualifying visitors to the exhibit.
Shipping. In my experience, I've seen the same literature shipped out that was shipped into the show. Why spend your valuable budget on shipping literature that may go unused?
In addition, it also takes up valuable storage space in the booth during the show.
Following up. Since you want an excuse to contact your tracked and untracked leads after the show, why not use the opportunity to send them that brochure with a promise to call them?
Lesson learned: brochures and your time are valuable. Use them wisely.
TTSG
1. Handing literature to a client says "goodbye."
2. Extra, precious resources (money) is spent on shipping literature.
3. Literature makes a great follow up mailing after the show.
Saying goodbye. When a staffer hands a brochure to a visitor, it usually means the visitor has asked for it or the staffer is politely saying the conversation is over. It can also be a crutch for your sales staff, particularly those who choose to pass out giveaways and literature, rather than talking to or qualifying visitors to the exhibit.
Shipping. In my experience, I've seen the same literature shipped out that was shipped into the show. Why spend your valuable budget on shipping literature that may go unused?
In addition, it also takes up valuable storage space in the booth during the show.
Following up. Since you want an excuse to contact your tracked and untracked leads after the show, why not use the opportunity to send them that brochure with a promise to call them?
Lesson learned: brochures and your time are valuable. Use them wisely.
TTSG
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
In praise of rental booths
I admit it, I'm a convert. I always thought you had to own a custom booth to be a big player. But with the pressures of financial performance a daily reality, having a quality image on the show floor has to be rethought. Enter the rental custom booth.
There are three reasons I like this concept:
1. I can just pack my stuff and walk away at the end of the show.
2. The pricing is predictable in that I&D, drayage, and rentals (structure, carpet, pad, funishings, cleaning) are combined in a single contract (that is, if you use the general contractor as I did at this most recent show).
3. It can be repeated and works well for programs of four shows or fewer.
While it ain't the latest in design, for a tech company or a company with a conflict or reduced budget, this can work very well. While it is a compromise in some areas, it is workable and delivers the messages that are critical for the client: those related to product and about how serious they are about cost containment.
Lesson Learned: judicious choice of vendor and display can result in immense cost savings and improved ROI.
TTSG
(thanks to Freeman Decorating and Retalix)
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