Companies from all different types of industries exhibit at trade shows. Trade shows offer businesses a platform to market to customers and forge business relationships. Planning for a trade show requires a lot of preparation to ensure things run smoothly. In the planning process it’s important to not think of shipping as an afterthought.
Trade show shipping requires customized solutions and not taking that into account can result in pitfalls that cost you time and money. Being trade show logistics experts, we’ve come up with 5 dangers of trade show shipping and how to avoid them:
Danger No. 1: Not Knowing Deadlines
It’s important to know your deadlines for shipping out. Not knowing shipping deadlines can result in potentially paying double the amount. Planning in advance and according to deadlines will help ensure time for set-up at the show venue and help avoid last minute surcharges for expedited transportation. Also, choosing a trade show shipping specialist, like Transit Air Cargo, over a common carrier will help you to stay on track with deadlines because unlike common carriers, trade show shipping specialists know the ins and outs and are equipped to walk you through the process.
Danger No. 2: Not Knowing Show Details Given in the Exhibitor Kit
Exhibitor kits provide you with important show-related information like rules & regulations and deadlines. Exhibitor kits are also known to be a daunting read. Sometimes they’re anywhere from 30 to 100 pages long. Not knowing what’s in those 30 to 100 pages can be detrimental to your booth and budget.
When you hire a trade show shipping specialist like Transit Air Cargo, you avoid the risk of not upholding the rules and regulations and not meeting deadlines listed in the exhibitor kit, because trade show shipping experts know those kits and what’s required of exhibitors.
Danger No. 3: Not Knowing when to Utilize Advance Warehouses
You can either have your booth and marketing collateral shipped direct to show site or to an advance warehouse. When shipping direct to show you can wait till last minute to get your booth and marketing material ready and potentially save on handling charges. However, when you ship using this method, your shipment could be arriving at the show at the same time as everyone else. Even if your shipment arrives first, you may have to sit around all day waiting for your materials to reach your booth. Also, if your shipment arrives earlier or later than your designated move-in time, you could incur additional charges.
If you decide to ship to an advance warehouse first, on the day of move-in, your freight will get delivered to your booth first and you don’t have to sit around waiting all day for it. This is especially important if you have a particularly large booth because it requires more set up time. On the contrary, if your booth contains tiny and/or fragile pieces, advance warehouse may not be the best option for your freight as it may be more susceptible to loss or damage.
There are pros and cons to opting for an advance warehouse. A trade show logistics specialist like Transit Air Cargo can help you decide whether or not opting for shipment to the advance warehouse beforehand makes the most sense for your freight.
Danger No. 4: Black Booth
What is ‘black booth’ you ask? Black booth is what happens when your shipment doesn’t arrive and you’re left exhibiting an empty booth. This could happen because your preferred shipping company failed to notify you of any changes in delivery time (such as delays caused by bad weather). If they would have notified you, you could have figured out other arrangements to get your freight to your booth on time.
When you choose to ship with Transit Air Cargo, trade show shipping specialists are in contact with you every step of the way, that way if there are unforeseeable hiccups (like bad weather), TAC reps are on it working on a solution.
Danger No. 5: Not Shipping with a Trade Show Specialist
Yes, common carriers are less expensive and provide convenient tracking for your shipment, however there are disadvantages to choosing common carriers for your trade show shipments. First off, the risk of loss and damage increases because common carriers make several transfers before delivering your freight. If you’re shipping sensitive equipment, the load might not be able to tolerate normal road shock with a common carrier.
Trade show shipping requires customized solutions, something that common carriers just cannot provide. At Transit Air Cargo, trade show logistics experts serve every aspect of the trade show exhibitor’s logistical needs domestically and internationally. The coordination that trade shows require involves a lot of preparation time and countless resources.
Bottom line is, you can easily avoid experiencing the 5 dangers of trade show shipping by going with a trades show logistics specialist for all your shipping needs.
