Trade Show Planner: Drayage or Material Handling
Your 12 month trade show checklist
Completing material handling paperwork is just one task in a large checklist you’ll need to complete as a trade show exhibitor. Review my entire pre-show, on-site, and post-show checklist of exhibitor planning activities.
Trade Show Planning:
Complete Drayage / Material Handling Paperwork
1 MONTH TO GO. PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES.
By now you should have a very good idea of everything that will be shipped - whether it will be shipped to the advance warehouse or direct to the expo hall.
You should also have an idea as to how many crates, pallets, and individual boxes you have, and you should be able to calculate their weight. (Your exhibit house can provide you with the total weight of your booth structure.)
You will need this information to complete the drayage form provided in your Exhibitor Services Manual.
Remember, drayage is the movement of your booth materials from the advance warehouse to the expo hall loading dock and then to your booth space or, if you're shipping directly to the show, it is from the loading dock to your booth space.
Your drayage cost will be based on the weight of all materials, but you will receive a substantial discount if you submit your drayage form to the show decorator before the advance deadline printed on the form.
Learn more.
Read Chapter 20 of Trade Show 411 to understand everything about drayage. What you don’t know can hurt you.
CONTINUE YOUR TRADE SHOW PLANNING WITH RELATED CHECKLIST ITEMS.
Are you new to trade show exhibiting and feel completely overwhelmed?
Trade Show 411: The Essential Guide to Exhibiting Like a Pro is a must-have for marketers and small business owners. It gives you both the strategy and action plan to set you off on the right foot. By linking your pre-show marketing strategy to onsite activities and post-show follow-up, you’ll get the most out of your sales and marketing efforts and maximize your trade show results.
