Trade Show Shipping
Ensuring a successful experience at your next tradeshow or exhibition can be as simple as getting everything you need to be delivered safely, professionally, and on time. That’s where effective trade show shipping services can help, ensuring that your exhibition booth, materials, and products are safely transported to the event venue. To help you get there, we’ll cover eight useful tips for a stress-free and successful trade show exhibit shipping experience.
Trade Show Shipping: Essential Tips to Know
Trade Show Shipping Services Decoded
Prepping for a trade show can be quite a task. Between readying your booth design, finalizing marketing materials, and coordinating everything to arrive at the event venue together at just the right time, the stress adds up. That’s where effective trade show shipping services come in, helping you transport all exhibition materials from point A to point B. The key is to plan diligently, do your groundwork thoroughly, and find the right trade show shipping partner who can shoulder the burden alongside you. With the right shipper and solid prep work, you can ensure a smooth transition straight from your warehouse to the trade show floor.
Eight Tips for Stress-free Trade Show Shipping
Plan Ahead for Your Show
The secret sauce for trade show shipping success? Planning for it in advance! As soon as you’ve marked your next trade show on the calendar, create a detailed timeline. Consider any special requirements for pick-up and delivery, the allotted transportation time, the destination, and the packaging requirements. Trade show shipping often requires longer timelines than traditional freight. You might need to send your materials weeks in advance. Figuring out these details early can give you more options, reduce costs, and let you explore different transportation choices. Try to book a service between two weeks to a month out from your shipment date. The earlier the better, as trade show-specialized carriers can fill up quickly (especially closer to show dates). As an added bonus, giving carriers advanced notice helps them optimize your freight movement, potentially getting you some significant cost savings.
Partner with an Experienced Trade Show Shipping Company
Selecting the right trade show exhibit shipping company is absolutely essential. While many businesses across the US offer general freight services, we recommend a specialized trade show booth shipping provider who truly understands the ins and outs of event shipping.
To ensure the best experience:
- ●Check out reviews from previous clients
- ●Look for extensive industry experience
- ●Thoroughly read their website to understand their entire service record
Reading reviews from former customers can give you insights into a potential shipping partner’s service quality. Aim for reviews on independent platforms to ensure their authenticity.
Maintain Open Communication with Your Shipper
After choosing a trade show shipping company, you’ll be assigned a representative to handle all aspects of shipping for your trade show materials. It’s crucial to:
- ●Build a strong relationship with your shipping partner
- ●Keep in touch for updates and address any concerns as they arise
Your representative should be readily available whenever you need their expertise. By establishing a solid relationship with them, you can ensure a smooth and timely delivery to your show site. Not to mention, you can work together to troubleshoot any unexpected difficulties when they come up (and if you’ve done this before, you know they will).
Remember, every event is different. Most trade shows equip exhibitors with a manual, which can offer a treasure trove of critical show-related information. This guide may include:
- ●Venue details
- ●Fire safety regulations
- ●Booth setup and dismantling dates
- ●Shipping deadlines
- ●Marshaling yard locations
- ●On-site handling procedures
- ●Electrical services
- ●Health and safety guidelines
The manual also provides general shipping guidelines, including the recommended freight forwarder. You’ll learn how to arrange pre-show storage and will be given a point of contact for shipping queries. Sharing this information with your carrier can simplify the process significantly. At Nucleus , we’re familiar with the average show organizer’s expectations and can work with your point of contact to ensure a seamless experience for you.
Maintain a Thorough Inventory
Keeping track of multiple documents and bits of information is crucial, and a detailed inventory list tops them all. To avoid last-minute worries, ship your display early and plan your inventory beforehand. Shipping to an advanced warehouse ensures your display moves in on schedule, reduces traffic flow issues, and provides some extra wiggle room in case something goes wrong. It also often secures you a better move-in time with the show organizer. If you absolutely must send your shipment directly to the show site, ensure your carrier is aware of the show’s move-in hours and the specific date. Also, keep the contact details of the show decorator, trade show shipping carrier’s customer service center, general services contractor, and the on-site representative handy.
