Trade Show Success!
/Trade Show Success!
We remember when we planned our first trade show as an exhibitor. It seemed like a no-brainer. What more needed to be done besides get the booth shipped, buy some plane tickets and be ready to collect business cards?!
Turns out, it took months of planning and much much learning. Such as, what the word drayage means, and how complicated it could get.
(From wikipedia: Drayage services are generally provided by a national trucking or shipping company or an international shipment brokerage firm. Drayage service provides for:
Completing inbound carrier's receiving documents;
Delivery of goods to the booth from the receiving dock;
Storage of empty crates and extra products at a warehouse on site or close by;
Transfer of goods from the booth to the receiving dock and loading them back onto the carrier;
Completing outbound carrier's shipping documents.)
We found a “short” cheat sheet of all the tasks that should be performed before exhibiting at a trade show. It includes FIFTY separate tasks such as ordering electrical service at the booth space, ordering AV equipment, ordering wastebaskets, ordering name badges and booking travel.
Although it’s time intensive and often expensive, trade shows pay off big time for lots of industries. Many of our clients at Oak Tree Operations are interested in exhibiting at trade shows but simply find it too daunting to organize with limited staff and can’t afford to hire a project management firm that specializes in trade show exhibitions. That is precisely where we can help, by offering project management on an hourly, short-term and as-needed basis. Contact us today to discuss your project!
