We’ve all been there: the nightmare scenario when the booth isn’t where it’s supposed to be and the show starts tomorrow.  Things can go wrong even when you do everything right.  After all, show services involve a veritable army of vendors – from the freight company that ships your exhibit to the decorators at the show site.  

We’d like to offer some advice from our years of experience – to help you prevent problems before the show and to deal with the inevitable surprises that trade shows bring.

1.   Enlist trade show experts. 

With companies downsizing and trade show responsibilities changing hands, it may be tempting to think that the new person, whether up or down the chain of command, is entirely capable of handling your show services.  While that may be true from the standpoint of the person’s abilities, there’s no substitute for experience.  Companies invest a lot of money in ensuring that their trade show exhibits reflect well on their brand identities.  If you haven’t handled trade shows before, invest in professional assistance to ensure that everything goes as desired.  The Tradeshow Network Marketing Group often assists clients with comprehensive show services, using our network of trusted vendors, and also can help negotiate effectively with all parties involved when problems occur.

 2.   Work well in advance of deadlines.

Every show has a myriad of deadlines, which involve completing a multitude of forms and ensuring that instructions and funds are in place in advance.  If you’re just a day late with a deadline, your show costs are likely to increase.  Even if your plans haven’t been finalized, it’s best to submit your show orders before the deadline.  You can always make changes after the deadline, if need be, usually without incurring extra costs.   Again, we can help with the paperwork, if you’d like.

 3.  Don’t assume that everything is ready to go.

Even if you have filled out all your forms in advance and sent in your checks on time, it pays to call the show management and your contractors a week or so before the show to make sure your orders and your payments have been received. It’s usually safest to have your exhibit shipped straight to the advance warehouse, so you know it’s where it needs to be.  Also, make sure you have a corporate credit card on file with the show in case you have to cover unexpected additional charges.  Your exhibit will not get moved to the show site if the money isn’t there to pay for the services.

 4.  Develop relationships with trusted contractors.

Before every trade show at which you register as an exhibitor, you’re likely to be bombarded by emails from freight and show services companies stating that they’ve done business with you before or they specialize in trade shows.  If you’re not sure, check.  Lots of companies claim to have trade show expertise but don’t.  Once you find contractors who deliver for you and are easy to work with, stick with them.  The contractors offered by show management may not be the best available.

 5.  Stay calm and treat everyone with respect – especially when you’re facing a worst-case scenario.

It’s tempting to go ballistic when everything is going wrong and your job depends on everything going right.  Let’s say your booth is lost somewhere in transit or it was damaged in set-up or the lights aren’t working and the electricians aren’t helping.  Take a deep breath and ask for help – nicely.  We’ve seen all sorts of contractors and laborers come to the rescue when they are treated with respect.  We’ve also seen the opposite happen when company representatives become irate and start bullying vendors.  Remember, you have lots of options – like a rental booth or “instant” graphics to replace what’s been lost.  And if you’ve enlisted The Tradeshow Network Marketing Group to help with your show services, you only have to make one call for assistance.