Can you define more of the particulars of Exhibitor Services?

Gwen

Thanks for stopping in at Trade Show Help Gwen, that is a loaded title quite similar to the loaded binders that define Exhibitor Services.

I touched slightly on a recent post titled Trade Show Management & Show Books, but there are many details of Exhibitor Services that newer Marketing Managers are not aware of and often times are over looked.

An Exhibitor Service Manual or Show Book contains the details of various services & forms that an exhibitor will need to fill out, with a variety of deadlines for separate services.  This post will be digested best if it’s broken out into a few parts, so I will start with some of the basics and continue from there.

If you are unsure of where to start you can always seek the advice of a reliable trade show event management partner.  They are usually familiar with a majority of trade shows and various trade show venue’s rules & regulations.

Read on to find out what you will find in a “Show Book”

General Trade Show Information

Delivery & Set Up
Complimentary Badge Allotment (your pass into the trade show)
Badge Color Definitions & Access Areas of those definitions

Trade Show Marketing Materials & Promotional Materials

Which will encompass your Attendee lists for targeting your prospects.  Lead Retrieval Equipment Rental, which we firmly believe to be a great resource for defining your leads and makes a much easier follow up than manually typing in names from collected business cards.

Most likely shows are attended to gain exposure and contacts, I can belabor this point endlessly, but I have seen stat’s that 80% of attendee’s state that they have never been contacted after the event.

Trade Show Rules & Regulations

In this section you will get a glimpse of payments, refunds and cancellation policies.  Space Rental & Your Booth Assignment Location – once your application is accepted you will receive a Confirmation contract.  I&D Instructions, as well as information on storage of packing crates and boxes just to name a few.

Those are just the beginning sections show books…

stay tuned…

Lynn

Lynn – I am surprised this inquiry hasn’t come sooner, being that show books can sometimes be about three inches thick. There are many companies that are cutting back on on their marketing departments with the current economic concerns.  Many exhibitors do not realize the amount of time that it takes to sort through the show books.

i.e.  For the National Restaurant Show in 2008, there were 50 plus line items that had various deadlines for the forms to be turned in.

Carpet Orders
Cleaning Orders
EAC Application
Storage Order
Hanging Sign Order

If you are unaware of all the logisitics and procedures for filling out your show books, it is easy to be overwhelmed.  From a cost savings stand point, I would suggest contacting a company that has the experience and support system for managing your trade shows.  If you miss a deadline with one of the show forms, the costs can be outrageous, if you are partnered with an experienced trade show service team, you will save money, because you will never miss a deadline and have to pay the inflated rates for example of overtime labor rates or overnight shipping.

There are several details to be worked out with trade show services, from electrical needs, internet access and in bound and outbound shipping.

Our best advice is to plan ahead and plan accordingly.  Submit your trade show paperwork work early to get better rates.  Check for deadlines, most trade shows have extensive materials online for review.  If you are not sure how to fill out the paperwork, contact a qualified exhibit house, most of the times they have an experienced team of service professionals.

Keep your paperwork organized and make sure you have all copies with you when you hit the trade show floor so that you can make sure there are no errors, and if there are, you have the documentation to back it up.

Be as specific and detailed as you possibly can, outline all your details, even if it takes submitting diagrams and plans with detailed instructions. There can be significant costs related to fixing issues at the last minute if you need electricians or added labor to help you out of a jam.