Breathing Fresh Life Into Your Trade Show Schedule

Are you getting the ROI from the three shows you went to last year? Maybe the answer is yes for the show in January and September - but the May show was flat. Sometimes the show you have been exhibiting at for the last 10 years just is not giving you the return on your investment that it once did. Industries change, shows team together, your clients just quit attending a certain show or, maybe there is a better-suited show for you and no money in your budget to do it.
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Re-Thinking Tradeshow Literature

This information comes from our own firsthand experience - because every couple of years we go to a show as an exhibitor. First there is the frenzy in your office, what are we going to use for literature at the show?" So we design new literature minutes before a show. Then there is the overtime and rush charges to get it printed and to the show. Do not forget the extra drayage bills for all of those boxes of brochures, fliers, and other sales collateral. Now you are at the show - what do you do with all of this stuff?
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Oil Prices Lead the Way to Higher Exhibiting Costs

Call it whatever you like - a recession, and economic downturn, a slump - everyone in the country is being hurt as are clients out of the country that are coming here and paying what they already consider staggering prices. In the tradeshow industry, last month, we were given a 28% fuel surcharge from all of the trucking companies. In Absolute Exhibit’s case we run our own trucks in combination with a number of freight movers - believe me, 28% is kind. All day long we answer to sales people and their clients - why is this rental exhibit so much more expensive this year.
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Forced Freight - Whose Fault?

The most common reason shipments get forced by the general contractor following a tradeshow is that the exhibitor did not turn in a bill-of-lading. This can turn out to be a very costly mistake. When a shipment is forced (the term used by the general contractor to describe freight for which there is either no paperwork turned in or a carrier specified, or the carrier fails to pick up) on to one of the show carriers you can end up paying enormous transportation charges.
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Win-Win Rental Promotion

The additional light hours in the summer months allow us to work much less expensively in our buildings, help add to our Green Consciousness, and pass cost savings onto rental clients that want to work with us. What does that mean? We can pre-build your trade show exhibit for the fall, utilizing straight time hours in our shop with two shifts using all daylight hours.
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Convention News: August Trade Shows - The Quiet Month

August along with July and December are the three quietest trade show months. Shows that have played for 40 years like the International Hardware Show in August in Chicago finally threw in the towel. August is a family vacartion month - not the time to be at a tradeshow. However there are a few exceptions so take note! ASD/AMD Merchandise Group, an enormous swap meet (because it has everything - that is a compliment) style show is in Las Vegas August 8-10. Siggraph (August 11-15) and Western Food Service (August 23-25) are in the Los Angels area. IWF - the suppliers to the woodworking industry - meet every other year in Atlanta (August 20-23). MAGIC (August 25-27) - the clothing industry and PGA Fall Expo (August 25-27) - both return to Las Vegas every year.