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Hesiod |
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This month we will discuss booth security for exhibit materials and products
An important service to all exhibitors is the general security service provided by show management on a 24-hour basis from move-in through move-out. Every reasonable effort is made to prevent losses. However, show management nor the exhibit hall management is responsible for individual property in the event of theft, accident, vandalism or other causes. Bottom line is that it is the exhibitor’s responsibility to take measures to avoid theft. Security cages can be rented from the show contractor and guards are available for hire through the show contractors or outside from licensed companies. Exhibitor’s staff members may also perform this duty – however, they must have show permission prior to the show install dates. It is also strongly suggested that all exhibitors obtain a rider to existing insurance policies to protect booth/product from the time it leaves their warehouse to
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the time it returns. Contact your insurance agent for details. Cover your product each night. Inventory all valuable items in your booth by recording serial numbers and descriptions. Stay with your product on closing day until it has been securely packed and picked up for shipment; or, hire booth security for this duty.
Should you experience a theft or security incident on-site, immediately go to the onsite security office and file a report. This is for documentation purposes only to use with your personal insurance agent.
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Promote Yourself
The best trade show planning will fail if nobody knows you are there. CEIR (Center of Exhibition Research) estimates that as many as 75% of show attendees know what exhibits they want to see before they get to the show. Strong pre-show promotion will let your customers and prospects know about your exhibit. Pre-show emails and direct mailers are important. But do not forget working the telephones. Four to six weeks before the show, start calling top customers and prospects to set up meetings. Many people arrive at a show with an unyielding schedule and have little or no time for other booth stops, so it’s important to get on that agenda as early as you can. Be sure to confirm all meetings by phone a week or so before the show.
Your Used Exhibit ...
on sale ... online
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Click here - www.absoluteexhibits/
usedbooths to go to the Absolute Exhibits used booth website – incredible values. And, if you have an exhibit to sell you may use our website to promote it at no charge. Just follow the prompts and get your exhibit online today.
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Purchasing a new exhibit booth is very expensive – and while you might have thought of this as a “once in ten years” purchase, three to five years later you may be having second thoughts. By using the same exhibit for five years without some signs of change (graphics, colors, etc), you run the risk of show attendees thinking that they have seen this all before and there is nothing new in the exhibit. This is known as the “newness aspect.” Right or not it does factor into your equation about changing the old exhibit or buying new.
However, the importance of staying fresh will vary depending on the show. On average, 39 percent of a show’s audience is first-time attendees; an additional 21 percent did not attend the show the previous year. So 60 percent of show attendees
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did not see your exhibit the year before. Check to see how turnover rates at your shows compare. Shows like CES, Sema, Aapex, or the National Hardware Show have the same crowd every year with many new additions. When you ask people who attend these shows the turnover is far less than you might think. Changing an exhibit doesn’t automatically necessitate a new booth. Revamping with new graphics, product displays, even carpeting can make a big difference.
The initial purchase price for a new exhibit is just the tip of the iceberg. In the course of the purchasing process consideration must be given to how the exhibit you have selected will affect shipping, drayage, setup and storage costs. Remember shipping and drayage costs are absolutely correlated to the weight of an exhibit. The more it weighs, the more it costs to move. Installation and dismantle costs are determined by the intricacy of your exhibit equipment – lots of little pieces add hours to setup charges. Storage costs are determined
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by the size and/or bulk of the crates and containers in which it packs. If your exhibit falls between 3-5 years old and you have made no changes – but it is in good structural shape – consider new graphics, colors, additional structures and changes in lighting. You can buy 3-5 more years. Or … consider selling your exhibit and beginning the rental process. Overall rentals may cost a little more for the structure but there are no shipping costs, installation and dismantle charges are usually within the rental pricing structure – and there are no storage costs.
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It's Dangerous to do
Nothing ...
Tradeshow exhibit displays will not guarantee a tradeshow sensation or success. Unless you have an unlimited budget, most people won’t even notice them … once they pass by. Unfortunately, what they do notice is when you have done virtually nothing to prepare – using the pipe and drape with a paper sign and the table and chairs given to you by the show. That is when they notice and pass you by without a thought. If chosen properly the tradeshow display will catch their eye, communicate your brief message, and propel them into your exhibition space. Doing nothing is dangerous to your company’s well-being.
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