How to Save Money at a Trade Show

Hello everyone,

Are you an events planner, marketer, business owner, exhibitor, or looking to get into the trade show world? Have you ever felt like you were ripped off at a trade show? Learn Why, so it doesn’t happen again…

I’m Chantal with Authentic Exhibits, here in Las Vegas. Here are some ideas to consider when planning your event, in order to prevent additional bills at the end of your show, which you may have not seen coming.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to save money at a trade show:

1. Identify are the show dates. Check on your calendar to determine what the move in dates, the show dates and the move out dates are. This is a critical start point for any trade show booth preparation and execution. This will determine the cost of shipping, labor and much more to your post-show bill.

2. Determine the UNION LABOR rates. Convention halls across the country are run on union labor. Union labor is not typically cheap, as their bargaining units have negotiated the minimum rates of labor. These rates vary based on each convention and labor team that is responsible for that exhibit. Union labor rates are typically based off the following:

ST-straight time
OT-Over time
DT-Double time

Straight time - is typically any weekday 8am-5pm.

Overtime - is typically any weekday after 5pm. Sometimes not including weekends.

Double time - Is typically any weekend and/or Holidays. You can verify the specific policies which are in your show manual.

These rates apply to almost any job that you hire a union worker to do: Build your booth, lay your flooring, hang your hanging sign, run your electricity or handle your freight, to name a few.

I have noticed this in the past when a show fell under a public holiday on the move-in date. The result was an exhibitor receiving a post-show bill that was double the cost, because these critical dates significantly changed their labor, shipping and handling bills.

As an exhibitor, you can schedule your show services around these dates, so you aren’t getting charged for double-time on a weekend or holiday. For example, if the show moves-in dates start on a Sunday, you can schedule your labor on Monday or Tuesday to build. The same applies to the rigging for Tuesday on straight time and any other jobs like electrical labor.

Imagine not knowing you were getting charged OT (which can be charged at over $200 an hour) to simply run some electrical cords throughout your booth and it took 2 guys for 2 hours? Remember, rates apply to each person - be aware - they will not tell you this until you get the bill - and there is no negotiating this rate - these small oversights can push businesses over their budget - I’ve seen it happen many time.

3. Verify the booth was Pulled and Prepped by the booth builder. Preparation. Before the show, ensure your booth is pulled & prepped. Ask your exhibit house for a pull & prep picture. This may save you in costly overtime hours. When an exhibit house does not pull and prep your booth prior to the show to ensure the graphics fit, all of the frames are correctly sized and the accessories are in order before it is shipped, it can be costly to replace those parts with limited time before the show opens. It may cost you in last minute shipping, labor and the price of replacement missing equipment. Most importantly, for this and many other reasons, cheaper doesn’t always mean better. I would recommend that you refrain from immediately choosing a booth builder based on the price alone, ‘cheaper doesn’t mean better’.

4. Examine your labor estimate. Is it an estimate based on a calculated guess as to how many hours the booth build and takedown should take, meaning if the goal is not met, you as the owner could pay for the overtime hours? Or is it an actual finalized estimate and the potential problems (within reason) are covered by the builder. Determine the exhibit house’s policy on labor. - Make sure you read that part of your bill - is it estimated or is it actual? Once again, I have seen folks cringe after the show when they receive an additional labor bill for $5,000 plus dollars - again going well over budget.

I hope these simple tips will save you some money, time and frustration. I have learned these lessons the hard way, and my goal is to share this information so you don’t have to.

If you have any questions you can reach me at the contact us page on my website, Authentic Exhibits.com