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Atricle Dump - I WANT IT NOW - 10 Tips for Freight & Drayage at Trade Shows
Have you always dreamed of owning your own business, having the time and money to visit exotic locations and being able to fly first class? How about starting your own air courier service?If you love traveling, live in or near a city with a large national or international airport, and you have the kind of lifestyle that lets you pick up and go on a moment's notice, then you might want to think about starting your own business as an "air courier".What is an air courier? It's a person who is hired to transport a specific item from one destination to another, within a specified deadline.And, before you start imagining sinister men in trench coats carrying guns with silencers, and beautiful foreign women transporting secret microchips, let me reassure you that traveling as an ai
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for p
I get these calls from time to time. . ."Can you make me a brochure?" Many business owners have been sold on the notion that they need a tri-fold brochure or they are not in business. Forget it...everybody's got one and no one uses it.Your potential clients need an education. They need to know how you are different. (The typical tri-fold brochure simply confirms that you are the same.)Every small business should create the following pieces of information and format them in a way that allows them be printed inexpensively and updated often. I like to call this approach, the Marketing Kit. Your marketing kit starts with several professionally printed pieces that are the framework for up to 10 or 12 different educational documents. The core components are:1. A pocket folder - A
Here are 10 Tips for saving time, money and your sanity.
I WANT IT NOW!
There are eight components to a trade show budget and the one most overlooked is FREIGHT & DRAYAGE. Whether you do-it-yourself or it’s handled by a contractor, there are ways to anticipate problems and save money.
1. DEFINITION - Freight....
You can transport it yourself or pay a carrier (truck, ship, plane) to pick it up at your location and get it to the show city. If you choose to ship, you can select your own carrier or the official carrier contracted by show management.
NOTE - Using the official carrier gives your freight preference in getting it to the loading dock and show floor.
2. DEFINITION - Drayage....
This is the most expensive word you may not know. Drayage fees pay only to (1) move your goods from the loading dock to your exhibit hall location (2) remove the empty crates before the show, store them during the show, and return them after the show (3) move your repacked goods back to the loading dock after the show.
NOTE #1 - Drayage is more common in the US and parts of Canada than the rest of the world which uses an inclusive contractor system.
NOTE #2 - Cost for drayage is based on a contract between show management and the drayage company (usually a labor union). The critical components are weight in CWT (hundred pounds) and time. If your freight weighs 50 lbs and comes in during overtime hours, it will be charged for 100 lbs and overtime hours. Hint - don’t send lots of small packages.
3. PLAN for SHIPPING.....
Often it's not included in the original trade show budget. Shipping prices are based on a number of factors (time, weight, dimensional size, etc.) and may be difficult to define in advance, but you can get accurate estimates and hold your suppliers to a freight cost if it is writing. Expect to pay a 20% add-on for every middleman it passes through.
4. OOPS - MEET THOSE DEADLINES.....
The biggest problem I see are the last minute orders, the change orders, the "gee, we changed our minds and want it in ivory, not white". Maybe you will pay for rush charges but not renting the jet to get it there on time. Make sure you understand the time frame for everything! everything! Always factor in the possibilities of weather delays, strikes, broken shipments and things that just get Lost.
5. TAKE IT WITH YOU....
It used to be you had to take everything. and print everything in advance. Now you can rent the display and take the disk or email to Kinko's or some other graphic entity. Life is much easier.
CAVEAT - Everybody at both ends must be on the same page, know what’s coming and your deadline. Don't get caught in the "...but I talked to them and they said they could do it" syndrome. Right, you just didn't tell them you needed 20 full panel display graphics in 5 hours, with the right hardware for your system, and you need it installed. This is not a case of price doesn't matter - it does - but quality and truth matter more. Be certain systems match, the software matches, you understand “camera ready art” and you have a Plan B.
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for pr
In the auto services industry there are generally more women customers than men. This is because men will typically do some of the auto services and preventive maintenance on their car themselves, whereas women customers will have someone else like an auto shop do the services for them.Even women who have men around the house will sometimes have a man take their car to the auto service shop for them. Still, even with that there are still more women customers by about 15% more.Needless to say customer service in the auto services industry is about pleasing your women customers and when they fill out reader service cards or customer service surveys you need to listen to what they say.Women customers would like to see more women at the facility and not a bunch of guys gawking
NOTE - Using the official carrier gives your freight preference in getting it to the loading dock and show floor.
2. DEFINITION - Drayage....
This is the most expensive word you may not know. Drayage fees pay only to (1) move your goods from the loading dock to your exhibit hall location (2) remove the empty crates before the show, store them during the show, and return them after the show (3) move your repacked goods back to the loading dock after the show.
NOTE #1 - Drayage is more common in the US and parts of Canada than the rest of the world which uses an inclusive contractor system.
NOTE #2 - Cost for drayage is based on a contract between show management and the drayage company (usually a labor union). The critical components are weight in CWT (hundred pounds) and time. If your freight weighs 50 lbs and comes in during overtime hours, it will be charged for 100 lbs and overtime hours. Hint - don’t send lots of small packages.
3. PLAN for SHIPPING.....
Often it's not included in the original trade show budget. Shipping prices are based on a number of factors (time, weight, dimensional size, etc.) and may be difficult to define in advance, but you can get accurate estimates and hold your suppliers to a freight cost if it is writing. Expect to pay a 20% add-on for every middleman it passes through.
4. OOPS - MEET THOSE DEADLINES.....
The biggest problem I see are the last minute orders, the change orders, the "gee, we changed our minds and want it in ivory, not white". Maybe you will pay for rush charges but not renting the jet to get it there on time. Make sure you understand the time frame for everything! everything! Always factor in the possibilities of weather delays, strikes, broken shipments and things that just get Lost.
5. TAKE IT WITH YOU....
It used to be you had to take everything. and print everything in advance. Now you can rent the display and take the disk or email to Kinko's or some other graphic entity. Life is much easier.
CAVEAT - Everybody at both ends must be on the same page, know what’s coming and your deadline. Don't get caught in the "...but I talked to them and they said they could do it" syndrome. Right, you just didn't tell them you needed 20 full panel display graphics in 5 hours, with the right hardware for your system, and you need it installed. This is not a case of price doesn't matter - it does - but quality and truth matter more. Be certain systems match, the software matches, you understand “camera ready art” and you have a Plan B.
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for p
Trust is essential. You can’t run a business without it. Customers leave. Risk taking evaporates. You find yourself surrounded by naysayers – or worse – yes men and women. No one dares tell the truth. Departments put up barricades creating fortresses inside your castle.The Warning SignsEmployees Leave. When turnover is higher than the industry average, it could be a sign that people lack trust in your organization. While there could be other reasons – low pay, a very attractive job market, better day-to-day benefits such as parenting leave – consider the possibility that mistrust may be the primary reason. By the way, they won’t tell you this during exit interviews. You’ll need to find other ways to get at the truth.Customers leave. Customers leave when
3. PLAN for SHIPPING.....
Often it's not included in the original trade show budget. Shipping prices are based on a number of factors (time, weight, dimensional size, etc.) and may be difficult to define in advance, but you can get accurate estimates and hold your suppliers to a freight cost if it is writing. Expect to pay a 20% add-on for every middleman it passes through.
4. OOPS - MEET THOSE DEADLINES.....
The biggest problem I see are the last minute orders, the change orders, the "gee, we changed our minds and want it in ivory, not white". Maybe you will pay for rush charges but not renting the jet to get it there on time. Make sure you understand the time frame for everything! everything! Always factor in the possibilities of weather delays, strikes, broken shipments and things that just get Lost.
5. TAKE IT WITH YOU....
It used to be you had to take everything. and print everything in advance. Now you can rent the display and take the disk or email to Kinko's or some other graphic entity. Life is much easier.
CAVEAT - Everybody at both ends must be on the same page, know what’s coming and your deadline. Don't get caught in the "...but I talked to them and they said they could do it" syndrome. Right, you just didn't tell them you needed 20 full panel display graphics in 5 hours, with the right hardware for your system, and you need it installed. This is not a case of price doesn't matter - it does - but quality and truth matter more. Be certain systems match, the software matches, you understand “camera ready art” and you have a Plan B.
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for p
If you are willing to take some risks, are really fed up with living under a boss, and think that all the uncertainty with jobs need not be faced because there are plenty of other things to do then you just might be the next big entrepreneur because you are already thinking like one. Before your start typing your resignation letter you should consider going through some entrepreneurship course so that you know exactly what you need to do as one.If you do not have enough time to enroll in a regular course then do not stress it. You can always join a distance-learning course and attend classes on the Internet. In other words, you can learn entrepreneurship online. Not only is this convenient but it is also a whole lot cheaper. Many accredited universities also offer online programs for work
The biggest problem I see are the last minute orders, the change orders, the "gee, we changed our minds and want it in ivory, not white". Maybe you will pay for rush charges but not renting the jet to get it there on time. Make sure you understand the time frame for everything! everything! Always factor in the possibilities of weather delays, strikes, broken shipments and things that just get Lost.
5. TAKE IT WITH YOU....
It used to be you had to take everything. and print everything in advance. Now you can rent the display and take the disk or email to Kinko's or some other graphic entity. Life is much easier.
CAVEAT - Everybody at both ends must be on the same page, know what’s coming and your deadline. Don't get caught in the "...but I talked to them and they said they could do it" syndrome. Right, you just didn't tell them you needed 20 full panel display graphics in 5 hours, with the right hardware for your system, and you need it installed. This is not a case of price doesn't matter - it does - but quality and truth matter more. Be certain systems match, the software matches, you understand “camera ready art” and you have a Plan B.
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for p
If you are starting a small business or presently operating one, then you know seeking professional advice can cost you a bundle. You already have limited means to get your business going, the added the stress and expense of hiring professional help can sink your business faster than almost anything else. Well, there is good news for the business person who needs help but can’t afford to shell out the dollars to pay for it. The following information will help you uncover some nifty options to point you in the right direction.SCORE – The Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) has been established to help small business owners just like you. As a nonprofit entity recognized by the US Small Business Administration, SCORE consists of successful retired executives who have already been the
6. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.....
E-mail is great. TIF is tops, etc. but a hard copy of whatever you need is still best. Note that if you use PMS colors (Pantone Matching System, for printing only), you need the real number, not an approximation (when you say "it's really red" - it really doesn't work).
7. GET ESTIMATES BEFORE YOU SHIP.....
This means you need to know the approximate weight, dimensional size (cubic), zip code and WHEN you absolutely positively need it plus the correct address. You can't just send it to the hotel and expect it get to your room, the hotel or the convention center. NOTE - most convention centers will not accept freight or packages except through the show contractor. Many hotels will either not accept or charge hefty fees to accept and store your materials.
Double check all shipping information just before you ship - this is the biggest problem since we have new zip codes and area codes every week. Make sure you have the correct phone number. A main toll free number works best and fastest, otherwise you may get lost in voice mail and recordings.
8. SHIP LESS.
It’s estimated that 10% of show attendees have a direct interest in your company, so if there are 10,000 expected attendees, don’t send 10,000 brochures. Send 1,000. If you don’t use them all, you have a small number to bring back. If you run out, it gives you the opportunity to follow-up with a mailing.
Remember - whatever you don't use at the show or meeting has to be shipped back to you or just thrown away (that’s a waste). Decide which is cheaper and if there's a recycling or disposal fee. Save the good material for a special mailing after the show and use for other shows, meetings, conferences or as employee rewards.
Consider the cost of renting versus purchasing. You can amortize the cost of an exhibit but freight and drayage are expenses for EVERY show.
9. ARRANGE TO SHIP IT BACK.....
Why does stuff get swept up and thrown away? Because everybody thought you'd give away all the toys, pens, brochures, packets, CDs, etc. If it costs money to go, it costs money to come back.
Fill out all the packing slips and make arrangement for payment before you go to the show. Know the rules - some carriers won’t allow you to ship COD. And will the last person out of Seattle (or any place) please make sure the paperwork is in order.
10. REVIEW ALL PAPERWORK AFTER THE SHOW....
This year you may see lots of surchagres, so match your written estimates and agreements against the actual bills. At the end of the show, it’s easy to be over-charged, especially as you are rushing to leave the hall. Question everything. Resolve problems first with the carrier and inform show management if it is an over-charge based on their contracts.
Knowing prices are going up is one thing. Knowing you have some ways to anticipate and control those increases is important.
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