When it comes to trade shows, the best-laid plans of marketers go oft awry. Just when you’re breathing a relieved sigh that you hit your deadlines, a freak snowstorm delays your booth shipment by two days. The best-case scenario is that your display arrives at the advance warehouse in time for the show, but you pay an additional $30-per-100-pound handling fee. The worst-case scenario is that your booth space is empty. Then, “you would be up a creek, really, without even a boat,” as Crystal Knispel, FrontLine Exhibits’ production manager, puts it.
We know it’s really easy to procrastinate on trade show planning. It gets pushed down to the bottom of busy marketers’ priority list, after all the day-to-day branding work and crisis management. And getting approvals for trade show booth design can be tough, as you wait for your VP to give the thumbs-up. But getting your booth designed, created and shipped early can save you 20 to 30 percent if you order by the trade show’s advance deadline. For some clients, these savings can add up to tens of thousands of dollars each year.
How to stay on top of trade show deadlines
Losing money isn’t the only result of procrastination on trade show planning. “You’re sacrificing a lot when it comes to creativity and design,” says Crystal, who handles booth design for our clients. A scant two-week lead time means nothing custom, just the basics, and possible delays on the vendor side. Reach out to us at least a month before the deadline, however, and Crystal can create original designs and detailed renderings of your booth.
To ensure your display arrives on time, and is free of embarrassing typos, Crystal says you should allow three buffer days in the planning and booth design process. One buffer day allows for shipping delays; one allows for production hiccups; and one allows for corrections to be made in case problems show up on the proof. Got a show coming up in the next few months? Contact us today to get started!