Planning is the key when shipping exhibition material to a trade show and back to your warehouse. Here are 5 essential steps to follow to ease the shipment of your exhibition material.
1 - Contact your shipping carrier
The first step when exhibiting at a trade show is to contact your shipping carrier and plan the shipment of your exhibition material. Identify with your shipping carrier the shipment method for your booth and other items to the trade show. That first step will guide you with the packing of your trade show display.
TWI Group advises you on the best shipping method, proper case markings, documentation and all other crucial information necessary to ensure trouble-free movement of freight. This service includes arranging any needed bonds, paying the ocean or air carrier’s destination charges, completing all necessary documentation, arranging customs examination and clearance, transporting goods to exhibit site and serving as a liaison to ensure delivery to the booth.
2 - Set up a calendar
Create a timeline or a calendar to verify show deadlines for shipping with your shipping carrier. Set up a timeline and calendar to help you manage important dates and deadlines. When doing so, you are more prepared as the trade show due dates are approaching.
Shipping exhibition material to different countries may take longer than expected. When exhibiting abroad, planning is the key! Always take time-zone differences into account when planning the shipment to international trade shows. The shipping itself might take a couple of days, but the pickup, customs clearance, the loading and unloading of the shipment on a plane, truck or train, the move to another city and the drive to the venue are all steps that your exhibition material is going through when being shipped to an International trade show. Shipments stuck in customs for a couple of days, a delayed flight, etc. may cause considerable delay in the shipment of your exhibition material.
3 - Prepare the booth display and pack it
Make a list of all items and material you need to ship; booth display, signage, equipment, etc. so you won’t forget anything. When packing all your exhibition material, make sure to also include a box filled with business cards, promo items, giveaways, office supplies, flyers, order pad, etc.
To prepare for shipping, make sure that your exhibition booth and all its content are packaged and labeled properly. If something happens to your shipment during transport, adequate labeling will make it easier for your shipment to be located.
4 - Choose between advance warehousing and direct to show shipping.
The choice will often depend on your timeline and your preferences.
Advance warehousing: The exhibition material is shipped to a local warehouse until show time. This is the best option to ship ahead of time and not worry about delays of delivery. Usually, all exhibition material need to be received by the warehouse about a month before the trade show, that ensures that it reaches the show in time.
Direct to show shipping: This is the better option if you are short on time. Direct to show shipping usually has lower cost since there is less handling. However, there might be additional charges if the shipment arrives before or after the trade show move-in time.
5 - Schedule pickup time with your carrier
Before the end of the show, fill a Material Handling Agreement for your shipment. Planning the pickup of your exhibition material is essential to easily get your equipment back to your office or warehouse. Your shipment carrier should take care of arranging re-export of imported materials as well as the return or forwarding of shipments and materials after the trade show.
You can ship with TWI Group, Inc. with the confidence that you're getting the highest level of customer service and attention to exhibition logistics details. We move your exhibition material safely and quickly through customs and into a trade show worldwide.
