Where to ship when shipping late?
Do you ship to the advance warehouse or directly to the show site when shipping late? As a general rule you're safer shipping to the advance warehouse, believes trade show consultant Nancy Sheddan. At larger shows in major venues it will cost less (most of the time) to pay a late fee to the advance warehouse versus paying a freight company to wait at the show hall. You can estimate those costs by determining your material handling charges against your estimated weight. For instance, you might find 30 percent of a $900 drayage charge is less than five hours or more at $60+ per hour. Keep in mind, when your freight is unloaded at the show-site dock, you still have to wait for the Teamsters to get it to your booth. This can take hours. All exhibitor freight coming from the warehouse is delivered first - right after the contractor gets their freight in and the aisles are piped and draped, and before the show-direct freight is off-loaded at the docks. If you have complicated setups or need time for electrical and electronic cable hook-ups, you minimize I&D labor costs by having your freight in your space before your I&D team arrives.