the price of gas these days is a drag for Trade Shows
impact of fuel prices on trades shows
The price of gas these days is fueling much discontent. Oh for those halcyon times when gas was just an afterthought. Those involved in the exciting world of trade shows can do without the increased cost of doing business that skyrocketing shipping charges bring.
The new reality of expensive transportation forces vendors and also the behind the scenes producers of the merchandising paraphernalia that sustains them, to economize in any conceivable way possible. Some shrewd bloggers have noted that using snail paced ground transportation is an excellent method to trim freight fees. The one caveat about that is that the shipment must ship much earlier in order to make it to its destination in time.
Skip sending out printed brochures and flyers and either put it on some form of digital media or print what you need on site. Also consolidate your shipments as much as possible into one package to avoid additional fees from splitting things up and having to use more packaging and labor to get the same weight to point B.
As for your displays like; standees, banners and their holders and stands, backdrops and assorted graphics, fixtures, accessories and what have you, shop around. Look for sales, some firms will include free shipping with the purchase of ‘X’ amount from them.
Another nifty tip is to closely monitor the total weight of all of the products that you invest in to merchandise your show. Keep the current shipping fee charts favorited on your web browser for all of the shipping services that you use. Refer to them when you have the exact weight of your freight determined. Some shipping services will have a tier system. It might actually be cheaper to buy two or three more of an item in order to receive the sometimes cheaper shipping rates that some companies may charge as a reward for buying more of their products.
Not only that, while closely monitoring the weight of any incoming and outgoing freight, when purchasing your merchandising display materials for your trade show, scope out those products made from the more lightweight materials. It is clearly advantageous to go with those displays that are of lighter weight. Keep them lean and mean.
One final word of wisdom, consider purchasing your merchandising stuff from a printer or manufacturer that is in the actual city, as close to where the trade show site will be.
