Congestion, Runny Nose, Watery Eyes, Missed Deadlines?
If you’re suffering from those dreaded early-summer allergies, we understand what you’re going through! As we’ve talked more and more about the best ways to save money at trade shows, the elephant in the room is how you can get a better price for your exhibit booth. Let me illustrate how your summer allergies are related to getting a price break on your custom exhibit rental or purchase:
NPE - the National Plastic’s Expo - is a trade show extraordinaire held in Chicago’s McCormick Place once every three years. With the economy what it is, and with the trade show exhibit industry meeting difficult times, we’re thrilled to have approximately TWENTY clients exhibiting at this year’s show. With NPE less than a month away, this is a hectic time here at Catalyst, but we’ve prepared for the ebb and flow of demands on our production capacity. But what are some obstacles to a smooth delivery for each of our clients’ display booths?
Our exhibit contracts feature a schedule of activities that delineates when different deadlines will take place. e.g. - When graphics are due, when graphic elevations must be approved, when final payment must be received, and so on. With nearly every exhibit company in the nation charging penalties for missed deadlines, it should not surprise anyone that exhibitors can save money by adhering to those deadlines.
More important, however, is how our clients can save by improving on those deadlines. Nobody calls foregoing a fine “savings” - which would be the equivalent to phoning to your spouse to brag about how you saved money on your commute because you didn’t get pulled over. To actually save money, consider evaluating the schedule of activities with your exhibit house prior to entering into a contract. By having that discussion, the exhibit house will understand that you are serious about their deadlines, and that you are willing to improve the terms in a manner that may streamline their production process. With the number one operating expense being labor, it’s no wonder that the more efficient usage of your vendor’s hours (preferably on straight time!) may garner savings.
Sounds like the cure for your summer allergies may actually be frugal exhibiting. Open up the schedule of activities and evaluate how you can be a more compatible partner with your exhibit house. Not only will you get a more cohesive, well planned exhibit, but you’ll also save some of those precious marketing dollars!
Tags: trade show blog
May 27th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Very true - I think more important than chisling on price is making for a low-stress show experience. Nothing worse than last minute chaos that puts everybody on the hot seat.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 am
[...] mentioned last week, in discussing our lead-up to NPE 2009 in Chicago, how crucial scheduling is to ensuring flawless execution in the exhibit [...]