Okay, you have signed for your show and paid for your concrete and in the mail comes a giant ten pound exhibitor manual with a hundred forms with due dates. What do those dates really mean? Start with the show quick facts. If your show build is on a weekend, or your show ends on the weekend plan for overtime and double time rates for installation or dismantle. This means that you can try to move mountains – but it will not help. Even if you get your show Target date moved to a Friday you are still going to spend extra money on installation.
You also need to consider shipping out of the show and if you are working with a shipping company that can be there to pick up your equipment on the weekend. You may think it can sit there until Monday, however if another show is moving in on Monday the show floor must be cleared on the weekend. If you are not there for pick-up you are moved out by the show contractor and your equipment is moved to their warehouse. That is called being “forced.” And that costs allot of money!
As far as ordering services such as electrical, drayage, rigging and the like you must sign and pay for everything on time or risk spending extra hundreds to thousands of dollars. When your show can easily charge you $35 for one wastebasket you know that they will not hesitate to keep adding the dollars for everything you have forgotten to order before you got to the show. So read the manual and if you are working with an exhibit house that will be doing the paperwork for you, as we do, get an appointment with your project manager as quickly as possible. He or she can lead you through the minefield!