Multicity Trade Show Booth Rental Logistics

Many companies participate in trade shows and events in multiple cities to extend their marketing reach and expand their client base. A trade show is one of the most effective ways for B2B companies to promote their products and services, meet industry partners, learn about the competition, and analyze current trends. Trade show logistics involve efficiently moving a trade show rental booth to a show site, managing setup/teardown, and sending everything to the next destination. 

But logistics can be an especially complex process, especially when sending the booth components through the border and clearing international customs.  Thankfully, we can take care of all of that for you! Not only does our expert team take care of end-to-end delivery, setup, and take down for your trade show booth display, but we can also take care of sending your display to your next destination whether in Canada or internationally.

Potential logistical problems in shipping a trade show rental booth

There have been many cases where a company’s staff tried to ship a trade show rental booth and experienced delay in the delivery. This can happen for a variety of reasons including:

• People misclassifying the product code on the customs forms.
• Improperly done paperwork because the staff doesn’t fully understand custom requirements.
• Not shipping the display early enough because someone underestimated the delivery time.
• Unreliability and uncertainty of couriers.

These problems eat up a lot of time and the worst-case scenario is your trade show display not arriving on time and missing a huge opportunity to get in front of a big audience and gain new customers. There have been cases where an entire container of material was delayed and didn’t arrive on time for a show. There are also various regulations, duties on certain items, and border checks to consider. 

Outsourcing trade show logistics is especially important for a startup or small business because there are so many factors involved in making sure that your trade show display arrives by the deadline and is properly set up. 

How we ensure your trade show booth gets to the next destination on time

Rather than having your team spend sleepless nights trying to figure this out, you can simply outsource the work to our expert team. This way, your staff can focus their efforts on planning for the actual show. We have been serving clients since 2013 and have a lot of experience with delivering trade show displays on time across the border between Canada, the US, and Internationally. 

Here is how we go above to help:

• Our team has personally gone to pick materials at the border and clear it at customs if needed. 
• We know all of the appropriate classification codes for trade show booths and how to fill out all of the necessary paperwork correctly. Some of these forms have tight deadlines.
• We follow up with the appropriate departments by phone.
• Provide insurance for trade show display equipment. 

Because we often ship across international borders frequently, we are more efficient and reliable than companies that provide ad hoc services. More experience, less problems.

What is involved in trade show logistics?

Our team takes care of everything from delivery, setup, tear down, to pickup, so all your team has to do is show up to the event where everything will be ready and leave after the event is done.

Below are some of the key logistical steps that we take care of:

Getting the best shipping rates

We have worked with many clients that are setting up trade show rental booths in Canada and internationally, so, we know which logistics companies are the most reliable and provide the best rates. We contact them well ahead of schedule to ensure all of the equipment arrives on time.

Detailed labeling 

Before the event, all of the exhibit equipment is stored in a warehouse and we thoroughly label equipment so there is no risk of things getting mixed up with other items. We label everything from small items to containers not only to make delivery convenient, but also to make pre-show assembly efficient for our team. Labeling details include the company name, event name, booth number, and inventory list.

Shipping trade show materials on time

We connect with the show director ahead of time because they usually have specific instructions for equipment including how to pack trade show items and where to store pre-made booths.

There are two options to move equipment to the event site:

• Advanced warehousing: Because venues are quite chaotic on the event day, many venues provide advanced warehousing near the show where exhibitors can store their equipment. We check the warehousing policies to know how long the materials can be stored for. With this option, clients don’t have to wait for deliveries on the day of the show and our team can conveniently access the materials for earlier setup.
• Direct to show shipping: We also have our own warehouses which securely store equipment and transport them the day of the event. We ensure that we arrive within the timeframe allowed by the event organizers because it takes hours to unload the trade show rental equipment because there are usually hundreds of other shipments arriving at the same time.  

Protecting items from damage in transit

We use durable packaging and ensure that everything is securely sealed when we prepare items for delivery. We use hard plastic totes or wooden crates for fragile items and wrap breakable items with bubble wrap and padding. This will protect all items from scratches or breakage during transit. We let the appropriate contact know if we need to use a forklift for large items because some events limit the use of forklifts.

Save money with outsourced storage and logistics

When you rent a trade show booth rental instead of buying one, you can save on these costs:

• Storage charges
• Refurbishing equipment
• Insurance premiums
• Recurring maintenance costs
• People inspecting, preparing, and sending the trade show display to the next destination
• Updating the appearance of a trade show exhibit

Conclusion

Many companies participate in trade show events in multiple cities in Canada, the US and Internationally. Because there are a lot of factors involved in shipping between countries and customs clearance, it is best to outsource trade show logistics in order to ensure your trade show booth rental arrives to the event on time. Vancouver Trade Show Rentals takes care of all trade show logistics for clients between cities from delivery, setup, and takedown so their team can focus fully preparing for the trade show.