How can I save my trade show budget?  As budgets are parsed, there has been a lot of talk about how drayage costs kill trade show budgets.  Maxine Golding sited a specific example in Exhibiting Transparency where 1/3 of a $4 million trade show budget was spent on drayage and installation & dismantle (I&D).  That is over $1.3 million spent on something that does not generate income for your company.  Beg the question.

Are your custom exhibits designed with weight in mind?  Drayage is calculated by hundred weight (CWT).  As part of your trade show strategy, don’t ship smaller boxes because two at 50 lbs will cost double of one at 100 lbs.  Put your trade show exhibit booth on a diet, and you’ll save money on your budget immediately.  That’s pay dirt.

Did you know that you don’t have to use the show management’s I&D service?  (It’s in your show manual.  I know it’s thick, so we will even fill it out for you.)  The Moran Group has a seasoned lead man that manages the I&D of your exhibition displays.  As part of the process, this lead man reports any design improvements that could improve I&D efficiency.  That’s pay dirt.

Here are 10 Tips for Freight & Drayage at Trade Shows.

Share with us the ways you have cut drayage and I&D costs.

You may have the best custom exhibit, but if you attend the wrong show, then you’ve wasted a lot of money.  B to B Online, a site for b2b marketing strategists, posted an article discussing a survey that states:

…exhibitors rank the purchasing influence and buying power of attendees as the top factors when deciding whether to exhibit at a given event.

I would take quality over quantity every time.

The Trade Show Calendar is a great site to find out valuable information about shows.  It also allows you to sort by many categories and add information about a show.  You’ll want to add that site to your favorites.

Make sure to qualify your business to business lead generation strategy by contacting the show management and asking for data that they have collected over the last few years.  How many people are already signed up for a show is an indicator of its strength.