Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can generate lots of new business for their participants. In addition to the expense of staffing your booth, food, lodging, display, travel, etc. you need to consider how will you transport your equipment to and from the event. This sounds like a simple task, but few freight carriers deliver to trade shows. Why don't many carriers ship to trade shows? Anytime you have lots of businesses shipping to the same destination on the same day there will be problems. Every hour the driver must wait in line to unload their delivery will cost the shipper extra money and delay the remaining deliveries in the trailer. This "waiting charge" is in addition to the freight quote given by the freight forwarder or carrier.
As a general rule shippers should only be charged waiting fees 30% - 40% of the time. Some of the larger conventions and trade shows incur wait times of four to six hours. The hourly charge, depending on the location, could be $30.00 - $100.00 an hour. Remember that you will need to transport your shipment to the convention center and return the shipment also. Waiting charges can occur on both the delivery and the return trip.
When counting the cost to participate as a vendor in a trade show remember to budget for the waiting time. There is only one trade show Logistics Company I know of that doesn't charge any wait times. They charge a little more on the front end, but they accept all of the risk of the wait time charges. All of the other trade show logistics services do pass on the waiting fees of the carriers.
There are some carriers that inflate the waiting time charges consistently. Let's say a driver had four shipments to a convention center in New York and had to wait four hours to unload his truck. The ethical thing to do would be to charge each shipment a one hour waiting fee. Since none of the four shippers knows how long the driver must wait or how many shipments are being delivered there is no recourse for the shippers to challenge the wait time fees. If the driver is charging $100.00 an hour they just made an extra $1,200.00 in profits. If the wait time is inflated the profits are increased even more. If you are consistently getting charged high waiting time fees I suggest you find another carrier.
Paul Buisson has been helping small businesses save on their shipping expense for over three years. He specializes in helping start-up businesses and businesses that don't know anything about shipping. He can be contacted at 985-727-2992. http://www.shipandfreight.com
As a small business how do you compete with the... Read More
Life provides your business with enough opportunities for failure. Don't... Read More
Okay, we were kidding about the smoke, but not about... Read More
If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More
A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In... Read More
You know who you are and what you want and... Read More
Oh come on! FREE is free. Zero, zip, nada, zilch.... Read More
Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your... Read More
Some people use the words "client" and "customer" interchangeably or... Read More
You can't put up a beautiful (or any) web site... Read More
Do you think you don't have enough time to market?... Read More
If anyone was to ask me what my greatest strength... Read More
Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80%... Read More
Regardless how small or large your budget is, there are... Read More
Most of the service providers I've worked for or with... Read More
Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor... Read More
It goes against the grain, especially for those of us... Read More
When you want someone to like you, associate yourself with... Read More
If you are considering entering a new target market, with... Read More
Marketing your cleaning business is something that you will already... Read More
Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing,... Read More
The best joint ventures are with people in your own... Read More
Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear... Read More
You've heard variations of that saying your entire life. Consider:... Read More
Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of... Read More
Whether you go to a Chamber of Commerce event, a... Read More
The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be... Read More
How many times have you been asked to participate in... Read More
Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter... Read More
Make Marketing a Must, Not a MaybeWhen business is booming,... Read More
Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables... Read More
You'll always need to find new prospects for your business.... Read More
In a world that is spinning out of control; with... Read More
The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has... Read More
If you're looking to drive more targeted traffic to your... Read More
It's almost a given that when I speak to a... Read More
I'm big on getting maximum marketing exposure at the lowest... Read More
If anyone was to ask me what my greatest strength... Read More
Articles submitted to online publishers bring your site new visitors... Read More
You'll always need to find new prospects for your business.... Read More
Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written... Read More
Trade show rentals allow you more flexibility and the opportunity... Read More
What Really Makes Your Postcard Mailing Successful? The biggest single... Read More
John's a freelance photographer in Ohio who called to tell... Read More
Your message is first among your weapons in the battle... Read More
Face it, writing any article can be a tedious and... Read More
Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a... Read More
Some of the ways in which to get your "name... Read More
The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss... Read More
Use your computer to send personalized color postcards in quantities... Read More
Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's... Read More
If you're reading this article, chances are that you, like... Read More
Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your... Read More
Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most... Read More
The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many... Read More
Direct mail marketing is essential for a business to survive.Choosing... Read More
The Tale of Two Dentists...Dr. Namel and Dr. Ivory are... Read More
Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best... Read More
How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More
So you just dropped a tidy sum to attend a... Read More
Not all benefits are created equal. Knowing which ones to... Read More
Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can... Read More
It was probably first discovered out there in the caves... Read More
A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking --... Read More
If you've never done a postcard mailing, you're probably wondering,... Read More
It's no secret that using a job site sign can... Read More
Marketing |