Transporting an exhibition can often cost more than shipping your booth across the country. This is because trade unions at the fairgrounds charge transportation by the hour and are the only providers of this service in that venue. It's not uncommon for transportation costs to cost more than the price of shipping all the freight from the trade show across the country to the trade show. So why is drayage so expensive?All trade shows require that you use your trade show decorator as the union's exclusive labor service for items that are delivered to your booth.
The cost of transportation is pre-set and you have no options to negotiate the price or opt for a less expensive service. The show's organizers and the show's general service contractor decide on transportation costs in advance. The workers are usually unionized workers, and the organizers of the show usually negotiate so that other costs of the fair are paid with the transportation fees that are charged to exhibitors. Because of this, transportation fares can be quite expensive. By offering carriers flexibility in the way they manage your cargo, you can usually negotiate better rates.
Some examples include allowing the company to manage sudden increases in load at a port during high-volume days or managing daytime loads. This will help you avoid being charged for driver waiting times, as the carrier can use the driver to perform other tasks while loading the load. Items that are too heavy, disorganized packaging, and delayed receipt can result in higher labor costs. The more work workers have to do on their shipment, their costs will increase. You can get a good idea of how your shipment should be prepared by contacting the transport service of your choice.
Unless an item is particularly oversized, freight dimensions are not usually a determining factor in calculating the freight rate. With pre-set transportation costs, you have no option to negotiate the price or use less expensive services. Because of the large volume discounts they receive, their rates are usually cheaper than the additional costs of special handling transport charged by the GC. In some cases, carriers were left doing nothing or going home and shippers were still responsible for paying the bill. These services are offered in advance in the hope of recouping costs through exhibitors' services, such as the rental of carpets and furniture, the placement of signs and, of course, transportation. Small-package carriers, such as UPS or FedEx, do not provide a separate bill of lading needed to process the transport. The cost of transportation is decided in advance by the organizers of the fair (commonly known as the Association) in a negotiation process with the general contractor (GC) so that the costs of the fair are paid with the transport fees that are charged to exhibitors.
This means that if you're not careful when packing your items, your transportation rates can increase significantly. It's interesting to note that transportation is an almost exclusive cost of trade shows in the United States. In addition, a shipping company can recommend the best times, dates, or locations for shipping and transportation. In other words, consider the GC your partner, not your enemy, and see if its services complement the needs of your booth when shipping and transportation costs exceed rental costs. Some trade show organizers negotiate for the GC to create packages, such as free shipping with a certain amount of pounds per square foot of booth space or discounts on transportation if you rent a booth. It is also recommended that you meet your partner in person and establish a strong relationship with a shuttle service.
The most consistent and exclusive of these services is transportation, since exhibitors don't necessarily have to pay for the other services. Transportation is defined as transferring goods by truck from or to a seaport from or to an inland port, warehouse or intermodal terminal, usually within one metropolitan area.
