What Is Trade Show Freight Shipping?

Trade shows are a fun and exciting way to make a living. You get to go from city to city, meet lots of new people, and explore new places. There’s just one small problem: all of your materials.

Running booths at trade shows requires a lot of items. Chances are, you can’t fit all of it into one car. So how do you transport everything you need?

You should be looking into trade show freight shipping. It’s the most reliable way to make sure all of your items get where they need to be on time.

Read on to learn more about trade show freight carriers and how it works.

What Is Trade Show Freight Shipping?

Trade show freight shipping, in short, is the process of getting your displays for trade shows from one place to another. That means your tables, chairs, and display boards that all need to be there when you arrive at the trade show.

This can be a lot of material to fit in one car. And you can’t predict traffic patterns. If you get stuck in traffic and can’t deliver your materials in time, then you might not make it into the trade show at all.

This is why a lot of people who do trade shows rely on shipping partners to get their items where they need to go. They can send their displays ahead of them so that everything is there for them to set up when they arrive. This way, they don’t need to worry about getting there on time and unloading everything themselves.

They also don’t need to worry about hauling a trailer behind them between trade shows. This makes it easier for them to drive safely between shows. And when they arrive, they can easily find parking.

They can use all sorts of means of transportation from the road, rail, or air travel.

Why Is It So Important?

You have to remember that this is your livelihood. You need to be sure that all of your materials are getting where they need to be when they’re needed.

A lot of trade shows have tight windows of time for participants to arrive. And oftentimes, if you miss your window, then you won’t be allowed to participate in the trade show anymore. And sometimes you won’t get a refund for the spot you paid for either.

And even if you do make it on time, what about your materials? Did everything make it through the journey safely?

The last thing you want is for your displays or fragile materials to get damaged during the journey or while you’re unloading. This can mean lost income if you’re unable to make sales because of these damages.

The good news is that a professional shipping company can help you with these issues. They understand that timing is extremely important for trade shows. And they also know to handle all of your materials with the greatest amount of care.

This ensures that they’ll get your materials to your next trade show with plenty of time to get everything unloaded and set up. And when it arrives, everything will be in perfect shape for you to create the best trade show booth possible. All of your displays will be in perfect condition and ready to sell.

Once the trade show is over, you can have them come back and take everything to the next one too.

What Is Shipped for a Trade Show?

Chances are you have a lot of materials for your trade show booth. You might have tables, chairs, computers, tablets, televisions, banners, products to demonstrate, and even business cards and brochures. All of these items are essential to ensuring that your trade show booth is a success.

This is a lot of material to keep track of. And the more you have, the easier it is for something to get lost or broken. This is especially true if you’re the only one handling everything.

The good news is that all of this material can be given to a shipping company to handle. They’ll make sure everything is safe and secure the entire journey.

In other words, you can ship your entire booth from trade show to trade show. And they’ll take care of everything for you, so you never have to worry about missing a trade show or losing displays. All you have to do is make sure they have all of the information they need to get your items from one show to the next and they can handle the rest.

They should even offer tracking services so that you can see exactly where your delivery is and when it will arrive. You should be sure that the trade show is ready to receive your delivery when it gets there too.

This gives you the peace of mind that you can go from show to show without worrying about getting your booth there in time. That lets you focus on what you love about doing these shows.

Best Trade Show Shipping Tips

When you’re ready to start going to trade shows, what happens next? How does having a shipping company deliver your materials help you? Following these two tips helps you ensure that your items are safe and on time for every trade show that you attend.

Trade Show Material Handling

The first thing you have to deal with at any trade show is material handling. There will be charges both by the shipping company and by the trade show for handling your booth’s supplies. Having said that there are ways to alleviate some costs.

First of all, keep an eye on how much everything you’re shipping weighs. Trade shows will calculate drayage based on this number rounded up to the nearest hundred pounds. In other words, try to make your booth as light as you possibly can to save some money on the venue.

You should also ask about extra fees in the event of late arrivals or uncrated items. Some trade shows will charge extra in these cases.

You can save the most money by arriving on time. This way you don’t need to forfeit your spot in the show and you don’t need to pay late fees.

Try to keep everything in crates or boxes that can be moved by forklift. This makes it easier for the venue to move your materials and it costs less for you. At the same time, try to make sure the items in these crates aren’t fragile or have any special handling instructions.

And finally, you’ll save money if the venue can move your materials directly into your rented space. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay extra for it to be stored elsewhere until it can be moved again.

All of this will help you save money when you arrive at the venue.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Again, timing is extremely important when it comes to trade shows. If you miss your arrival window, then you could be looking at late fees or you might not even get to participate! And shipping a load all by yourself can get expensive.

That’s why many shipping companies offer services for delivering Less Than Truck Load. What this means is that you’ll split the cost of renting freight services with other people.

This costs less, but not everyone’s shipments are necessarily going to the same place. This means that the transport will be making multiple stops along its route. For this reason, it can take longer than shipping directly.

This is a fairly easy caveat to deal with though. All that means is that you need to be planning more carefully when you’re ready to start shipping.

Give yourself plenty of time for the transport to get there. There aren’t usually penalties for arriving early, so you may just have to wait before you can unload your stuff into the venue. And you’ll be in better shape if something expected happens and your delivery gets delayed.

All you have to do is make sure you’ve planned your shipments properly. When is it being picked up? When will it arrive at the next venue?

These are all the questions you should be asking yourself when you’re planning your next group of trade shows. It helps you prepare for whatever may happen along the way.

Get the Best Trade Show Shipping Solutions Today

The only thing you still need to know about trade show freight shipping is where you can get the best service. You need a partner that’s reliable and professional at all times.

That’s why you should trust Onsite Global Logistics. We’re a leader in freight shipping, including trade show freight, for a reason. We’ll make sure all of your materials are secure and on time while they’re in our care.

All you need to worry about is enjoying working the trade show. So contact us today and see how we can help you get to your next trade show.