Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, CMM, “The Booth Mom,” is an independent exhibit-management consultant, trainer, speaker, writer, and an Exhibitor conference faculty member. CandyAdams @BoothMom.com

ccording to John Donne, “No man is an island entire of itself … ” This is especially true when it comes to putting together an exhibit program. From initial exhibit design to setup and tear down, exhibit management requires a multitude of vendors, including exhibit houses, promotional-items vendors, freight carriers, general contractors, electricians, and AV specialists, just to name a few.

Communicating expectations, managing deadlines, and resolving inevitable complications with so many vendors can make each show seem like an episode of “Mission Impossible” — without the guarantee of a happy ending.

The good news is that once you find good vendors and develop good relationships with them, they can become your best allies, helping your program run smoothly and even bailing you out once in a while. For example, at a recent show, I forgot to let my exhibit carrier know that I needed to deliver my freight by 8 a.m. The carrier rerouted its entire delivery schedule and somehow managed to get the exhibit through Manhattan in just an hour. Another of my vendors worked all night to redo some exhibit graphics after they had been skewered by a forklift sometime during the inbound shipping process. In both cases, the vendors’ level of service — and our established relationships — made all the difference.

Here are eight tips to help you navigate your own impossible mission and get the most out of your vendors in the process.

1. Get referrals. One of the best ways to develop good vendor relationships is to choose good vendors in the first place. Ask other exhibitors and your current vendors to recommend other vendors that will fit your specific needs. (For example, ask your exhibit house to suggest a shipper, etc.) Make sure to ask your vendors if they take “referral fees” from the vendors they refer, because the referral may be financially motivated.

Keep in mind that it’s generally safer to use vendors who do at least half of their overall business at trade shows and events, since they understand the nuances of our business.

Another thing to consider is who makes up the rest of the vendor’s clientele. I recently stopped working with an exhibit house because my client’s small exhibit was a low priority among the large exhibits that made up the bulk of its revenue stream. You don’t want to be the small fish in a big pond — or vice versa. A company that only specializes in small exhibits may be in over its head if you decide to upgrade to a large island or double-deck exhibit for a major show.

2. Foster long-term relationships. Once you find good vendors, it’s in both of your best interests to keep them around. In addition to the peace of mind that comes with trusting your vendors, you save time and money by not having to constantly bring new vendors up to speed on your program, and your vendor gets the security of steady business.

Leverage these advantages when you negotiate your contracts. Ask for discounts based on the volume of business you can offer your vendors. The amount of the discounts can vary based on how badly the vendor wants your business, the volume of business you offer in your negotiations, whether the vendor is subcontracting the business and has to share the profits, if your company pays its bills promptly, and if you’re a PITA (Pain In the Ass) client who takes a lot of care and special treatment.

3. Communicate your objectives. This advice may seem obvious, especially with strategic vendors such as your exhibit house, but even with vendors such as electrical contractors, graphics producers, and caterers, explaining what you are trying to accomplish through their services can help them to better meet your needs.

For example, don’t tell an AV vendor exactly what size and type of screen you need, explain what you want to accomplish with the screen. What will you be showing on the screen? From what distance would you like the screen to be visible? Communicating your objectives allows your vendor to make recommendations and work with you to ensure you get what you want and that everything runs smoothly.

4. Set vendor deadlines before you actually need them to deliver. When you receive your exhibitor kit, mark all of the early-bird deadlines on your master calendar so you can take advantage of discounts. Then set your deadlines for vendors at least a week before those deadlines to allow for any delays. Not only will you be less likely to miss an early-bird deadline, you’ll also avoid the stress of sitting on pins and needles at the last minute, crossing your fingers, and hoping they’ll come through.

Your contracts should include a performance clause to ensure that they will meet contracted deadlines.

5. Put everything in writing. Before a recent show, I had a one-hour conference call with my exhibit house, discussing many important details and changes for the exhibit. When I followed up, none of the stuff we talked about in the conference call happened. Luckily I had taken good notes during our conversation, and the exhibit house “ate” the rush charges involved in fulfilling the last-minute changes it missed.

Whenever you make important requests or changes verbally with your vendors, make sure you follow it up in an e-mail or letter. This not only serves as a reminder but as proof of the request if the vendor does not follow through on the request.

6. Learn vendors’ paperwork processes, and teach them yours. As much as we try to go paperless, companies often still require hard copies of multiple requests for quotes (RFQs), comparative analysis of bids, bid recommendations, purchase orders, contracts, credit card authorizations, deposit payments, and final invoices. Understanding what paperwork is required by whom, and when, can save headaches and frustration down the road.

7. Set and enforce high ethical standards. Early in my career, I was scammed by a number of unethical vendors: an exhibit house account executive who “fudged” my storage measurements, an independent installation and dismantle (I&D) contractor who charged another company and mine both for 100 percent of our shared lead-man’s salary and travel expenses, and a transportation carrier who smashed my exhibit by trying to load another exhibitor’s freight on what was suppose to be my “exclusive-use” truck. I’ve blacklisted all of those vendors based on their poor ethics and their insistence that they did nothing wrong.

Since then, I have learned to discuss my expectations of honesty and integrity up front. I’ve also learned to ask vendors up front if they hire subcontractors for the work I’m hiring them to do. Subcontracting is a standard practice in the industry, and it’s fine — as long as the company tells you it plans on subcontracting the work out. Some companies try to hide their relationships with subcontractors, and then you may be surprised by a different company showing up on the trade show floor. For example, an independent I&D company didn’t have an office in a city where I needed a set up, but instead of notifying me of this, it subcontracted the job to a local vendor without telling me it was outsourcing the work.

When you find high-quality vendors with good ethics that you know you can trust, stick with them.

8. Don’t be afraid to fire a vendor. I recently changed I&D vendors and fired two exhibit houses because they didn’t deliver what they promised and — more importantly — didn’t work with me to fix the situations.

There are many other vendors who would like your business, and sometimes the only way to get what you want is to take your money elsewhere. Although there may be freight costs involved in moving exhibit properties from one exhibit house to another, you may be able to return the majority of your exhibit properties to your newly selected exhibit house after a show to avoid those costs.

By following these tips and cultivating relationships with your vendors, they will be more likely to minimize the chaos that accompanies exhibit management, rather than add to it — and to help you turn Mission Impossible into Mission Accomplished. e