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

few days after my first trade show, way back in 1990, I got a phone call - one that no exhibitor wants to get. It went something like this:

"Hello, Ms. Adams? This is XYZ General Contractor, and we're just calling to tell you that we forced your freight after last week's show."
"You what?" I asked.
"We forced your show freight."
"Forced it to do what?"
He proceeded to tell me that my trucking company didn't pick up my freight after the AutoFact Show, and it was being stored in the general service contractor's (GSC's) warehouse.

After a number of phone calls between my transportation broker, the GSC's freight supervisor, the van lines, and the team drivers on the expedited run between Detroit and San Diego, I discovered the true meaning of forced freight: It's the sinking feeling in the pit of an exhibit manager's stomach when you find out your freight is being held for ransom (for perhaps thousands of dollars, depending on the amount of freight).

What is Forced Freight?

Put simply, forced freight is anything that is left on the show floor that the GSC has to remove from the venue.

When the show organizer signs a contract with the facility (usually either a convention center or hotel), there is a mandatory cut-off time for use of the premises to make the venue available, in its original state, to the next client who is renting it. It is the responsibility of the show organizer to have the GSC it hired remove all exhibit properties left on the show floor and to clean up the venue. By virtue of the material-handling contract between the GSC and exhibitors, the GSC has the right to remove any freight left on the show floor.

Some GSC's material-handling forms ask exhibitors to indicate what they want to do if their designated carrier doesn't show up: send it to be held at the warehouse or transport it via the show's official freight contractor. If the exhibitor wants it to go back to the warehouse, the GSC or the official common carrier hold the forced freight in an off-site warehouse until it contacts the exhibitor to ask him or her how it should be returned.

Why is Freight Forced?

A number of things can cause an exhibitor's outbound freight to be forced, but it usually boils down to one of the following six scenarios:

1. The material-handling form is not completed and turned in at the GSC's service desk by the exhibitor or its designated representative (e.g. an installation-and-dismantle laborer supervising your teardown).

2. The carrier does not check in to pick up the outbound shipment at the designated location (a marshaling yard or the show venue) by the designated check-in time specified in the exhibitor services manual and the show's move-out instructions distributed to exhibitors during the show.

3. The carrier does not show up prior to the time the GSC forces freight as stated in the exhibitor services manual.

4. The GSC purposefully turns away the exhibitor-selected carrier, saying the freight cannot be found, that there is no freight to pick up, or that the freight has already been picked up by another carrier, thereby forcing the freight onto a carrier with whom it has a revenue-sharing agreement.

5. The GSC loses the material-handling form. This is why you should always keep your copies of all material-handling forms after you turn in your paperwork at the GSC's service desk.

6. The GSC's staff cannot locate the freight listed on the form to load it onto the exhibitor's selected carrier.

What are the Ramifications?

Forced freight is both costly and inconvenient. Exhibitors will be charged by the GSC for additional material handling (often at overtime rates), along with a local cartage fee for moving the forced freight from the exhibit floor to the local warehouse of the GSC or the official common carrier. Or, the exhibitor will be charged non-discounted rates if shipped on the GSC's official carrier.

In addition to the costs of maneuvering your forced freight, the GSC or your transportation company may charge the following additional fees:

 Off-Target Fees. Some large trade shows are now targeting not only the inbound shipments, but also the outbound ones, with specified times for getting small, medium-sized, and large exhibits off the show floor. If an exhibitor's carrier misses the stated target, the exhibitor may be financially penalized with off-target fees.

 Overtime Charges. If you're not there to know when your freight was loaded, you could be charged overtime fees for your material handling.

 Wait-Time Fees. Your specialized transportation carrier may charge you for the time your driver spends waiting to pick up your outbound freight. Your freight estimate may also include a minimum number of hours for which you will be charged. Make sure you are aware of the total charge for additional hours or overnight waits.

 Aborted/Attempted Pick-Up Fees. If your carrier is turned away based on an incorrect carrier name on your material-handling form, or if the GSC cannot find your freight to turn over to your carrier, your carrier may charge you an "aborted pick-up fee."

If you incur additional fees based on your carrier not following your written instructions as to when to check in for loading, you have a good case for reimbursement of any resulting charges. Some carriers even have a service guarantee that if they miss your target for inbound delivery or outbound loading, your shipment is free - or at least discounted. Hold them to it.

What Can You do to Avoid Forced Freight?

If there's one thing I know, it's that trade show tragedies will occasionally happen, regardless of how prepared you are. Still, the following 11 tips will help you steer clear of forced freight.

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Make sure your specialized transportation carrier knows the deadline to check in to the marshaling yard or to the show facility after the show, as well as the date and time that the GSC will force the floor.

2. Confirm the pickup of your outbound freight with your carrier the day before your outbound shipment is scheduled for pickup. Indicate when you estimate you will turn in the material-handling form and when your shipment will be ready for pickup.

3. If you cannot be there during tear down, make sure that the person in charge of your exhibit understands the critical nature of completing and turning in the outbound material-handling form to the GSC's service desk. Tell him or her not to just leave the form with your freight in your booth space. If possible, pick up a blank material-handling form and complete as much information as you can before you leave it with your dismantle supervisor. Make sure he or she knows where you will leave the bill of lading in your exhibit, how to complete it, and the importance of turning it in at the GSC's service desk on time.

4. Use well-marked shipping crates or boxes with bright-colored labels (two per piece of freight, on opposite sides) to identify your outbound freight. If you have shipments going to multiple destinations, use a different color of label for each destination. Make sure all old labels are removed from your crates.

5. Keep all outbound freight in close proximity to your numbered booth space to make it easier for the material-handling personnel to find it all.

6. Always put at least one label on each box or carton placed on a pallet, even if the pallet will be stretch wrapped. The cartons shipped on pallets are often broken down in transit if there isn't enough room on the truck. Labeling individual boxes gives you a better chance of it all getting back on a pallet at your destination. You can also buy or make labels that say, "Do not break down skid" or "Do not stack," to place on your palletized shipments.

7. Complete your material-handling form clearly and precisely. Add a phone number where an exhibitor representative can be reached 24/7 in case there are any problems. Make sure to count and re-count the number of each type of freight (crates, rolls of carpet pad and carpet, skids/pallets, cartons/boxes, graphics tubes, and loose or pad-wrapped pieces) and note these counts on the bill of lading.

8. Turn in the completed, signed bill(s) of lading at the GSC's service desk, and get a signed copy marked with the date and time it was received and by whom. If you are using your own designated carrier who provides you with its own material-handling form or waybill, get a copy of this bill of lading, too, and ask for copies of both when you turn it in at the GSC's service desk. The tracking numbers on this paperwork are critical to tracing your shipment.

9. When you've turned in your material-handling form, call your carrier to let it know the final piece count of your shipment, noting the type of shipping container and the total number of pieces. Reconfirm the type of service (e.g. overnight, expedited, 3- to 5-day deferred), the estimated time the shipment will arrive, and the emergency contact number where you can be reached. If possible, find out the cell-phone number of your driver as well.

10. Follow up with the GSC's customer-service and freight departments and with show management if you continually have problems with forced freight at the same show. I've had my freight forced three years in a row at the same show because drayage personnel have been unable to locate my meeting-room space on the huge show floor. The good news is, working with the GSC, I think we've finally solved this dilemma for next year by moving the targeted outbound time for this area of the show floor before the numbered meeting-room walls are dismantled.

11. Never leave small-package-carrier shipments in your booth with their shipping forms. Carriers such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL do not pick up packages on the show floor. You must take freight for these shippers to an outbound shipping facility (e.g. a FedEx Kinko's or UPS Store) or they will be forced to the GSC's warehouse.

Although you probably won't be able to shield yourself from forced freight forever, these tips should help you avoid it as much as possible. e