How can I customize and maintain my crates to make them easier to find and ship?

Bravo – or brava – to you for asking this question, as many exhibit managers overlook the importance of their crates. Properly labeled and customized crates can help you locate your parcels in a sea of sameness; plus, they may help trim transportation-related fees. Here are a few tips to do just that.
➤ Modify crate and box exteriors to enhance visibility. Whether your crates are AWOL on a crowded trade show floor or you're simply trying to locate a pallet full of boxes within a packed semitrailer, you need some kind of visible identifier to help you discern your shipment from those around it. A common solution is to paint crates and even cardboard boxes a brilliant color to help them be easily spotted.

However, simply using a thick-tipped permanent marker to craft a circle or "X" on every corner of the cartons will set your shipment apart. If your company logo exists in sticker form, you could slap those on it, too. Or, if you're feeling a bit cheeky, get creative. How about covering your crates with purple polka dots, massive smiley-face decals, or even text such as "Mine!" or "Don't Touch!"?

➤ Name your crates. Yes, you read that correctly. I suggest you name your crates. Sure, doing so will bring a smile to people's faces and ratchet up your perceived clever factor among your peers, but naming your shipping containers also eliminates ambiguity and fosters precision.

For example, let's say a crate is missing. You describe it to your shipper as "the big wooden one." Of course, you have four other "big wooden ones," so you haven't really narrowed the field. But if you had assigned your crate a name, you could tell your shipper "Big Bob is AWOL," and assuming you'd labeled your crate's exterior and discussed your naming system with your shipper, he or she would know exactly which box was gone. Certainly, you could use a numbering system as well, but it's just not as fun and certainly not as memorable as names.

Use whatever naming method you like, but I prefer to link the name to a size. For example, your largest crates could have big, burly names such as Thor and Bubba. Small cartons might have names such as Peanut and Tinkerbell. You could also name crates after your marketing staff members (e.g., Bob, Terry, Alexis) and famous groups, such as the Seven Dwarfs (e.g., Dopey, Sleepy, Doc, etc.). Or for boxes palletized together, consider using different names within a broader category. For instance, you could have a spice pallet with parcels named Cinnamon, Ginger, Cumin, etc. and a tree pallet with Aspen, Cedar, Birch, and Willow boxes.

➤ Retire old crates and boxes. Cardboard isn't meant to last indefinitely. The stuff simply wears out, and when it does, its contents are at risk of being lost or damaged. So to effectively maintain your packaging, you need a regular box-replacement plan.

Personally, I think a cardboard container is only good for one round trip, but at the very least, you should inspect all your boxes after they return from each show. Of course, wooden and plastic crates will last longer than cardboard, but they still need to be regularly inspected and repaired. And while you're inspecting your packaging, always remove old address and carrier labels, which can confuse transportation workers – and inadvertently banish pieces of your shipment to parts unknown.

➤ Include weight and dimension info on the exterior. You would be surprised how many freight handlers will just estimate the size and weight of your freight, as opposed to physically measuring and weighing every parcel. If the handler overestimates, both your freight and drayage rates will be inflated unnecessarily.

Assuming you pack the same materials in the same parcels for each trip, write the dimensions and weight of each package on its exterior. More likely than not, time-pressed handlers will use the provided figures rather than their own estimates. Just be sure your data is accurate. If you try to be sly, it could work against you if the freight handler discovers your "accidental" discrepancies.