Author John A. Shedd famously wrote, "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." The same holds true for your exhibit. While sending your beloved booth across the country many times throughout the year may cause some anxiety, the reality is that a proper understanding of trade show shipping will set you up for success. What's more, partnering with the right shipping team will alleviate some of that stress and give you peace of mind when your property is out of the warehouse. Your exhibit house may offer shipping and logistics services, but it's still important for exhibit managers to know what's going on with their freight and be involved in every step of the process.

Newbie exhibitors – especially ones with smaller programs and/or those who need to coordinate their own shipping – frequently have numerous questions about the fundamentals of moving their exhibitry from Point A to Point B. To help these industry greenhorns get their heads around the basics of trade show shipping, here is a breakdown of the most frequently used ways to move your freight and a primer on how to choose the best company for the job.

Shipping Options
Trade show freight can be transported a variety of ways, each of which comes with pros and cons depending on the circumstances. But before we go further, let's clear up some industry terminology. Shipping companies should be referred to as "carriers," not "shippers." This may seem like a minor technicality, but it's a common error among new face-to-face marketers that can lead to confusion – and shine a spotlight on their inexperience. "Shipper" is solely used to identify the person or company that is sending the materials being transported. On some forms, the word "consignor" may be used instead of "shipper," but the latter is the more frequently used term.

As for carrier options, the list includes common carriers, van lines, small-package carriers, privately owned vehicles, and airfreight.

➤  Common carriers, such as ABF Freight System or Estes Express Lines, move freight for more than one shipper at a time versus having a unique contract with a client. Your freight will typically be picked up at one location, e.g., your exhibit house's warehouse or your corporate storage facility, unloaded at a main terminal, and then consolidated onto a different vehicle for a longer run to its destination. This consolidated vehicle may make stops along the route to drop off shipments or pick up additional freight. An appropriate analogy would be New York's subway system, where passengers board and alight trains at multiple stations to get where they need to go within the existing network of track.

Common carriers are one of the most frequently used options for trade show freight and are typically a budget-friendly choice if you have less than a full truckload to move. However, going with a common carrier usually results in your freight being moved (i.e., "touched") more often than with other carriers, which increases the risk for damage and lost or delayed shipments.

➤  Van lines operate more like a shared service, e.g., freight from multiple shippers arrives in Chicago, is consolidated onto a van line, and gets sent to the same destination. This process is comparable to a hotel shuttle to an airport, in that multiple passengers board a vehicle at one point of departure and get off at the same stop. A few big players in this field include United, Mayflower Transit, and CRST Specialized Transportation.

Both van lines and common carriers can be arranged as either a full truckload (TL) or a partial truckload (LTL). Van lines also tend to offer a variety of add-on services, such as blanket wrapping, lift gates, and other special equipment, and they are likely to strap in your freight and use load bars to keep everything from sloshing around while en route. Air-ride suspension is another perk typically offered by these carriers, which can help ensure that your most fragile freight arrives intact.

➤  Small-package carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, are common options for sending pop-up exhibitry, fabric backdrops, and other elements that can be packaged into an average-sized box. Upon arriving at the venue, each individual package will likely incur a material-handling fee set by the general service contractor (GSC). The more boxes you ship, the more fees you'll incur, so consolidation is a key money saver. Additionally, just because your shipment is scheduled to arrive at 8 a.m. doesn't mean it will be in your booth at that time, as small packages are received in bulk and then sorted and delivered by the GSC.

If timing is crucial and the GSC's handling fees are prohibitive (check the exhibitor services manual for the associated charges), it's worth investigating if you can have your shipment delivered to your hotel. (An important side note: The United States Postal Service can rarely make deliveries to a convention center, so any packages shipped via USPS should be sent directly to your hotel.) Some hotels will also charge a handling fee, but it will likely be substantially less than the GSC's. Plus, some properties will waive the charges if you've reached a certain tier in the hotel's loyalty program. However, with security concerns on the rise, I recommend calling the hotel before shipping to confirm it accepts guest packages, especially if you are staying in a popular trade show destination. On more than one occasion, I've been told that I couldn't ship any packages to the hotel property.

➤  Transporting your freight in a privately owned vehicle (POV) is a particularly viable and budget-conscious option if you are a small exhibitor or the event is in a nearby locale. Many venues now offer "cart service," in which the GSC's material handlers will unload your freight and deliver it to your booth for a flat fee ranging from $100 to $200. Exhibitors are typically limited to one load of no more than 300 pounds.
➤  In my experience, shipping via airfreight is a last resort – due to its high cost – chosen because of a quick turnaround between shows that are far apart; a production delay, say for a new product prototype; or needing to ship perishable food items. Often billed at a 150-pound minimum, airfreight is extremely reliable since flights follow strict departure schedules and are more immune to traffic, bad weather, and other delays.

Choosing the Right Carrier
Selecting a carrier is a process that should not be undertaken lightly. Hiring Joe's Moving Co. might be great if you know Joe and he can cheaply move your old couch across town, but trusting him to handle your trade show freight is another matter. In addition to general inquiries about industry experience, available services, etc., here are a few questions I recommend every exhibit manager ask when vetting a potential carrier.
➤  Will I have a dedicated account manager handling all of my needs?
➤  Do you offer live customer support 24 hours a day?
➤  Do you handle all of your own shipments, or do you subcontract some freight to other carriers?
➤  What online tracking services do you offer? Will I be able to receive confirmations when freight is picked up and signed for at its destination?
➤  What insurance do you offer?
➤  Can I contact some of your clients?
➤  How do you quote trade show freight? Are your quotes guaranteed?
➤  Are all of your drivers experienced with marshaling-yard procedures?
➤  Do you have storage depots that can hold freight that isn't ready to go to the advance warehouse or direct to site? If so, where are they located?
➤  What additional items do I need to make special requests for when scheduling my freight, such as lift gates, pallet jacks, etc.?
➤  Are there any additional fees that I should expect to incur?

Of course, cost will likely be a significant factor in your decision-making. If you're considering two or three carriers and want to see how their rates stack up, make sure you compare apples to apples. In other words, don't ask one carrier to provide an estimate for shipping a pallet from Atlanta to New York and another carrier how much it would charge to move three crates from Los Angeles to Chicago. Keep the variables the same, and understand that the carrier with the lowest price in one scenario may be the most expensive option in a future situation.

Shipping is a delicate topic, both literally and figuratively. By understanding the terminology, knowing your options, and having the right questions prepared, you'll be in a better position to make an educated decision and ensure your freight arrives on time and on budget. E