Installation and dismantle stresses me out. How can I keep costs and unforeseen challenges – not to mention my stressors – to the bare minimum?

When it comes to installation and dismantle, an exhibit manager must relinquish a lot of control. Most of the time you're handing over your exhibit to a group of unknown craftspeople and blindly trusting that they will assemble it on time, without damages, and within the least number of hours possible. And when control is limited, anxiety is usually heightened. However, there are several steps you can take to decrease the stress, minimize costs, and ensure that your I&D process runs smoothly.

Begin at the Blueprints
An efficient I&D process starts during the exhibit-design phase, as both you and your exhibit house must consider construction while conceptualizing your design. Granted, you don't want your stand entirely driven by the number of nuts, bolts, and hours required to erect it. But you can certainly opt for elements that install quickly and easily.

Your exhibit house also can perform some tasks to cut costs, as you'll generally pay less for pre-show work than on-floor labor. For example, your builder can pull your exhibit and hang items such as graphics prior to shipping it to the show. Or, if you have a complex flooring system, you might be able to set underfloor levelers before the exhibit leaves storage.

The idea is to work with your exhibit house during the design phase to determine that whatever you end up building has an I&D schedule and price that fits your objectives. Then follow up after the build to see what steps in the install process can be moved off the show floor and into your partner's pre-show prep area.

Examine Right-to-Work Options
Many venues and/or states require union labor for setup. As such, many exhibit managers erroneously assume they have to hire union labor for all shows and venues. In fact, most sites will let you set up your own display if it can be done by a full-time employee in 30 minutes or less without the use of any tools. So if your booth goes up quickly and easily, you might not need any labor at all.

Plus, if the exhibition is held in one of the 27 right-to-work states (or the territory of Guam), you may be able to erect the whole shebang using company employees as opposed to union labor. (Visit www.nrtw.org/right-to-work-states for the full list.) However, many convention centers and hotels have agreements with unions, in which case you'll need to work with union labor regardless. Point is, check with management at every show and venue to determine whether you must use union labor. You may be paying unnecessarily for tasks you or your exhibit house can legally accomplish.

Select the Right Team
If you do need to use union labor, there are two different labor options, each with advantages and disadvantages as they relate to skills, costs, and availability. Show management hires the general contractor (GC) to provide labor for exhibitors and the show itself. Many GC workers are employed on a part-time basis because the amount of work varies throughout the year. In addition, labor is arranged directly through show management, which means that personnel and equipment can be available on an as-needed basis, as opposed to ordering too much labor and unnecessary equipment.

Given these variables, GC workers generally tend to be less skilled than those obtained through other options. The GC will also stretch its labor pool across the entire show floor (and beyond), which means that the team that worked on your booth will have several other jobs across the exhibit hall. As such, it can be challenging to track down workers once they've left your space.

On the other hand, an exhibitor-appointed contractor (EAC) is any company other than the GC that can be used for I&D. Your exhibit house may also be an EAC or have solid relationships with EACs, so that the same people end up installing your booth year after year. Constant work also means that EACs hire many full-time workers, and full-time (as opposed to part-time) work tends to attract laborers with a stronger skill set. So, you're more likely to work with experienced laborers through an EAC.

In addition, your EAC will typically provide a supervisor and the ability to contact this person at any time. If contracted through your exhibit house, it is likely that your EAC will be familiar with your specific stand or, at least, your type of exhibit. As you might expect, though, this expertise and availability comes at a cost. Using an EAC may cost 5 to 10 percent more than a GC. But the peace of mind may be a fair trade for the increased price.

Calculate Costs
With so many variables involved in the process, budgeting for I&D can be a headache. Fortunately, there's a formula that will help you establish decent pre-show estimates and eliminate some of the unknowns: Multiply the hourly labor rate by the number of hours, and then multiply this figure by the regional cost adjustment.

According to the 2017 Exhibition and Event Industry Labor Rates Survey from the Experiential Designers & Producers Association, the average cost of labor on straight time is $103.50. Based on my experience, the average time to set up and take down an island or peninsula display is one hour for every 8 square feet, while the average time for a linear exhibit is one hour for every 10 linear feet. Dismantle time is generally about half that of installation.

Therefore, if you have a 20-by-20-foot island, it'll take about 50 hours for I&D (33 to install and 17 to dismantle). Multiply those 50 hours by $103.50, and you get an estimated $5,175 total for I&D.

However, this figure will vary depending on the show's location. To adjust for rates in various regions, I typically use these multipliers: New York 1.3; California, Chicago, and the Northeast 1.25; Midwest and Southwest 0.95; and Florida 0.9. If your show is in Texas, which is outside of any of these regional areas, you can assume that $5,175 is fairly accurate. However, if the show is in Florida, multiply the base rate by 0.9 to get your new estimate: $4,657.50. If the show is in California, multiply the initial estimate by 1.25, which raises the total to $6,468.75.

Set up Your I&D Crew for Success
To ensure your I&D team can start work immediately – rather than hunting around for supplies and scratching their heads – arm them with information. For instance, make sure the crew has complete and accurate order forms, a full set of up-to-date blueprints with detailed instructions, information about any services they will need to coordinate (e.g., electrical, plumbing, internet, etc.), a list of any special tools required, photos or renderings of the completed exhibit, cabinet or crate keys, etc. The idea is to equip your crew with everything they need to burst, as opposed to stumble, out of the starting blocks.

Setup and teardown can be a daunting and sometimes scary process, especially if your exhibit is new or the assembly is complex. But by implementing the aforementioned strategies, you can keep costs, time, and worries to the bare minimum.