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

ime is money. Overtime is a money pit. According to Tradeshow Week's 2009 Survey of U.S. and Canadian Labor Rates, the average straight-time hourly rate for a carpenter is $82.90. Overtime, on the other hand, is billed at $121.90, and Sundays/holidays are $148.58.

So what can exhibit managers do to whittle down their labor charges? Here are 12 tips to keep your installation-and-dismantle labor from costing you an arm and a leg.

1. Estimate I&D time accurately.

When it comes to I&D, the best way to save money is to plan ahead so you can be as efficient with your time as possible. Accurately estimating the amount of time it takes to set up and dismantle your exhibit enables you to order the correct number of laborers for a sufficient number of straight-time hours. If you underestimate, you could easily end up going into overtime.

If your exhibit has been used before, look at past I&D labor invoices to estimate how many man-hours you'll need for both installation and dismantle.

If your exhibit property is a new build or a first-time rental, ask your exhibit house for an estimate of how many hours it will take to set and strike. My personal formula for estimating I&D time for a 20-by-20-foot or larger exhibit is one hour of labor for every 8 square feet of booth space. So a 400-square-foot booth would require 50 hours (400 divided by 8). And since it takes about twice as long to set up an exhibit as it does to dismantle it, two-thirds of the 50 hours (about 32) would be used for setup, and one-third of the hours (about 16) would be used for teardown.

2. Hire a larger crew.

If you estimate it will take 24 hours to set up your exhibit, you may want to hire a four-person crew for six hours each instead of a three-person crew for eight hours each, depending on how much of the setup can be done simultaneously. This may save you enough time to avoid having to use any overtime hours. Plus, if you have a laggard on your crew, you can sign out the dawdler at noon and likely still be able to complete your setup without going into overtime.

3. Do your homework.

Get copies of recent exhibit drawings and any other documentation that the I&D crew will need during setup and dismantle. Review them with your account executive at your exhibit house to make sure they are accurate and easy to understand. I have seen I&D crews waste precious time trying to decipher incomplete instructions and illegible or outdated setup plans.

Next, compare your exhibit plans with the show floor plan and identify any obstacles such as poles, fire hose cabinets (FHCs), fire apparatus (FA), and Internet network pods on the show floor plan near your exhibit space. These could impact your setup plans, push your laborers into overtime, and cause you to have unusable (but costly) space in your exhibit. Knowing in advance whether any of these obstacles will be present in or near your space will help you proactively chart a new course and avoid wasting that time on site.

4. Keep everything organized.

Before the show, cross match the exhibit-shipping inventory sheet provided by your exhibit house - which shows the exhibit components that are in each crate or case, or on each pallet - with the exhibit pieces on your setup drawings. For example, write on the setup drawing that panel P1 is located in case four, and header H1 is in case five. This will help your labor crew quickly find the correct pieces they need during setup.

During dismantle, referring to the same cross-matched drawing will help the crew get the items back in the crate or case where they belong. You can also paste photos of correctly packed crates inside their lids. Not only is this likely to help your crew make good time while dismantling and crating your exhibit; it will also help your exhibit house perform its inbound inventory more efficiently.

5. Review exhibit guidelines.

Make sure your exhibit setup and dismantle plans comply with the show's rules, such as exhibit-height regulations, setback and line-of-sight restrictions, and hanging-sign rules. If they don't comply, you'll have to change your exhibit on site, adding labor hours, often on overtime.

If you have a double-deck exhibit, hanging signs, or rooms with ceilings, submit your exhibit plans to the venue's structural engineer and fire marshal by the deadlines before the show. Allow plenty of time to work through their approval processes and pay relevant fees before you get to the show so your setup won't be held up on site, pushing you into overtime.

6. Communicate your I&D needs to your labor contractor before the show.

To communicate the big picture of your I&D process, send the labor contractor copies of your exhibit setup drawings and service orders for hanging signs, flooring, Internet, telephone, electrical, rigging, furniture, and audiovisual. Give him or her a master schedule of your setup and dismantle process in advance.

Let your contractor know about any equipment or tools required to set up and dismantle your exhibit. This list could include anything from tape for your carpet pad and carpet, extra batteries for an electric drill or screwdriver, a special size or shape of Allen wrench, ladders, forklifts to move or lift heavy parts of your exhibit, special cleaning supplies, or a metal banding machine. Requesting these items in advance means your labor crew is far more likely to show up with everything you need, rather than hunting for the required equipment while on the clock.

If you have a branded "system" exhibit, such as Octonorm, Nimlok, Exponents, or Nomadic, relay this information to the I&D contractor when you place your labor order, and request a crew that has experience with that brand of exhibit to help speed your installation.

7. Do it yourself.

Check your exhibitor services manual or ask the show's general services contractor (GSC) if employees of your company can set up your exhibit to avoid hiring outside I&D labor. If you can't set up your own exhibit in its entirety, ask if you can help. Depending on the city, the contract with local labor, and the complexity and tools required to assemble your exhibit, your full-time company employees may be able to at least assist.

On site, I always ask what I can do to help. For example, I don't send expensive labor to the GSC's service desk to pick up "empty" labels and fill them out. That's something I can do myself. I also locate the next piece of exhibit property my crew will need and point it out. Even if I am not allowed to remove it or hand it to them, it saves them from having to waste time looking through crates whenever they're ready for the next piece.

8. Supervise your setup.

Regardless of whether you use a GSC or exhibitor-appointed contractor (EAC), you can save 25 to 30 percent of your total labor bill (usually with a $45 to $50 minimum) by supervising your own setup and dismantle. Or, in this economy, you might be able to negotiate away the cost of supervision just by asking.

If your EAC's labor supervisor is not local to your show venue, you could be charged not only for the supervisor's hours during setup and dismantle, but a minimum number of hours on show days while he's twiddling his thumbs in his hotel room - plus all the travel and accommodations (airfare, taxi fees, per-diem charges, and hotel costs). These charges can add thousands of dollars to your final I&D bill.

9. Contract your own I&D labor.

If you have entrusted your exhibit house with hiring and paying your I&D labor, consider doing it yourself. On top of adding a 25- to 30-percent turnkey fee to your labor invoice, exhibit houses generally negotiate an additional percentage-based discount or commission on business they bring to their preferred EACs and may even receive end-of-year bonuses based on the volume of business they refer to the EAC. Doing these things on your own can save you 25 percent or more off your total labor costs.

10. Negotiate discounts.

I've negotiated rates for labor and services with both EACs and GSCs (but with less flexibility and usually only when I'm renting an exhibit from the GSC). Ask about multiple-show discounts and negotiate more favorable payment terms if you can. Leverage long-term and volume relationships.

I've seen a large GSC offering three different I&D labor rates - one discounted early bird rate, one regular rate, and a show-site rate if you didn't order in advance. If the shows you attend haven't negotiated this discount with their GSCs, you might be able to convince them to do so.

11. Bring your own supplies.

To alleviate the hefty markups on supplies purchased on the show floor from the GSC or your EAC, stock your own gang box with the materials you'll need for setup, such as tape for your carpet and pad, nonstreak cleaner and paper towels, spare light bulbs, bubble wrap, hook and loop, stretch wrap, and a portable strapping kit.

EACs often charge a flat percentage of your total labor invoice for materials. If you plan to bring your own supplies, let the EAC know in advance to avoid being charged this fee.

You may also be able to bring your own surge protectors and extension cords. The markup for purchasing these items on site is astronomical (often 300 to 400 percent). Check the exhibitor services manual or call the venue's electrical department to find out your show's specific guidelines.

12. Audit all invoices.

Always ask for line-item invoices to make sure you are not being charged for items or services you did not actually use. For example, I often get charged for materials or supplies that I provided myself, such as the plastic sheeting to protect carpet. Match your copy of the "hard card" labor tickets that show each worker's name and hours worked to your final invoice. Verify the straight time (ST) and overtime (OT) rates you were billed.

Then question any discrepancies or charges that weren't on the original quote to make sure your company has not been overcharged.e