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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
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 ne of the benefits of doing business in a slow economy is that show management and industry suppliers really want and need your business. As a result, they're typically more willing to work with you to negotiate prices, services, discounts, and promotional opportunities.
But don't get greedy. Negotiation is not trickery; it's coming to a mutually agreeable solution that will benefit both parties. Whether you're negotiating with new vendors, or revisiting terms with existing ones, negotiation is about developing relationships based on ethics, truth, and honesty, not getting adversarial, emotional, or angry.
Before negotiating, do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the state of the market. Know what vendors are charging and what items are commonly negotiable. Next, identify which issues are most important to you. Are you looking for a solution to a problem, a lower price, better service? How flexible can you be with what you're negotiating for? Compile a list of the needs that you have to have and wants that would be nice, but aren't necessarily deal breakers.
Finally, figure out your acceptable bottom line ahead of time, and be ready with a plan B. What's your fall-back position if you can't reach an acceptable deal with your vendor? Do you have a back-up supplier in the wings that you can go into negotiations with? Don't burn your bridges unless you have a solid plan B.
The following list represents a variety of the people and suppliers with whom you can negotiate throughout the trade show management process. Use this information as a guideline to
help you prepare for your negotiations
- and proactively identify what is and what is not negotiable to begin with - and you're far more likely to get what you're asking for.
Show Management
Many exhibitors limit their interactions with show management to logistical matters such as purchasing booth space. But if you share your objectives and work with show management, you can often negotiate for extras, such as sponsorships, advertising in the show daily, speaking opportunities or participation in panels at the conference, and free or reduced-cost exhibitor badges.
And although booth-space pricing isn't usually negotiable, I have negotiated multi-show discounts for booth-space contracts. I have also negotiated a change of due date on a booth-space rental deposit for a client. So if cash flow is an issue for your company, it doesn't hurt to ask for an exemption.
Exhibit Houses
There are many opportunities to negotiate with your exhibit house. For example, many exhibit houses charge storage fees based on the amount of cubic feet from the floor of your storage space to the ceiling, regardless of whether your stored items actually occupy all of that available space. You can often get them to charge you for actual space instead, which can significantly lower this line-item expense. Furthermore, you can negotiate for a flat rate on fees that are usually charged hourly, such as warehousing or preparing your exhibit for a show. Turnkey fees may also be negotiable.
I was able to eliminate the exhibit-disposal fees quoted by one exhibit house by getting it to recycle the aluminum from my client's booth. The recycling income offset the landfill fees for the rest of the structure.
Also remember that you're not the only one trying to get a deal. Your exhibit house also negotiates with its vendors, such as exhibit shippers and exhibitor-appointed contractors (EACs). But it may not pass along these discounts to you and might still be marking them up by 25 percent to 30 percent or more, effectively doubling the cost of the services it orders for you. So ask it to pass along the discounts it gets from vendors when negotiating on your behalf.
Transportation Carriers
Loyalty can go a long way when negotiating with your transportation carrier. You can generally request discounts on airfreight costs, for instance, based on volume or a record of timely payment.
If your carrier will be picking up freight for multiple exhibitors at your show, it may be charging each of those exhibitors for wait time in the marshalling yard. Ask if you can split the charges, get a flat rate on wait time, or even waive fees for wait time. Also ask your carrier to waive accessorial charges such as fuel surcharges for local moves.
Installation and Dismantle Contractors
I recently rented an exhibit from a general services contractor (GSC) that wanted me to pay for a guaranteed number of I&D hours that I thought was about three times what it would actually take to put up and take down my exhibit. After a bit of negotiation, I got the contractor to agree that I would pay for the actual number of hours it took instead.
If you are using an EAC, you can ask it to reduce its city rate to match that of the GSC's labor. You can also ask your EAC to waive the supervisory fee, its minimum-hours requirement, and reduce the charges for supplies and materials (many of which you can provide at a lower cost).
Other Vendors
You can negotiate with almost any of the other vendors you use for trade show services, such as audiovisual contractors, talent companies, promotional-products suppliers, and furniture-rental companies. For example, I recently negotiated with a show's official AV contractor to rent a larger television screen for the cost of a smaller screen, since I knew it had extra large screens available. I've also negotiated away the fees for speakers, keyboards, stands, wall brackets for monitors, and draping.
With talent companies, I've been able to negotiate away the 10-percent agency fee they often charge in addition to the stated daily rate for talent. And in the case of rental furniture, I've negotiated multi-city contracts at discounted rates.
Talk with your show electrician about how to reduce your electrical cost based on your minimum requirements. Ask about providing your own cabling/surge protectors, request that the electrician lay your electrical on straight-time hours, and find out if it will save you money to build a power distribution unit (electrical box) to break down large quantities of power to cheaper, smaller outlets.
If you make reasonable requests and build strong partnerships with your suppliers, they will work with you to meet your objectives and your budget. Whether you're working with show management to get maximum exposure at a show or with an EAC to minimize setup costs, remember that if you don't ask, you won't receive.e
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