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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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 mart vendor relationships are a win-win situation - both parties go out of their way to understand
the other's goals and priorities, manage those expectations, maintain effective communications, and create relationships built on honesty and trust. If you're lucky enough to have established that kind of mutually beneficial relationship with your vendors, stick with them. If not, it's time to go hunting for some new suppliers. From issuing RFPs to parting ways with a substandard supplier, these tips will help you find the right vendor for your exhibit program.
Request Referrals
When you are looking for a new supplier of a product or service, check with other exhibitors and even your current vendors (for example, you can ask your exhibit house to suggest a transportation company, or ask your flooring supplier to suggest an audiovisual vendor, etc.). It's important to ask your suppliers if they take referral fees or commissions from the vendors they refer, because that referral might then be financially motivated rather than merit-based.
Don't be afraid to ask references about the ongoing level of service they've experienced from a particular vendor, the experience levels of the vendor's support staff, its ability to meet deadlines and budgets, how it manages billing documentation, etc. Also ask your reference how available the vendor's support team was during
projects. After all, a stellar support team is essentially useless if it's not available when you need it.
Once you have established a list of potential vendors, visit their websites and look for other clients that you recognize. Reach out to those companies' exhibit managers and inquire about their experiences with that particular vendor. An exhibit manager typically has nothing to gain from painting a vendor in a positive light, so his or her insight will likely be less biased than, say, another industry supplier.
Issue a Thorough RFP
Once you know the vendors you want to contact, you can draft and issue your RFP. It should include all the info vendors need to know about your company, such as your corporate image, culture, and exhibit program's goals and objectives (including show schedules, timelines, and budgets).
Request specific line-item costs for easy comparison between RFPs. Note that the RFP should include detail on additional fixed and variable costs for rush charges, overruns, turnkey services, credit-card payments, and the markups for work that the company subcontracts. Additional questions to ask include: If a problem arises, what extra costs should I anticipate? When are initial deposits, progress payments, and final payments due? What volume or long-term discounts are available based on the amount of business over a specific time period? And always ask how much of their business is subcontracted to other vendors as opposed to being managed in house, as that often means a loss of quality control combined with pricing markups.
Establish Evaluation Metrics
Comparing the proposals you receive from vendors is like comparing apples to oranges. Proposals tend to differ on everything from price to deliverables, so it's up to you to decide what's most important to your program.
For example, I have one client that only cares about overall image, and price doesn't matter a bit. I have another client who would prefer that I beat our vendors to a pulp to save a nickel. And yet another client does everything at the last minute, so having vendors who are willing to work with very tight time frames (without exorbitant rush charges) is critical. Knowing what's important to you, your company, and your exhibit-marketing program will help you evaluate potential firms and find the ones that most closely align with your needs.
Don't Award Contracts on Cost Alone
Explain the uniqueness of your program to your company's procurement department, emphasizing that for an exhibit-marketing program, quality, industry experience, service, and
timing are crucial. Note that not all vendors are available in all locations,
and not all contracts should be awarded on cost alone.
Additional considerations include the financial stability of a company, insurance-coverage requirements, and other contractual terms (e.g., change orders, staffing levels, construction materials, billing, timing of deposits and progress payments,
payment methods, etc.).
These considerations are important - especially when times are tough. Not all vendors are financially solid, which can be hard to determine before disaster strikes. As a third-party exhibit-project manager, I run into clients who are not familiar with the nuances of trade shows and try to cut corners to save money. I have seen a client's exhibit impounded at weight scales when his "Fly-by-Night Trucking Company's" state licenses had lapsed, exhibits that have been impounded by the shipping company for nonpayment of shipping invoices, and even an exhibit house whose facility was padlocked by the sheriff under court order for nonpayment
of rent on its storage facility - with critical shipping deadlines looming for the exhibit properties inside.
Consider Your Contact
Find out who your single point of contact will be within your vendor's organization. It's also important to know who you should contact if your account rep is unavailable.
There are basically two types of account representatives, based on level of empowerment. There are contract-centric reps who will stick to the letter of the law where any minor change not specifically noted in the contract raises red flags (such as the number of sets of keys you want made for your meeting rooms). And there are client-centric reps who will do whatever the client needs upfront - and will fairly sort out everything in the end.
The type of rep you have will dictate how problems are resolved. For example, at a recent show, my client-centric account representative was on site for the setup of a one-time rental. We encountered problems that required modification of the exhibit structure (i.e., drilling lots of extra holes in the exhibit panels for unanticipated wire management) that were not covered under our rental agreement. But based on his input and approval, we progressed with the changes, knowing that my client would not be charged for repairs to the panels. That type of minor snafu would likely fluster a contract-centric account rep, and result in plenty of unforeseen charges.
Conduct Program Postmortems
Holding post-event reviews and at least an annual bilateral review of the processes and communication of both the exhibitor and supplier is essential to a good vendor relationship. Ask yourself the following questions: Did your vendors meet your expectations in terms of the level of service you received? Were issues resolved quickly and effectively? Did your vendors conduct themselves professionally?
The postmortem is also a time
to ask your vendors to suggest any improvements that you can make to
help foster a better relationship.
Dissolve Unhealthy Relationships
If you decide that the relationship isn't working for you and salvaging it doesn't seem possible, don't be afraid to walk away. I subscribe to the "Dear Abby" theory on relationships. Ask yourself, "Am I better off with 'em, or without 'em?" If you're truthful with yourself, the decision will be simple.
If you decide to stick with a vendor you're not completely happy with, keep a dialogue going and give the relationship an opportunity to improve. Just as employees get verbal and written warnings for less-than-adequate performance, discuss and document problems with your vendors and make sure that there is good communication on what the failures have been and what improvements you expect.
If, however, you decide it's time
to move on, plan the split in a professional manner per the termination clause in your contract, and with adequate notice.
Keep Good Relationships Going
Finally, treat your vendors with respect. Once you establish a good relationship with your vendors, it's in your best interest (and theirs) to keep that relationship going. That way, your vendors won't have to go seeking new business if and when you cut ties, and you won't have to restart the RFP process and bring a new supplier up to speed on your program.e
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