Comments on: Is Drayage Destroying the Tradeshow? http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/ Displays and Trade Show Innovations Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:11:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Dale http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-882 Dale Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:45:22 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-882 You also have to take in the lcoaiton of the show. Chicago is a union town, just expect pay more if exhibiting here. You also have to take in the lcoaiton of the show. Chicago is a union town, just expect pay more if exhibiting here.

]]> By: Dexter http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-281 Dexter Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:02:07 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-281 Drayage can add great deal to your exhibiting cost, I certainly agree, but how you combat the high cost of drayage is to lighten up your exhibit components. Using a smart and well experience exhibit fabricator such as www.eldsusa.com can certainly keep your cost lower. Most of the exhibitors that get hit with the high and unexpected cost are those that have not clue as to what their exhibit booth weight is. Building your booth with lighter material certainly helps Drayage can add great deal to your exhibiting cost, I certainly agree, but how you combat the high cost of drayage is to lighten up your exhibit components. Using a smart and well experience exhibit fabricator such as http://www.eldsusa.com can certainly keep your cost lower. Most of the exhibitors that get hit with the high and unexpected cost are those that have not clue as to what their exhibit booth weight is. Building your booth with lighter material certainly helps

]]> By: Caroline Meyers http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-228 Caroline Meyers Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:23:59 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-228 Exhibit providers are hard-pressed to meet strict budget requirements while incorporating the kinds of fees you discuss. The EDPA (Exhibit Designers + Producers Association) has taken on the whole issue of service contracting. Their position paper was first published in Exhibitor Online in November 2007 (http://www.exhibitoronline.com/news/enn-disploay.asp?counter=5615). EDPA continues to respond to this issue as the antithesis of an open market. Exhibit providers are hard-pressed to meet strict budget requirements while incorporating the kinds of fees you discuss. The EDPA (Exhibit Designers + Producers Association) has taken on the whole issue of service contracting. Their position paper was first published in Exhibitor Online in November 2007 (http://www.exhibitoronline.com/news/enn-disploay.asp?counter=5615). EDPA continues to respond to this issue as the antithesis of an open market.

]]> By: Amanda Helgemoe http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-213 Amanda Helgemoe Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:32:33 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-213 Great interview with BJ regarding drayage. It is my opinion that drayage is definitely hurting trade shows. The last statistic I read stated that approx. 16% of an exhibitors show service budget is spent on drayage. More importantly the practice of "bundling" drayage with a non exclusive service such as I&D labor is seriously hurting trade shows. This is the area that needs to be controlled by show organizers. Great interview with BJ regarding drayage. It is my opinion that drayage is definitely hurting trade shows. The last statistic I read stated that approx. 16% of an exhibitors show service budget is spent on drayage. More importantly the practice of “bundling” drayage with a non exclusive service such as I&D labor is seriously hurting trade shows. This is the area that needs to be controlled by show organizers.

]]> By: John Bradford http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-20 John Bradford Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:50:27 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-20 Drayage is only one of the guilty - the list includes associations or trade groups who fund themselves from shows, show owners, cities who own the halls, etc. If you look at many aspects of trade shows -materials, culture, duration, etc you will see that exhibitors old and new have long been trying to work around the above obstacles. The very existance of "pop up" or portable gear tells me that the D&I guys - and all the other guys with hammers, hard hats, and invoices - screwed themselves into the floor. If you read the summaries that show owners pass along to each other - surveys show most exhibitors (the paying clients) are very unhappy with the whole damned batch and very likely will continue to move to processes and materials to bypass these vultures. I managed exhibits over 25 years ago and the same excesses are worse, the gouging practices are simply stunningly bold, and the D&I outfits have a million reasons with no proof that exhibits should be just a tad smaller than the Pentagon. Nonsense and adios. I've attended 20 shows in 3 years and there are clearly two types of exhibitors : smart ones and non-thinking ones. American Express still gives away pens even if you don't want one. Insurance companies (big ones) don't even show you want kind of business they write. Auto companies use babes - still. High tech companies use magicians, dancers, and babes - my God, aren't there some lawyers running loose who need a case? Worst of all - without any question are exhibit manufacturing companies, I&D, and realted vendors - selling to resellers or exhibitors. I've attended 2 shows this year (EXHIBITOR and TS2)coming away with the conclusiong this industry does the worst job of exhibting and marketing of all industry. groups. The very people who want you to use their material or service in a trade show haven't a clue how to use a trade show. It's not a few - it's most of them. When you've made Studebakers all your life it's hard to switch to ATV's. Drayage is only one of the guilty – the list includes associations or trade groups who fund themselves from shows, show owners, cities who own the halls, etc. If you look at many aspects of trade shows -materials, culture, duration, etc you will see that exhibitors old and new have long been trying to work around the above obstacles. The very existance of “pop up” or portable gear tells me that the D&I guys – and all the other guys with hammers, hard hats, and invoices – screwed themselves into the floor. If you read the summaries that show owners pass along to each other – surveys show most exhibitors (the paying clients) are very unhappy with the whole damned batch and very likely will continue to move to processes and materials to bypass these vultures. I managed exhibits over 25 years ago and the same excesses are worse, the gouging practices are simply stunningly bold, and the D&I outfits have a million reasons with no proof that exhibits should be just a tad smaller than the Pentagon. Nonsense and adios. I’ve attended 20 shows in 3 years and there are clearly two types of exhibitors : smart ones and non-thinking ones. American Express still gives away pens even if you don’t want one. Insurance companies (big ones) don’t even show you want kind of business they write. Auto companies use babes – still. High tech companies use magicians, dancers, and babes – my God, aren’t there some lawyers running loose who need a case? Worst of all – without any question are exhibit manufacturing companies, I&D, and realted vendors – selling to resellers or exhibitors. I’ve attended 2 shows this year (EXHIBITOR and TS2)coming away with the conclusiong this industry does the worst job of exhibting and marketing of all industry. groups. The very people who want you to use their material or service in a trade show haven’t a clue how to use a trade show. It’s not a few – it’s most of them. When you’ve made Studebakers all your life it’s hard to switch to ATV’s.

]]> By: Michael Thimmesch http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Michael Thimmesch Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:37:40 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-21 Drayage is a mind-bending expense for many -- why should it cost about the same to move something across a convention center as it does to ship it to the convention center in the first place? And in European shows, drayage is included in the booth rental cost. However, in fairness, drayage is the cost to move containers four times, not once. First, your full crates from the dock to your booth; second, the empty crates from your booth to storage; third, your empty crates from storage to your booth after the show, and finally, your once-again full crates to the shipping dock. We've followed Tradeshow Week's annual labor cost surveys for several years, and seen double-digit price increases for drayage. I think that's because more exhibitors have been going with lighter weight custom modular exhibits like Skyline's. To offset the lower weight of exhibit properties, drayage charges per pound have increased. If your exhibit is still made the old-fashioned way, it's a double-whammy. Drayage is a mind-bending expense for many — why should it cost about the same to move something across a convention center as it does to ship it to the convention center in the first place? And in European shows, drayage is included in the booth rental cost. However, in fairness, drayage is the cost to move containers four times, not once. First, your full crates from the dock to your booth; second, the empty crates from your booth to storage; third, your empty crates from storage to your booth after the show, and finally, your once-again full crates to the shipping dock.

We’ve followed Tradeshow Week’s annual labor cost surveys for several years, and seen double-digit price increases for drayage. I think that’s because more exhibitors have been going with lighter weight custom modular exhibits like Skyline’s. To offset the lower weight of exhibit properties, drayage charges per pound have increased. If your exhibit is still made the old-fashioned way, it’s a double-whammy.

]]> By: costa http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-23 costa Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:40:09 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-23 yea, agree! the product price is much more high if drayage exists. yea, agree!
the product price is much more high if drayage exists.

]]> By: The Frugal Exhibitor | Marshall Yard: http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-22 The Frugal Exhibitor | Marshall Yard: Fri, 15 May 2009 17:10:02 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-22 [...] Is Drayage Killing Tradeshows? [...] [...] Is Drayage Killing Tradeshows? [...]

]]> By: Marie J. http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Marie J. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:11 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-19 In my experience as a trade show coordinator for my company, who has both large AND small exhibits, I think know it is a threat to my 2010 budget! When my bosses come to me with ideas promotional items like bottled water, or ask me to include 5,000 our newest "CATALOGS", I have to stop and warn them that the costs to provide those items at the show is more than the 'per piece' cost initially paid. Being charged anywhere from $90 to $136 per CTW (100lbs) with a 200 lb minimum charge can really inflate that number. Not only are shipping fees a consideration to deal with, but then another charge to get these items from point A to point B on the show floor? Of course, when the belt tightens, guess what is the first to go? It really upsets me when you need a NEW exhibit and the overall drayage charges from last year's budget could have paid for a new exhibit twice over! Maybe associations should start packaging their rental space with 200lbs of free drayage per some 100 square feet of space instead of the "free" ugly table and chairs and the cardboard ID sign no one wants or uses...now that would sell exhibit space! In my experience as a trade show coordinator for my company, who has both large AND small exhibits, I think know it is a threat to my 2010 budget! When my bosses come to me with ideas promotional items like bottled water, or ask me to include 5,000 our newest “CATALOGS”, I have to stop and warn them that the costs to provide those items at the show is more than the ‘per piece’ cost initially paid. Being charged anywhere from $90 to $136 per CTW (100lbs) with a 200 lb minimum charge can really inflate that number. Not only are shipping fees a consideration to deal with, but then another charge to get these items from point A to point B on the show floor? Of course, when the belt tightens, guess what is the first to go? It really upsets me when you need a NEW exhibit and the overall drayage charges from last year’s budget could have paid for a new exhibit twice over! Maybe associations should start packaging their rental space with 200lbs of free drayage per some 100 square feet of space instead of the “free” ugly table and chairs and the cardboard ID sign no one wants or uses…now that would sell exhibit space!

]]> By: Karen http://tradeshowfeed.com/2009/02/is-drayage-destroying-the-tradeshow/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Karen Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:02:06 +0000 http://www.tradeshowfeed.com/?p=122#comment-18 Drayage may not be destroying trade shows but is certainly not helping. The cost of drayage and hidden costs are getting to be outrageous. Now days that companies are watching every penny that is spent many will not send as much as they normally would to a show because the drayage costs kills them. I think all of us exhibitor, general contractor, etc. need to work together to make these shows better for both sides and so we both benefit. Drayage may not be destroying trade shows but is certainly not helping. The cost of drayage and hidden costs are getting to be outrageous. Now days that companies are watching every penny that is spent many will not send as much as they normally would to a show because the drayage costs kills them. I think all of us exhibitor, general contractor, etc. need to work together to make these shows better for both sides and so we both benefit.

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