TRADE SHOWS PART 14 - MOVING IN AND OUT THE FREEMAN WAY

The buyer shows add another layer of complexity to the trade show experience. It is called Freeman. Freeman is a company that contracts with the company actually organizing the show. Freeman corners the market for handling the freight, booth building, electrical, video and other services for trade show exhibitors at shows across the country. They utilize union labor for all of their activities, which works well for Stanley Tools, not so well for startup entrepreneurs. I have no problem with unions and one of our products, the Bin Buddie, is and will always be made with American labor.

Chicago

We had to ship our booth to Chicago. As mentioned in an earlier posting, it was quite easy! We packed our boxes, called Freeman, the Roadway truck came and loaded the boxes, and the next time we saw them was at our booth space in Chicago. Our boxes were taken away and stored for us during the show, then returned to for repacking. We repacked them, left them at the booth, and about a week later, they were delivered back to our doorstep in Seattle. It cost us $1000 for this. We have researched a cheaper way to do this, and it’s not the shipper that’s the problem—they were about $200-$400 of the bill. The other $$400-$800 was what Freeman charged to unload the boxes at the loading dock, take them to our booth, store our boxes, and then get them back on the truck after we had repacked them. In reality, we paid $400-$800 for what amounted to maybe an hour’s worth of work for a couple of guys, since our stuff was in six very manageable boxes weighing a total of 300lbs. Not a lot of stuff. At this rate, someone is making a ridiculous amount of money.

Las Vegas

Freeman bled us dry in Chicago, so we had no more money to feed them in Las Vegas. The man on the other end of the phone was nice, but he had trouble understanding the concept of PacEasy being a startup and not being able to pay $400-$800 for loading and unloading 300 pounds twice in the span of six weeks.

Freeman indicates that you can indeed haul your own stuff in and out at these shows, and herein lies the tale. You show up at the loading dock, but you can’t haul your own stuff in from there. Because the loading areas are controlled by union labor, you can only watch helplessly as they unload your stuff, put it on a cart and take it to your booth for you as you walk beside the cart. We had one cart load of stuff and the bill for the 15-minute load and walk job would have been approximately $300.

Alternatively, we were able to move in through the front doors. So, were able to park and move in just fine with our handtruck (which handtruck we had been told we could use) no problem. It was a longer walk, but that $300 we saved was the price of our hotel, so for us it was a no-brainer. We got our stuff in, got set up and had a very successful show.

Our decision not to utilize Freeman's services was confirmed when, on my trips to the booth, I kept passing a Teamster member and Freeman contractor napping on a roll of carpet. This might have been fine, except that this guy was on the clock, and the people standing in the nearest booth did not seem too happy that he was napping on their dime. Apparently and through no fault of their own (a Freeman problem, they explained), their boxes had not arrived at the booth. Mr. Teamster, apparently having nothing else to do, decided to nap until the goods arrived on the scene. His nap lasted 45 minutes. There was a great deal of activity occurring all over the place, so I find it hard to believe that there was nothing else for this man to do other than to take a nap on this exhibitor’s dime.

Moving out, was pretty much the same. We had our handtruck, a smaller cart, and as Thomas broke things down and packed boxes, I wheeled them out. For an hour we did this. On my last trip into the building, a young man began shouting across the lobby, then whistling. No one could figure out what was going on. Apparently, my handtruck was not “allowed” in the building. I found it rather odd that, after using it to move in and move most of my goods out, it would suddenly be a problem. In addition, many other exhibitors were doing the same thing. I checked with one of them and he indicated that he does this for most of his shows and this was the first time there had been a problem.

Apparently, we were all supposed to utilize the cart service. You know, the one that previously quoted me $300 for 15 minutes of labor. Additionally, the people running the cart service were to decide when we would be able to utilize the service, which could have been the next day if they felt like it. Remembering the napping Teamster, I informed the young man that I did not have $300, unleashed a verbal torrent of logical argument at him, and then turned and walked away, leaving him stunned and speechless. Gee, was it the logical part?

Freeman does have a rather vague definition of handtruck it uses to attempt to force you to pay $300 or more for 15 minutes of cart service, but since we had been approved on the way in, and we had loaded in and almost completely loaded out, I could not see what this person’s problem was. If he was concerned about a safety issue, one guy was using an electric cart with a plywood platform tied to the back of it with what looked to be a shoelace. The man would put the cart into high gear, and the platform would swing wildly from side to side, smacking aside anything in its path. No Teamster in sight showed the slightest interest in this man.

Overall, our best advice to startup entrepreneurs would be to keep your dealings with Freeman to a bare minimum and watch every fee they want to throw at you. Do as much as you can do yourself, and if you do have to utilize Freeman/, have someone at the booth at all times supervising to make sure you are not paying for nap time.

TRADE SHOWS PART 13 - MOVING IN AND OUT ("PUBLIC" SHOWS)

Moving in and out of shows is like taking a temp job and being faced with an unfamiliar copy machine. It’s supposed to be familiar and pretty easy to operate, but you know it’s the little things that will make it seem like a mountain instead of a molehill.

This blog is about the little things in a startup entrepreneur’s life, and when I polled a few, they all agreed that the move-in and move-out tasks were a great deal more stressful than they realized.

For shows open to the public, they have been pretty easy. You go, you park, you unload. On the last day, you go, you park, and at the end of the day, you load. However, here are some suggestions for making things easier on you, especially if it is your first time:

Moving In

1. Before you even go, find out exactly where you are supposed to go to “load in”, or move into your booth. It can be outside, inside, on a loading dock, at a certain door, etc. Once I get my show information, I review a diagram of the facility where the show is to be held and the directions given me. I look for the traffic patterns, where the doors are, where the loading dock is, and where my booth is in relation to all of this. If the directions in the materials are not clear, I call or email and ask for clarification. I need to do much less asking now, but at first it was a common occurrence.

3. Plan to arrive and move in as early as possible. It gets nuts as the day goes on. Often, if I can get there right when move-in opens, I can be in and out before things get out of hand.

3. If you have kids, make arrangements for care ahead of time. This is no place for kids , and most shows prohibit anyone under 16 during move-in and move-out times. Sharp objects, exposed electrical equipment with lots of voltage, forklifts and other heavy equipment, and stacks of heavy, teetering boxes are everywhere.

2. Give yourself lots of time. Don’t plan any other activities for the move-in day. Just plan to move in and nothing else. I speak from experience (the Fed Ex guy is nice, but can’t hold the truck because I got held up trying to move in).

2. Find out how much it will cost you to park to move in, and what the details are. Do you need to pay for parking before you can get onto the loading dock or into the parking lot closest to the door you need to use? In most cases, parking is free for moving in. Some places have a time limit—only the first hour or two is free, and then you pay. Knowing ahead of time will help you strategize. Qwest Field in Seattle has a bizarre rule. If you move in the morning of the show, you have to first pay to park in the garage, then leave the garage and go to the loading dock to unload. However, you cannot buy a one-day pass and go do this; you have to buy a three-day pass. These people are obviously too used to dealing with pro football players if they don’t think people can see through this scam.

3. What are the parking arrangements? You can buy a pass for the duration of the show or pay by the day. The pass allows in-out privileges, the daily tickets don’t. Assess your needs, alternate travel and parking arrangements, and buy accordingly. Often, you cannot buy a multi-day pass once the show has started, so if you need a pass, get it when you move in. If you are staying in an RV, public shows often have special RV parking rates for overnighters.

4. Before unloading, find the show desk, check in, get any questions answered and problems solved, locate your booth space and the best route to take to get your stuff to it, and only then unload your stuff and move it to your booth. It will save you all kinds of stress and make loading in faster and easier. Your goods are safe in your vehicle until you are ready to deal with them no one has to stand around with a load of stuff while you check in and find your booth space.

5. A note about cart services. In some places carts are provided free of charge. In other facilities, you pay ($35 or so for half an hour) for cart rental. In many cases, the half hour cart rental includes getting back to your booth with your cart and then getting it back to the rental place. If you are a ten-minute walk away, you can see the problem. We suggest investing in a good handtruck/dolly/cart thing that can fit into your vehicle, and/or a folding, heavy-duty “luggage” cart. This goes back to a previous blog entry regarding booth design and portability.

4. Be courteous. People are tired and running on caffeine and adrenaline, and there is a great deal of activity occurring. I try to be conscious of others as I wheel my way through the maze. Introduce yourself to your booth neighbors when you get the chance. Offer to assist during setup if you see someone in need. Good vibes go a long way.

Moving Out

Moving out is much the same as moving in, only it happens much quicker. Some shows only give you eight to 10 hours to move out; others you can also do things the following day. On the final day of the show, I park strategically in the morning (arrive earlier and park as close as possible and in a place that allows the truck to be easily loaded. When the show ends, I can break down my booth and, using my nifty cart/handtruck, I can simply haul my stuff to the truck in the parking area. I may have to haul my stuff farther, but I get some exercise and get out of there a lot sooner and with a great deal less hassle than if I had attempted to utilize the load-out area provided.

If the show is local and I can come back the next day, I do so. I break down the booth and pack up everything, leave it at my space and leave the mayhem behind, go to the Bamboo Bar and Grill for some relaxation and recap with friends and family, then come back the next morning when there is no traffic or mayhem. I can often drive right to my booth space (even in a convention center or stadium), pack up the truck on the spot, and head out. With gas prices the way they are, though, I may have to rethink this strategy.

TRADE SHOWS PART 12 - VEGAS RECAP

The National Hardware Show in Vegas turned out to be a great show for us, even better than the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago. We thought the opposite would be true.

In Chicago, one-third of the booth traffic was buyers and the other two-thirds was a mix of reps, industry professionals, and social groups and individuals just out of the house for the day. In Vegas, two-thirds of the booth traffic was buyers, and the other one-third was reps, industry professionals, and only a sprinkling of individuals just browsing. Now that we know, we are less inclined to go to Chicago next year and put more effort into our Vegas booth.

Additionally, the conversations we had in Vegas were quite relevant and convinced us make some major changes in our product manufacturing and marketing strategies, which will help our growth tremendously in the long run. We did not get the same kind of feedback in Chicago.

It may have helped that we changed our booth design for the Vegas show, but it seemed to be more than that. It seemed to be the focus of the event organizers on buying versus browsing. It cost attendees $100 to get into the show, no one under 18 was admitted (no moms and babies out for the day), there were some serious efforts to promote networking among show participants, and overall, it was just a more professional and productive experience.

We will definitely be going back to Vegas, we don’t know yet about Chicago.

TRADE SHOWS PART 11 - ADVERTISING

When you sign up for a trade show, you will be inundated with faxes and emails wanting you to spend money on various forms of advertising before, during and after the show. These include sponsored emails, video clips, ads in trade show publications, spots on various websites, electronic panel displays, new product showcase, etc. All in all, a dizzying array of possibilities for the show organizers to make more money off of you.

Enough already! Hang onto your hard-earned, limited dollars. Thomas, Mr. Sales and Marketing, has spent a great deal of time reviewing this information and testing out a couple of these ploys with our products, and he has concluded that the only one on which he would spend money again is an ad in the show’s publication that is handed out during the show. It’s a big, glossy magazine that mostly contains ads and articles about new products. Everyone picks one up and at least passively leafs through it, so this publication has the potential top present your product to a pretty wide audience.

I must add a caveat here. We did buy space in a “new product showcase” at our target show, the International Home and Housewares Show, and it may indeed be the one thing that gets us into Real Simple Magazine. It was where they discovered our products, rather than seeing our booth. As with most things in life, rules are better thought of as guidelines.

My personal experience tells me to avoid anything video. These shows resemble an ant farm, and my observation is that no one stands still long enough to actually pay attention to anything video.

I would also stay away from anything to do with broadcast emails to show attendees. Organizers put out so many emails prior to the show that I am sure no one has the time to read them. I end up deleting most of them without opening them.

I have a similar opinion of website advertising. Once I download the manual and get the information I need, I only rarely visit the show’s website again because I simply don’t need to. The site may get lots of hits, but your ad won’t necessarily get noticed.

I received a call the other day from a woman wanting us to spend another $300 putting our fliers in a display rack for buyers to take and to drive traffic to our booth. Since our limited experience points to the fact that buyers do not really utilize this information, we opted out.

We have learned that most buyers spend one day at the show, they know what they are looking for, and they don’t spend a lot of time perusing pieces of information first. They hit the show floor running, booth after booth, dismissing in a millisecond all that is not in their product category, and move on. What’s probably going to catch their attention the most is good, catchy, booth design that allows them to quickly scan and understand your wares and make a decision about your company’s products and ability to deliver the quantities they need.

TRADE SHOWS PART 10 - CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!

We are on our way to Vegas for the National Hardware Show. We have no money despite how well we are doing, so we are going on the cheap. I can’t say that our cheap fixes will work for you, but perhaps we can give you some ideas that you can modify to suit your needs:

1. You can’t always find a show in a town where you have friends or relatives to stay with, but if you can, crash their pads. These people want you to be successful, and they feel invested in the process of getting you there when they can help out by providing a place to stay for the show or stop overnight on your way there.

1a. If you belong to a timeshare, stay there if you can! Also, many of these companies offer discounted airline tickets or other perks that can be used to ease the financial burden of travel.

2. Our friends and family, those who fly often and who have amassed airline miles they cannot use, have been very generous with them when we have needed them. We have had to buy four airline tickets since January, and all of them have been obtained with donated miles. Also, if you have a companion fare or a voucher, now is a good time to use them.

3. Spend some time calculating whether it would be cheaper to fly, drive, or get there by some other means. With airline tickets obtained using donated miles, it was definitely cheaper to fly from Seattle to Chicago and pay the $1000 it cost to ship our booth there and back rather than drive our truck across country for several days, paying for food, gas, and lodging along the way.

4. Some businesses have minimized their booth design such that they can get everything to a show via checked baggage and mailing a few extra boxes to the place they are staying. Most hotels and motels will accept your packages if you are a paying guest and they know ahead of time the boxes are coming.

5. Although we could not financially justify buying a ready-made booth backdrop, they can potentially save you a lot of money if 1) exhibit at shows frequently, and 2) the rest of your display can be boxed and shipped. New, they cost about $2500 apiece. However, they fold into their own shipping container and can be carried as checked luggage or shipped via UPS or Fed Ex. This gives you more flexibility in your shipping options which can lead to substantial savings, making the backdrop pay for itself over time.

6. The reservation services the show provides don’t usually have the best travel and lodging deals. You can get better deals searching on your own online for travel deals and budget hotels near the show location. For our Vegas show the cheapest room through the booking service was about $120 per night. I found us the Villa Roma Inn, which received uniformly great reviews on TripAdvisor. We have wi-fi, a pool and patio area, we are off the Strip, and we are easy walking distance to both the Strip and the convention center. We are sharing a room with two double beds, and our five-night stay is less than $300 for the two of us.

7. If you can, bring food, water, drinks, etc. on show days. Convention centers have uniformly mediocre food at best that is way overpriced. You and your pocketbook will be much happier with your own food and drinks.

That’s all I have for now. As always, sharing is good—keep the comments coming.