AAACK! He said that WORD again!! DRAYAGE
If there is one word that is sure to raise the ire of an exhibitor, it’s DRAYAGE.
Wikipedia states that it originally meant, “To transport by a sideless cart”.
I guess that some things never change because most show site “sideless carts” handle drayage to this day. They’re called freight dollies and forklifts now, but the philosophy is the same.
Drayage is the cost for moving freight into and out of exhibit halls and storing empty containers and is based on a per hundred pound [CWT] rate and on time of delivery.
We were in Philadelphia recently and the regular time drayage rate for the show was close enough to be $100.00 per CWT.
In anybody’s book, that is expensive.
It’s a hard cost that eats at trade show budgets and drives folks crazy. . . but here are three easy ways to control your costs.
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Minimize what you are shipping –Go through your crates and pull out all the material or structure that is not essential to your show. You would be surprised to see what you don’t really need and how much it weighs. Do you really need to ship four counters when you are only going to use two?
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Consolidate – Don’t, repeat, do NOT send in lots of lose packages like cartons of literature. Some companies charge a package minimum regardless of weight. Try to avoid sending in three thirty pound cartons of literature for Sunday delivery. They just might cost $100 each in drayage charges, to move them fifty feet from the dock to your exhibit space. Instead, if you can, bring small packages in by yourself, or at the least, palletize them so that you are not dealing with minimums for each one.
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Consider Rental – Certain companies specialize in custom/hybrid exhibit rentals. These specifically designed rental properties use lightweight components and are usually offered in an all-inclusive program. That is, you have the exhibit designed and set up waiting for you at the site. Drayage, utilities and site labor are normal inclusions and based on your custom exhibit, can save significant budget dollars.
The cost of exhibiting is probably not going to get less expensive any time soon, so plan ahead and spend your budget where it’ll do you the most good.
For more information on additional cost cutting tips, feel free to contact us direct.
Wow Bill, some great tips here in controlling your costs. I have a mate in the tradeshow biz and will flick him your blog post. I trust he can gain some useful information from this.
High fives – keep them coming!
Sam Mutimer
http://www.letsrefresh.com.au/blog
Wow Bill! What a great post with some valuable tips on how to control costs here. I have a friend in the trade show business world – twitter name @warwickmerry. There is some really useful information here and I know he will soak this up! High fives! Keep the posts coming!
Sam Mutimer
http://www.letsrefresh.com.au/blog
Bill, solid advice. Thanks for the drayage tips.
Whenever I’m talking with someone for the first time, I throw in the word, “drayage”. If they don’t have a clue, I know they’re a rookie and I have a baseline to start from.
Gail
Good perspective: I hear resentment from folks who feel it is a kind of extortion, since they have no way to opt out of the drayage fees, such as hiring their own workers, moving the material themselves, etc. The expression: “got us over a barrel” has been employed.
That’s been a traditional feeling throughout the industry here in the States Brian – Particularly so in working with International clients who have no idea what “drayage” really is. Traditional International markets make no concession at all for this service. Most halls are open with scheduled shipping time and either the company itself or a representative builder has free access to the site during that time.
It works very well throughout Europe and Asia. But then again, Europe and Asia are not as “Union” specific as we are here in the states.
Bill
Hi Gail – thanks so much for the comment – Yes, “Drayage” is a term that has a tendency to help qualify experience levels in the business, isn’t it.
Hope you enjoyed the comments from BJ – her view was very refreshing!
Bill
Hi Sam – Thanks so much! Help us to spread the word – there are a lot of folks from Australia and New Zealand that we would enjoy reaching out to!
EXPECT the BEST!
Bill
Hi Brian – So sorry – I just found your great comment on my blog and wanted to thank you for taking the time to comment.
Please check back from time to time and feel free to leave your thoughts. We just interviewed Don Freeman of The Freeman Companies and will be posting his comments soon.
If you like what you read here, please spread the word!
Expect the BEST!
Bill