Exhibit of the Month:
Affordable Exhibit Previews
Performing an exhibit preview prior to a show is the only way we know to be sure that an exhibit kit is free of wear-and-tear related damage and show-ready. It provides everyone involved with a complete picture of the work required.
However, it’s not a task that should be taken lightly because it’s often a lot more work than anticipated and, like most important things, it’s not cheap. Depending on the size of the exhibit, a preview can cost from the low thousands to the high tens of thousands of dollars.
While allowing your exhibit company to do the work is usually the best way to go, some companies may find the cost out of reach. So, here is a less costly, four-step alternative to a full-fledged preview:
1. When you are still on the show floor, stick around for your booth’s dismantle. Take photos of any properties that need post-show repair and write detailed notes describing the damages.
2. Later, have your exhibit company pull the main display properties and lay them out so that they can be inspected for damage in-transit.
3. Schedule the necessary repairs.
4. Finally, schedule a preview of only the repaired items.
Now, we believe that the above plan is actually the best and only safe
alternative to a full exhibit preview and, for a lot of very good reasons,
we advise our clients not to do this kind of work on their own. However,
we also know that there are some incorrigible do-it-yourselfers out there
who will insist on performing their own previews. So, here are a few steps
you can take to make sure that your exhibit preview doesn’t turn
into a DIY nightmare:
· Make sure that you have an appropriate facility available to handle the project where it won’t get in the way of your company’s regular work;
· Once you’ve selected your facility, check with your insurance company to see if you’re covered for this type of labor. More often than not, you won’t be, so you’ll have to obtain a rider covering any potential liabilities. Ignoring this step can be far more costly than you can possibly imagine.
· Make sure that your labor team is intimately familiar with local and federal safety regulations for the type of work they will be performing and/or the machinery they will be operating.
· Hire an experienced project manager equipped with step-by-step booth assembly instructions.
· Mistakes will happen, so be sure to build about one to six weeks of additional time into your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems. The larger the exhibit, the bigger the time-cushion you’ll need.
A final word of advice, whatever you do, do not you could try to pull
things off by the skin of your teeth, using just any old location and
whatever manpower you happen to have on hand. We know several companies
who have done just that. Some of them are still in business.