Whether you refer to it as “drayage” or “material handling”, it is a necessary process that can be your ticket to exhibiting success or your source of logistical nightmare.

So here are drayage tips and techniques I’ve come across at TSEA’s website, which will help you minimize last-minute costs and eliminate headaches in preparing for your next show:

• Check the service manual for deadline dates. Do not pay unnecessary late charges by missing deadlines or target dates.

• Check with the service contractor to make sure your materials have arrived. The sooner you know there is a problem, the easier it is to solve it.

• Save money by consolidating your shipments. There is a minimum charge for each individual shipment.

• Make sure containers are really empty before applying an EMPTY sticker. It is expensive and sometimes impossible to retrieve a container once it has been removed from your booth.

When you plan the design of your exhibit, pay attention to what your clients and prospects will walk on when they visit you at the show. 

But how will you know which type of flooring should you go for?  There’s no specific rule of thumb on which flooring you should use for your stand. However, here are some pointers that may help you decide the type of walk that will keep your clients talking even after the show:

1. A raised floor enables you to organize your wires and pipes out of sight but be aware that many venues will require a ramp for disabled access.
2. Make your floor interactive.  You can accomplish this by using holograms, a custom-lit floor system or even with state-of-the-art liquid encased floor tiles. The only disadvantage for these types of floor is the high cost.

Remember that flooring comes in a wide range of textures, finishes and colors— it is important that you consider it as part of your exhibit’s overall design.

Did you know that a live presentation is the third most important reason people remember an exhibit booth, after display size and product interest? This is according to tradeshow experts and researchers who have surveyed and observed event attendees over the years.

Whether it’s a staged product demonstration, a theatrical skit or a magic show, a live presentation has a strong potential to attract a throng of visitors to your booth. Here, at Nomadic, we have a brief list of tips that we refer to whenever we plan for a live booth presentation. I am sharing them with you so you can also properly plan your own presentation for your next event.

1. Consider your show objectives
   Use your presentation to help achieve your objectives and to enhance your message or show theme. Be careful not to get carried away with a great idea and lose sight of the objective.
2. Project the right image
   Decide what image you want to project and the best way to convey your company and product message.
3. Think about your audience
   Always think about the audience you want to attract and what you want them to get from experiencing the presentation.
4. Have a realistic budget
   Your budget is going to be a primary determining factor as to the type of presentation your company could consider. Be realistic.
5. Be professional
   Whatever form of presentation you choose, always be professional. Expect everyone to scrutinize your corporate image at the event.
6. Grab attention and encourage action
   Consider the best ways to promote your presentation—a special mailing, advertising or the Internet. Give visitors an incentive to attend, such as a gift, discount or a special demonstration.
7. Focus your staff
   Communicate and involve your staff. Let them know exactly what you expect of them before, during and after each presentation.
8. Deal with logistical issues
   Major issues to consider are how much space you want the presentation to fill. Ensure that the presentation does not interfere with fellow exhibitors and respects the adjoining space.
9. Evaluate success
   Plan prior to the show how you will measure the success of the presentation: will it be based on the number of people attending, or the number of leads collected?

For more valuable tips and advice to improve your booth presentation, request for a copy of our Event Professional CD.

In keeping with the trade show communities push for “green” initiatives we are pleased to announce that Nomadic has recently taken steps towards reducing carbon footprints with a more eco-friendly fabric. In April, we launched our new Eco-Fi™ fabric, which contains polyester derived from 100% certified, post-consumer plastic bottles. Right now, we’re offering them in two colors. However, we’re looking at expanding that fabric’s color range in the next few months.

If you haven’t heard about Eco-fi yet, I encourage you to ask your friendly Nomadic Display Consultant to show you samples of the fabric. And if you decide to purchase a 10-foot Eco-fi fabric pop up display, you will help keep 80 bottles (which take 700 years to decompose – yikes!) out of the landfill.

We have also taken steps to start printing all of our collateral material including our company Product catalog and any mailings on FSC approved paper. FSC (The Forest Stewardship Council) is an international, independent, not-for-profit organization that promotes paper made of pulp harvested from responsibly managed forests. So the next time you receive one of our printed pieces be sure to take note of the FSC certified logo.

In the coming months, I hope to provide you with additional updates as Nomadic fulfills its commitment to a greener and cleaner earth.  By the way, did you know that there’s an upcoming World Environment Day of June 5th spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Programme?

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator