tradeshowgypsy

Many Gold Coins to be had…

As gypsy’s go we are a discerning lot, and full of pride in our work! Though some may call it crafty, or think less of us because we travel from place to place with our wears; we are smart and get the job done in record-time thus saving money and making it look like magic.

For you my gypsies I am revealing certain (NOT ALL) secrets to the trade to make things look easy. Smoke and mirrors of course!

SMOKE

Show hosts want you to sign-up early because it secures their event and gives them the resources they need to host a good show. When you sign-up on the show floor a year in advance there is a significant reduction in price and you secure a great booth space.

You can also garner early marketing from this event if you sponsor and have your logo included on the show website, advertising through banner ads as a part of your show/exhibit package or other early promotion for the show. Show hosts that are active on social media sites can also give you even more marketing exposure by posting your sposnorship/speaker/new product announcement for the conference; and other noted marketing campaings throughout the year.  A year’s worth of online marketing and cost savings, not bad for a GYPSY 😉

Early-bird rates are one of the easiest ways to save money and add it to those goals and objectives again for your performance appraisal. This hard work has a 3-fold return; to save money, secure your booth space, and get good show floor placement. Otherwise prepare yourself to listen to the staff saying; “Why are we way out here?…This sucks…no way anyone is coming back here”, “How am I supposed to get leads with this pole in the way? (Beware booth with POLE/PILLAR/ELECTRICAL HUB!); I have a whole slew of answers to those responses but that is for another post!

If you can save your organization $500-1000 at every show in just signing-up early, make your case and get it through the system; and by the end of your show year you will have saved $$$$$$$$$, lots of those! If you are hosting an event and working with a conference facility/hotel early-bird rates will extend to you as well; that venue wants to be BOOKED!

MIRRORS

When you get your show kit or service order sheets, the minute you open the box with the huge binder or receive an online show/event kit; respond right then!  If you set it aside and do not note the dates, cha-ching the price goes up!

Each service often has its own early-bird expiration date. I once received a show kit to find out that the early-bird rate had expired 2 days prior to receipt; as it was a short window (5-days including the weekend); and snail-mail delivery was not in time. I had to take a picture of the sent date and received date and had to call the show organizer/service company to get the early-bird rate. (What a gypsy goes through to save those coins!) AYE!

Order your services, Electrical, Furniture, Carpet/Padding, Flooring, Cleaning, Floral, Audio/Visual, Meeting Room Space (if you choose to have it on the show floor/or at your hotel), entertainment, support staff, photography, and Catering. Take a look at the shipper documentation and see if that has an early-bird rate for booking as well, if not call them and ask them if they offer one.

COINS!!

The amount of money you can save in just ordering early will benefit everyone involved! Being the generous gypsy that you are, you want everyone to have the best time at your event with as little that can go awry as possible.

Nothing can throw a dagger into a show like missing ancillary services that have to be ordered on the show floor! Sometimes non-experienced staff (or lazy, uncaring…etc., etc’s…) that will pay anything not to have to do it themselves and point the finger at you when the bill comes in! Or an event that you really do not want to have one tiny little question as to where is the???; or have to let your client know, oh by the way there is this little addition; the worst yet, start chewing that costly piece of crow that just took out your commission!

Take a look in that little velvet bag and watch those gold coins multiply as your show/conference/event is planned you will find that the earlier you begin the more coins you will have left and the more you will be rewarded for saving coins for the clan!