5 Tips to Protect Your Exhibit during Dismantle
The trade show is over, your team is exhausted, but the work isn’t quite done yet. Tear-down is the phase when your exhibit is most likely to be damaged – so here are a few ways you can plan ahead to minimize labor costs and protect your investment.
1. Start Planning for Tear-Down in the Design Phase
A killer exhibit doesn’t have to mean difficult assembly and disassembly. Right from the start, we can plan to minimize complex elements. For instance, adding graphics to your booth at our warehouse rather than at the trade show will lower your costs and save you time.
2. Troubleshoot in Advance
You know your exhibit best – so be sure to brainstorm a list of the equipment and tools needed to tear down your exhibit, and make sure they’ll be available. If you’re working with an exhibit company, such as VOXX, they should have the right equipment, but communication is key. If you’re doing tear-down yourself, you’ll want to bring your own equipment or make sure it’ll be available in the exhibit hall. Make an inventory list before assembly – it’ll be a huge time-saver during tear-down.
3. Try Trade Show Management Services
VOXX and other exhibit companies typically offer more than design and building – think of us as event planners, too. We can alleviate a lot of stress by negotiating money-saving deals with reliable companies that specialize in installation and dismantling. Be sure to request the same team for set-up and tear-down so they’ll already be familiar with your exhibit when it’s time to dismantle. If you aren’t satisfied with the team for any reason, request a change. You’re paying for professional service, and it’s important that you get it.
4. Appoint a Supervisor
You can save a lot of confusion by putting a single organizer in charge of setup and tear-down. Your supervisor should be on hand to check for any shortcuts or errors in assembly, and handle them on the spot. If you’ve hired an installation and dismantling team, you can save money on overtime by scheduling next-day tear-down. No matter who’s in charge, be sure your exhibit is never left unattended throughout the show.
5. Prepare Your Crew
Success is all about the details. Before setup, tell your team exactly how you want the job done. Be detailed about your expectations and exchange contact information, so you can continue communicating during and after the show. When the show is over, your team will be tired and ready to go home. Be sure your supervisor can arrive rested in order to handle the tear-down process properly.
Match every exhibit piece to your original inventory, and label each crate clearly. To avoid damage, you may also want to have a labeled packing sheet to show where everything is supposed to go and in which crate. Being well-prepared for tear-down will save time, money and resources, and protect the structural integrity of your exhibit.
