They look so great and graceful (well, mostly) hanging in the air over the show floor. But somebody had to get hanging signs up there. Usually, it’s up to you to get the job done.

Hanging your completed sign has a few steps:

• Put in the order for the riggers well in advance of the show.
• Assemble the sign.
• Spot the location above the booth where the sign is to hang.
• Attach the aircraft cables
• Hoist the sign.
• Make sure it is turned the way you want it.

Obviously, this is all done in cooperation with your rigging contractor. By putting the order in well in advance, you take advantage of any discounts. When you arrive at the show, check in at the service desk and, if you can predict it, let them know when you’ll be ready for the riggers to come. Read More...

Laying carpet and pad may seem like a simple thing, but executed accurately, it can save you time and money, make your staff comfortable and improve the appearance of your booth immensely.

At this show we did several things:

1. Notched the pad for the cables so that the carpet on top laid flat
2. Measured from one lead corner
3. Covered our finished work with visqueen

The guys started by taping off the lines of the 20×30 space with double-stick tape. This defines the edges of the booth and will eventually hold the carpet in place.

Next, the pad is rolled out. Usually, the pad is rolled in the opposite direction that the carpet is rolled. Since we have 4 rolls of 5 x 30-foot pad, we choose to roll the length of the booth to minimize seems. Once the pad is down, we notch it to accommodate the large electrical cords that will beneath the booth. Here in Chicago, the electrical power and internet/phone come from floor boxes, two of which are within the perimeter of the space. The large flat supply cords and round extensions are cut around and taped to the floor. The pad is taped together, but not to the floor, except in a few key places with gaff/duct tape to keep the edges from sliding. Read More...

If you can get to show site early, one of the best uses of your time is to work with the electricians on the installation of your power in your booth.

At NACS in Chicago, I had a great experience with the electricians and telecom guys. They followed direction well, made solid suggestions and worked fast. If I hadn’t been there to talk with them, they would have just worked off a diagram and put things where we guessed they should be.

When you respect the union rules and work with them, things get done well–usually. This time it worked. Read More...

One of the biggest time savers in terms of getting things off and running with your I&D crew is staging freight around your booth. That is, arranging the crates with your exhibit packed in them for optimum use around the empty space.

I was fortunate enough at this show (the NACS show in Chicago for Retalix) to arrive early enough to meet the driver and work with the forklift driver. As the crates came off the truck, we spotted them around the empty floor space. I got to my “cage” first and that allowed me to get drawings, cables and other early-need items. The rest (carpet & pad, hanging sign, first cabinets) were then arranged as to sequential need.

A side benefit was that the booth space was “walled off” from the adjacent aisle and kept other forklift drivers from crossing the space. Read More...

I stand corrected. My copy of Trade Show Executive arrived today and in it was their annual “Gold 100″ of top trade shows.

NACS is number 52. I had my stats wrong. Read More...