(Think of us as your friendly logistics floor manager)
Worried your booth properties could be a trade show no-show?
Get your logistics wrong and hefty late fees, a damaged booth, or worse yet—an empty spot on the trade show floor—are the penalty. With BWS behind you, you’ll focus on what you do best—delivering exceptional experiences that allow your brand to shine.
Set aside some of your trade show stress
Careful handling
Deliver your booth properties to their destination in perfect condition with our deep network of vetted, industry-seasoned carriers and the highest level of shipment protection.
Responsive experts
Simplify your work with an all-in-one source for complex trade show logistics, including material handling agreement support, storage solutions, and on-site representation.
On-time delivery
Get your gear to the show on time—even amid a capacity crunch—with experienced drivers who respect no-fail timelines and understand venue requirements.
Stay in the loop—anytime, anywhere
You’ll save time and beat back stress with our easy-to-use customer portal.
• Customizable dashboard
• Simple shipment search
• Dock to dock freight visibility
• Centralized document management
• Streamlined communication
“It’s great to have a partner that understands the complexities and time-sensitive nature of trade show shipments. I would highly recommend!”
Colin May, Director of Operations
Average 10 years of trade show logistics experience
Minimizing surprises and simplifying your day is what fuels our fire—and we do it well. Whether you’re moving massive LED video walls for your largest industry trade show of the year—or a booth and product for private events and seminars, we’ve got you covered. Consider us your logistics co-pilot.
Single, experienced point of contact
Proactive shipment monitoring
On-call personnel to handle any situation—anytime
Tech-centric approach for exceptional visibility, safety, and efficiency
Expansive network of trade show transportation capacity, including OTR, LTL, expedited, and air freight
Getting your booth properties to the show—safely and on time
It takes deep experience to understand the nuance involved in time-sensitive, business-critical trade show shipments.
Here’s how we do it successfully.
- Leverage advance warehousing to ensure Murphy’s Law doesn’t get in the way of your great event
- Thoroughly understand your trade show move in, move out, and marshaling yard requirements to avoid penalties
- Ensure gear is clearly labeled so it gets back to you quickly
- Leverage partial truckload options to minimize handling and breakage
- Add per-load cargo coverage to mitigate your risk exposure for high-value loads
Getting your booth properties to the show—safely and on time
It takes deep experience to understand the nuance involved in time-sensitive, business-critical trade show shipments.
Here’s how we do it successfully.
- Leverage advance warehousing to ensure Murphy’s Law doesn’t get in the way of your great event
- Thoroughly understand your trade show move in, move out, and marshaling yard requirements to avoid penalties
- Ensure gear is clearly labeled so it gets back to you quickly
- Leverage partial truckload options to minimize handling and breakage
- Add per-load cargo coverage to mitigate your risk exposure for high-value loads
Specialized trade show services—all-under-one-roof
Whatever you need, we’ve got you covered.
Advance warehouse, direct-to-show, and show-to-show shipping
Material handling agreement (MHA) support
Full, on-site representation as needed
Short- and long-term warehousing solutions nationwide
Installation and dismantle labor and equipment on request
New to trade show shipping?
Protect your marketing budget. Beat back stress. Our experienced team helps you navigate logistics complexity with answers to frequently asked questions and simple shipping tips.
What is trade show freight?
If it’s not hand carried, it’s trade show freight. This freight can include the pop-up displays, video walls, vendor products, and marketing collateral shipped to and from trade show events by commercial carriers.
Exhibiting involves sizable labor and expense, and shipping trade show freight on time and in perfect condition is complex. It’s critical that these materials are handled by experienced trade show logistics partners. You only get one shot to get it right.
How to ship a trade show booth
To successfully ship your booth, plan your trade show shipping at least 45 days in advance and explore third-party shipping options for the most competitive freight rates. We also encourage you to study the show kit and material handling agreement carefully to avoid unexpected costs and use inbound advanced warehousing to minimize your risk of failure.
An experienced trade show logistics partner can manage this for you.
What are trade show shipping costs?
Your trade show shipping rates are determined by the weight, dimensions, and shipping class of your gear; mileage; mode of transportation (e.g. truck, air); fuel prices; transit time (standard vs expedited shipping); material handling charges; advance warehousing fees, if applicable; and cargo insurance premiums.
What is advance warehousing?
Advanced warehousing enables exhibitors to store trade show freight at a location near the event, often 30-45 days before the show starts. This is often cheaper than shipping direct-to-show and it mitigates the risk of added fees or delivery failure in the event of an accident, severe weather, sick driver, or transportation market disruption.
What is a Material Handling Agreement?
A trade show Material Handling Agreement (MHA) is a contract between the exhibitor and the company responsible for receiving and releasing freight to and from a carrier, moving gear to a booth location on the exhibit floor, and storing empty skids, crates, and cases.
The agreement will include:
- The booth number
- Inbound and outbound carrier information
- Emergency contacts
- An itemized list of trade show freight
- Target ship-in and ship-out windows
How to reduce material handling costs
Material handling fees are largely determined by weight and piece count. So you can cut costs by choosing lightweight display options, not mixing gear when shipping multiple booths to an event, crating and palletizing trade show freight to ship as fewer pieces, not stacking outbound gear on the show floor, and consolidating all materials onto a single truck.
What are target ship-in and ship-out windows?
Outlined in the trade show’s Material Handling Agreement, these windows define when a carrier may deliver and pick up trade show freight without incurring additional charges. Carriers with high on-time rates and clarity on ship–in/ship-out windows are key to avoiding unexpected fees.
Seasoned trade show logistics partners can manage this process for exhibitors.
What are forced freight charges?
A booth becomes forced freight if the outbound carrier misses their targeted ship-out window. The gear is then either moved to a warehouse for an added charge or shipped out with the show shipper, who may charge a higher freight rate.
You can specify your preference in the Material Handling Agreement.
Partnering with experienced trade show logistics partners and commercial carriers can help minimize the risk of forced freight charges.
How can we help?
Fast answers. Instant peace of mind. Discover how BWS delivers simple solutions to your most complex trade show logistics challenges.
Give us a call at +1 (732) 333-3238 or send us a message.
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