Comments on: Exhibit Damaged While Shipping? A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

By: J Brown

J Brown — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:54:42 +0000

Great article and definitely a must-do for exhibitors. It’s always good to have clear records.

By: Mike Thimmesch

Mike Thimmesch — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:14:06 +0000

Hello John,

Sorry you had to go through the worm hole to get paid by your carrier. Not fun! You could also use locks to secure the latches, too. That’s what the holes in the latches are designed for, although your solution is very clever — no need to worry about remembering keys or combinations!

By: Norm Galbraith

Norm Galbraith — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:20:12 +0000

We ship machinery to our shows. In both of the last two shows, the crates have been dropped on their side. This caused a lot of damage to the machines. They are both about 300lb machines. The problem I get is finger pointing between the freight carrier, and the drayage management. Nobody takes credit.

By: John Weber

John Weber — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:42:15 +0000

We had an issue recently where one of our mirage cases was damaged and our frame lost. After a long battle with the carrier we did secure payment under the insurance we paid for.

Now, what we do is we tie-wrap the latches on our Mirage’s shut – we tie from the holes on the latches down to the handle with heavy duty tie-wraps you can get at Home Depot or Lowes in the electrical section, and take pictures of them tie-wrapped shut. Wash-rinse-repeat on the return trip back to us.

So far, knock on wood, no additional issues have occurred.

By: Steven James

Steven James — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:01:55 +0000

If you are reading this, you probably care enough already and reading the rest of this comment is probably a waste of your time, but…
As someone who manages exhibitors’ consignments, especially those being shipped internationally, may I make a small interjection in defense of carriers? Yes, I am sometimes shocked to see how consignments are handled, but I am frequently surprised by the lack of protection and care exhibitors take with their packing.
In these cases it is not surprising that damage occurs. I often re-pack consignments entrusted to me (at my cost) just to avoid the animosity and grief at or after a show.
Some simple thoughts to keep in mind next time you pack:
- If you are despatching goods, ensure that display materials and equipment are packed in rigid cases (zip-up bags offer NO protection, and I consider them inadequate for freight).
- If practicable, get large-format sign printing done locally to your show. It will save a fortune in shipping, and reduce the risk of damage considerably. In this age of the internet, this is much more easy and controllable than it used to be.
- Pack publicity and display stock in double-walled cardboard boxes packed to the top (with scrunched up newspaper, if necessary) and sealed across the join of the flaps and around the edges formed by the closed flaps – they then will not collapse when stacked.

By: Paradigm Field Marketing

Paradigm Field Marketing — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:05:15 +0000

Indeed – we sent one of our large format signs to Europe last year. When it returned to the States, I was left with a damaged sign, and the cost of having union workers on ladders hand-cleaning the damage inflicted by European installers. Lesson learned – take note and photograph how installers are treating your booth before and after the show.

By: Sebastien Robillard

Sebastien Robillard — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:22:32 +0000

This is a great article, I will send it to one of our clients who recently got one of his crate 24 damaged and is now stuck with the bill for replacement. I’m sure it’s a new procedure they will integrate to their tradeshow program.

By: Laurie Hight

Laurie Hight — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:17:49 +0000

Great points Dan! It is very important that you note damages on the Bill of Lading and have the driver sign-off; this procedure has saved us on several occasions and helps expedite the freight claim process. Also, if you arrive at your exhibit space and observe damages, request a show decorator representative immediately to file a claim.

Out of curiousity, for transit insurance, do you add a separate insurance plan in addition to your standard insurance or just add insurance through the carrier?

By: Dan Spigner

Dan Spigner — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:46:55 +0000

I also would recommend calling your carrier ASAP as they may want to send out an inspector to look at the damaged booth. Insure you keep a copy of your signed Bill of Lading from your carrier as if decorator signs off undamaged you will have documentation to show, to show management and the decorator to assign responsibility. I also would recommend transit insurance if you have an expensive custom booth.