Page 216 - 597 Business Ideas You can Start from Home - doing what you LOVE! (Beginner Internet Marketing Series)

Step 1 0. Prep for the Trade Show 209

o Sheets or tarps (to cover booth at night)
o Signage
o Snacks, water, gum, and mints
o Staple gun (if necessary for stapling heavy-duty fabric to

tables, for example), extra staples
o Stapler, extra staples
o Tables or other furniture needed
o Tape (regular, masking, double-sided, and shipping)
o And, last but not least: a copy of your trade-show contract

(Occasionally the show may assign you a different booth
number than was on your contract. So, keep it handy along
with any other addendums or changes you may have made.)

The more prepared you are, the smoother your setup will go and
the more energy you'll have for the show itself. Once you have your
components packed, do the following things before shipping:

• Make a list of each carton's tracking number and its contents.
Since you'll probably be shipping on multiple days it's easy to
forget what you've already shipped. Also, if you are missing a
box or package when you get there , you'll know all the things
that were in the missing box. You'll know which box you packed
your scissors or box cutters in so you can open that box first.
Trying to open well-taped boxes with your belt buckle or a pen
is embarrassing and difficult.

• Write your exhibitor name and booth number with a bold black

marker or preprinted stickers all over each box and package. This

makes it easier for the warehouse workers to get it to your booth
because they won't h ave to focus on one small label. It will also
help locate a package in the facility if it gets lost.
• Prepare labels to return the boxes. Preprint the return labels, on
label sheets, preferably, so you just have to peel and stick. You
will love the time this saves getting out. Keep these labels and
your trade-show contract together in a folder. Be just as orga­
nized to leave as you are to arrive.