Ship early and label your shipment carefully

Ship your booth to the show early. Most shows offer 30-day free storage at the local YRC Freight terminal before the show move-in date. Make sure your bill of lading and shipping labels are clearly marked with this important information:

• Exhibitor name
• Booth number
• Show name

Note: More than one trade show often is in progress at a site. It is critical to have this important information on your shipping labels.

Obtain a YRC Freight exhibit bill of lading:

Register to use our online tools, then complete your bill of lading and schedule your pickup all online through our secure Bill of Lading tool. You can also print shipping labels that contain your vital exhibit information.

Download a PDF from our Forms Library.

Contact the EXPO hotline (1-800-531-EXPO).

Clearly mark each piece of freight with the same information as you included on your bill of lading. Be sure to remove old labels and be creative about how you mark your packaging. Use packaging that can be identified from a distance (i.e., different-colored shrink-wrap).

Include your contact information in your shipment

It’s always a good idea when you are shipping to or from a show to put your business card in each shipping container to help identify piece(s) that may become separated from the shipment. If the inbound shipment is going directly to the show site, advise us of the show’s “move-in” hours and let us know whether your shipment is a targeted booth for a specified “move-in” date or time.

Provide all vital show information

Remember that the show you’re shipping to or from may be one of many occurring in your destination city. Information, such as event name, decorator and targeted move-in dates, is critical to help us ensure that your exhibit gets to its destination on time.

Accurately complete your bill of lading

Properly fill out your bill of lading. Whether shipping to the advance warehouse or shipping directly to the show site, you must include: show name, exhibitor name, booth #, service contractor, pieces, weight, payor and target delivery date. The YRC Freight Exhibit bill of lading will prompt you to provide the proper information to ensure your exhibit is delivered on time.

Check arrangements with the show service desk. Remember that the service desk at the show is there to help. Make sure you check with the desk before leaving the show to confirm that the arrangements you have made have been properly communicated, so your exhibit is picked up and taken to its next destination without any confusion at the show site.

Ensure shipment requirements are clear

Specify on the show contractor’s bill of lading whether the destination delivery requires an appointment, liftgate service or inside delivery when shipping from a show. This will help the delivering terminal make the required arrangements while the shipment is enroute, so delivery can occur on time.

Make sure all responsible third-party information is completed on the outbound bill of lading at the show site. Also, ensure the name(s) and contact phone number(s) on the bill of lading are complete. Drop your business card into each shipping container when shipping from a show to help identify piece(s) that may become separated from your shipment.

Carefully complete a Material Handling Agreement

Most general contractors require that you use their bills of lading (Material Handling Agreement) when shipping from a show to ensure that you have a clear invoice. If you bring your own bill of lading, make sure that you correctly transfer all information, including your transportation provider selection. You must remove all old shipping labels before shipping from a show. Each shipping unit should have a minimum of two shipping labels.

Prepare for move-out

When you are packed and ready to ship, complete an outbound bill of lading and specify YRC Freight as the transportation provider to move your goods. If you haven’t made previous arrangements, call the expo line (1-800-531-EXPO) to let us know when your exhibit will be ready for pickup. Advise the Trade Show coordinator of the date and time the shipment’s re-routing is authorized to eliminate the possibility of a “forced shipment,” which can create problems for all parties involved. Give the bill of lading to the service contractor and take a copy of it with you.