Crating, carrier booking, tracking, and drayage paperwork — timed to your show’s advance-warehouse and move-in schedule so your booth is waiting for you, not the other way round.
Trade show freight has its own rulebook: advance warehouses with receiving windows, marshaling yards, targeted move-in times, material handling charged by the hundredweight, and a forced-freight deadline at the end of the show that punishes anyone still on the dock. It’s the least glamorous part of exhibiting, and it’s where budgets quietly bleed. We run it as part of the same contract as everything else, which means the people who packed your crates are the same team answering for when they arrive.
After your approved pre-build, the booth is broken down in labeled, sequenced crates and booked with carriers we use week in, week out on the trade show circuit. Your project manager decides advance-warehouse versus direct-to-show based on your show’s rate structure and schedule, files the material handling paperwork, and tracks the shipment to the dock. After the show closes, the same machinery runs in reverse — dismantled, crated, and on an outbound truck before the forced-freight deadline turns your freight bill into a penalty.
Freight is booked against your show’s target dates the moment your pre-build is approved.
Your PM tracks the shipment and confirms dock receipt — you’re never guessing where your booth is.
After close, the booth is packed and routed out before penalty deadlines.
Usually the advance warehouse: it guarantees your freight is at the venue before move-in and typically avoids the marshaling-yard lottery. But some shows price advance receiving punitively, so your PM makes the call per show, not by habit.
Drayage is billed by the show contractor and it’s part of the cost conversation up front — not a surprise line item after the show. We complete the paperwork; you see the estimate before freight moves.
It’s rare on our lanes precisely because we book to target windows with carriers who run this circuit. If a delay does occur, your PM knows before you do and manages the venue side — late setup slots, priority unloading — while keeping you informed.
Yes — Chicago, Orlando, San Diego, Dallas, San Francisco, and every major U.S. show city. The booth pre-builds in Las Vegas and ships anywhere your show calendar goes.
Tell us your show, your space, and your goals — we’ll come back with a design and a fixed quote.
Or call us directly — (800) 379-8451