WASHINGTON—NAB is taking steps to reduce the cost of exhibiting at the NAB Show in Las Vegas by unveiling a significantly lower drayage fee covering transport of materials offloaded from shipping containers outside the exhibit halls, moved to vendors’ booths and at the close of the show returned to the containers.
In a memo from NAB to exhibitors last week, the trade organization said it dropped the “material handling rate” by nearly 40 percent, from an average of $6.35 per square foot of booth space to $3.85. The new, simple, flat rate plan covers all items an exhibitor brings into the show — regardless of quantity, weight or volume, according to NAB.
In a survey by Tradeshow Logic, NAB Show exhibitors had identified this material handling/drayage fee as the biggest challenge they faced “due to the high cost and unpredictability of the expense,” according to NAB.
Not only did the survey reveal that the material handling/drayage fee accounted for about 13 percent of what exhibitors spend to participate in the trade show, but NAB also learned exhibitors brought less product and “less desirable displays” to mitigate “excessive material handling fees,” it said.
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When asked about the new, lower material handling fee by TV Technology,Chris Brown, executive vice president, Business Operations for NAB said, “we are grateful that our long-time partner Freeman, our General Services Contractor, was willing to work with us to make this unique material handling program possible. It is a truly unique model that will yield immediate savings for our exhibitors, driving better return on investment while at the same time giving them budget certainty.
We understand that participating in events like NAB Show require a significant investment in time and money, and we are committed to doing all we can to address major pain points to ensure the NAB Show remains the best value in the business.
