June 2006
Operations 2.0: Choosing a contractor
Tips on what to ask and advice on how to evaluate service when putting your exhibitors in the care of an official service contractor

Hiring the right official service contractor (OSC) involves more than just asking about design, drayage and floor plans. An OSC will likely have more contact with a show’s exhibitors than show management. As a result, show organizers should be keenly interested in an OSC’s customer service philosophy and framework when choosing a contractor. After all, talk is cheap. Everyone touts great customer service, but how do you know what you’re getting? A poor experience with the OSC could sour an exhibitor’s outlook on the entire show. Here are a few tips on what to ask and advice on how to evaluate service when choosing a contractor for your show.

Contact with show management
Find out whether the account representative working with you on your RFP will also be your point of contact once the contract is awarded. Will you work with a new contact when your show rotates to a new city? Will you be dealing with whoever is on call for the day?

“We prefer to have continuity for our show organizers,” says Ray Pekowski, President and CEO for The Expo Group. His company assigns an account executive who remains with the show, from start to finish, as well as a consistent team including a project manager, team leader and customer service personnel. This way the team assigned to your event gains experience with your show and with your exhibitors. They get to know your exhibitors personally and thus can head off potential problems and provide better service.

Exhibitor experience
Misunderstandings are the primary root of the problem when it comes to exhibitors’ experience. They expect one thing, and reality turns out to be something else. How easy is an OSC to work with from your exhibitors’ point of view? Find out:
• Are exhibitor rates quoted in agreements, and if so, do they match the rates published in the exhibitor service manual?
• Does the OSC have a plan to keep in touch with exhibitors about upcoming deadlines? Do they use phone or e-mail?
• Does the OSC offer an online exhibitor service manual? What does that mean exactly? Is it truly an online e-commerce tool, or simply PDF forms to be printed out?
•  How many deadlines will your exhibitors be expected to remember?
• How many other suppliers will they need to interact with to order other services such as those provided by preferred vendors at the facility?
• How many invoices will they need to keep track of?
• How many phone numbers and passwords will they need to remember to stay on top of their orders?

The Expo Group offers exhibitors a Single Source Solution^®, a one-stop place to get everything they’ll need for the show. There’s only one deadline to remember, one invoice to track, and since everything needed for the show can be ordered in the same place, exhibitors will only have to remember one phone number or one password. The Expo Group works with all other vendors, even those that might not have e-commerce sites of their own, to take orders for everything.

Exhibitor costs
Exhibitors often complain that they’re being nickeled and dimed at trade shows. Is it any wonder given the maze of preferred dates, discounts and surcharges? Find out:

• How does the OSC price goods and services for exhibitors?
• What do the order forms actually look like? How clear are mark-ups and late-ordering prices? Are there descriptions of exactly what the exhibitor is paying for?
• What do the charges cover? Are there any hidden fees for exhibitors? For example, are there extra fees to bring empties back to the booth in a timely manner, or to obtain timely customer service?
• How much is the penalty for late ordering?

“The Expo Group’s philosophy is to list prices at the highest amount, and then discount from there,” says Pekowski. “That way there aren’t any surprises when the exhibitor gets the bill.” He explains that most exhibitors will automatically order at the lowest price they see on a form, and not necessarily read the fine print about what they must do to get that rate. Thus, at the end of the show, disagreements erupt. “That doesn’t happen at our shows because exhibitors can only end up paying less than expected, not more,” says Pekowski.

On-site service
Great service on site is the capstone to a great experience for exhibitors. Find out:

• Will exhibitors work on site with the same OSC staff they’ve become accustomed to? 
• How will the OSC oversee union labor on site? How do they calculate how many staff are needed, etc?
• Is the OSC able to provide specifics about its model for managing all the on-site details?
• How does the OSC work with other vendors in the facility? Do they know each other? Are they aware of one another’s deadlines and needs?