What if you managed a 130,000-square-foot show that draws 35,000 public attendees and includes, among other displays, a 2,600-square-foot house built in the center of your exhibition hall?

If you're Gail Harrison, Show Director for the Home Builders Association of Louisville, KY, you make sure you've got a great general service contractor to keep things running smoothly.

Last year, Harrison reinforced her decorator decision by asking for new bids on the contracting job for the association's Metropolitan Louisville Home, Garden & Flower Show, which runs for four days in March at the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center. "I'd been using the same company over a three-year contract, and I wanted to be sure the prices and service I was getting were competitive," Harrison says.

To do so, she selected three contractors to get bids from -- a small local contractor, a mid-sized national firm and the George E. Fern Co., the Louisville, KY-based company with whom she had been working. She sent all three a 20-page packet, detailing the show's 45-year history, its special service requirements and anything else needed to accurately bid the event.

"It was really helpful to see each company's approach to handling our situation," admits Harrison. "When the bids came in -- besides price and service -- we looked at locality and finally went with the Geo. E. Fern Co. again. But since we have to renew our facility contract again next year, we only signed a one-year agreement. I look forward to going through the bidding process again."

Prime importance
As Harrison will vouch, finding the right general service contractor for your show can be challenging. It takes detailed knowledge of your event, an objective evaluation of the available pool of service contractors and a keen sense of how to mesh show and contractor into a seamless, smooth-running collaboration. Despite the challenge, show management professionals agree: The more you put into the service-contractor search, the happier you'll be with the outcome.

"To have an outstanding exhibition, you must have an outstanding general service contractor," says David Yowell, Director of International Conferences & Expositions for the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, in Tulsa, OK. "Not only do contractors play a key roll in satisfying your exhibitors' needs, they know the latest techniques for producing an event of the highest quality."

Appreciating the professionalism of a contractor, who can deliver everything from drapery to drayage, is easy. The hard part is searching for your ideal contractor. In the simplest terms, you must identify the firms that might be most appropriate for your show, evaluate their capabilities and cost through a proposal process and select the one best suited for your particular event.

Narrow the field
The International Association for Exposition Management includes more than 80 general service contractors in its membership. You can find huge, multifaceted operations such as GES Exposition Services and The Freeman Companies, small companies that focus on only one city and contractors everywhere in between. With such variety, who do you choose? What do you look for? And how do you know where to begin?

First, realize that you're in good company. Although there are show managers like Yowell, who has used Greyhound/GES for the past 22 years, most professionals find themselves changing, or at least rebidding, contractors on a one- to three-year basis. Even larger shows, such as the Ontario Hospital Association's annual 200,000-square-foot convention and exhibition, switch with regularity.

"We solicit contracting bids every year to keep the process open and accountable," says Warren DiClemente, the association's Education and Convention Services Director. "Whether a contractor is approaching us for the first time or they have a long-standing relationship with us, I want to see competitive prices."

Such turnover means fellow show managers, city convention and visitor bureaus and facility operators know or have had experience with many service contractors within the industry. Tap these resources for references when you begin looking for a service partner.

"Most cities' convention coordinators try to be very fair about who they'll suggest," says Patty Parrish, an Association Trade Show Manager with Zanesville, OH-based Offinger Management Co. "A small city may have only two to four to offer, while a larger city might have five or six companies to choose from. The average seems to be about three or four."

Talk to fellow show professionals who have worked in your target city and in the hall you'll be using. Facility managers may not want to endorse one company over another, but they'll usually tell you who's doing most of the contracting work there. If you operate a regional show, call your counterparts in other parts of the country to ask who they use.

National or neighborhood?
Such a search invariably leads to the question: Should I use a national company or one that's local? Only you and the specific needs of your show can answer that question. Some show managers believe only large companies have the breadth of experience and resources to pull off their events. Others feel they get better service and attention from local or regional companies. But a growing group of planners says competition has alleviated these pat responses, and they equally consider local and national companies for every show.

Even if you contract with a national operation, you're likely to end up working with local companies as subcontractors. "We're quite frank about the situation with our clients," says Daniel Carr, an Account Executive with Milwaukee-based Badger Exposition Service Inc., who travels with about 17 of its shows. "We say, 'We don't have an office there, but we'll use the local professionals who know the facility.'"

Exhibitor feedback
When searching for service contractor candidates, remember to get input from your exhibitors. Chances are good that they've participated in other shows. Ask what companies they've liked and disliked in the past. Also, be sure to monitor your post-show exhibitor surveys to track how exhibitors view your current contractor. Is the contractor providing service with which exhibitors are happy? Has the electrical service been satisfactory? How were their emergencies handled?

"We always survey our exhibitors and consider their reactions to our service contractor," says Dennis Slater, Executive Vice President of the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association and Conexpo Exposition Manager. "That input goes directly into our selection process the next time around."

Sight rights
Referrals are good, but first-hand experience is better. Make it a point to visit other shows -- both those within and outside your industry. Staying an extra day after your own event provides insight into how other contractors set up and run their shows. Also, let other contractors know about your event. "A lot of times managers will invite us to a national show the year before we bid it," says Tricia Johnson, Director of Marketing for Brede Exposition Service in Minneapolis. "That way, we can see more closely what they'll need."

Using the information you've gained from observation, referrals and other research, narrow your contractor pool to a manageable number of candidates. Most show professionals suggest dealing with three to six firms. "I had one group that contacted 13 companies for preliminary proposals before cutting it down to four finalists," Carr says. "It was ridiculous and a waste of time for most of the companies involved.'

Requests granted
Once you've chosen a handful of prospective contractors, it's time to focus their creative show-operating abilities on your upcoming event. The most uniform and measurable way to do this is through a request for proposal, or RFP, process. An RFP can take many forms, but it's basically a detailed shopping list that tells the contractor what you're trying to create and what you need from them in order to make it happen. The goal of the RFP's response is twofold -- it should tell you exactly what the contractor can bring to your show and what it will cost.

The larger the show, in terms of size or revenues, the more likely its proposal requests will be written. Unfortunately, not all RFPs are delivered that way.

"I've never had a formal, written RFP for a local show; it's always come from a phone call," says Kim McDonald, Sales Manager in the Springfield, IL, office of Carmel, IN-based Excel Decorators. "It would be wonderful to have it in writing, because then I'd know my competition's getting the same information. However, I work with association volunteers who are setting up the show in addition to their regular jobs."

Having a written document not only makes the prospective contractor's bidding job easier, it gives you an accurate method to weigh all candidates on the same scale. Everyone works from the same set of written specifications -- not their interpretation of your telephone conversation -- giving you an "apples-to-apples" comparison.

Long enough
How long should your RFP be? Again, it depends on your show and what you need to evaluate your candidates. Some show managers operate with a one- or two-page form; others detail their events in 30-page reports. The finished product will probably reflect your own show management style and comfort level. It may be excruciatingly detailed, for example, or broad-brushed in its requests.

Industry experts, however, do recommend a number of common elements for an effective RFP. Briefly describe the show, its history, purpose and mission. Outline the exhibitor base, as well as the type and number of attendees it draws. Include all pertinent show specifications, such as the location, expected size, number of exhibitors and move-in/move-out schedule.

"If they say exhibitors are coming in at 8 a.m., that means I'm moving into the hall at 10 at night or 2 in the morning," says McDonald. "My pricing will vary depending on whether I'm paying straight time, time-and-a-half or double time." Figuring such details yourself also can help refine the show plan before you send it out for bidding.

Ground rules
Your RFP should spell out when the proposal is due, how your evaluation process will proceed and how the contract will be awarded. Tell contractors what you expect in the way of references and what you'd like to know about their previous work. "I'd rather see something more detailed from show managers, because it allows me to give a better picture of my actual costs," says Daniel Hoffend Jr., Executive Vice President of Rochester, NY-based Hoffend Xposition.

In listing your show set-up details on the RFP, cover everything from association booths and entrance treatments, to floorplans and "You are here" signs. A good guideline to follow -- if you expect the contractor to provide it, give the company a chance to tell you how it will be done and what it will cost. The same goes for exhibitor services. Designate, for instance, that you want both advance and show-site pricing for materials handling and warehouse storage, at both straight and over-time rates. Set your requirements for furniture, carpeting and electrical hook-ups, along with the straight, time-and-a-half and double-time charges for labor.

Remember, also, to include what you expect in the way of management services, including details such as aisle carpeting, labor, radios and signage. Reserve a place on the document to request other pertinent information. You might want warehouse descriptions, exhibitor billing procedures or the process for handling exhibitor claims for damaged freight.

Response mechanism
Either in your cover letter accompanying the RFP or in the form itself, give contractors some indication of what you expect in their answers. "The more you know about what the show manager wants, the better," says Carr. "I recently lost a bid because I got too creative in our response."

Never hesitate, however, to encourage creativity on the part of your potential contractors. They often know their side of the business better than you do, and they can offer plenty of innovative solutions. Allowing them only to "answer the following questions in the space provided" may only give you half of their stories.

"Our ideal situation is to fill out the RFP exactly as they want it, then to give a personal proposal that includes CAD drawings and models of the show," says Hoffend, noting that his company has spent anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000 on such presentations, viewing the outlay as a long-term investment in the business. "When you do a first-class presentation, it always benefits you down the line. If we don't get the business this year, we'll get another chance two years later. Every RFP should have a clause in it that says 'Use your imagination.'"

Invoice invitation
Many show managers now add another feature to the standard RFP -- a copy of their previous show's general service invoice, with the prices blacked out. Showing the itemized billing to prospective contractors allows them to see exactly what the current or former supplier put into the show. "I use my old invoices because they spell out what I've had before and what I'm looking for this time around," Harrison says.

The previous-invoice plan works well to a point. Remember, however, to include additional requests that inevitably arise with the show's latest rendition. Will you have more booths than last year? Is it time to improve the entryway? Note all such additions in your RFP.

The same advice applies when you put your show back out for bid, whether that's next year or at the end of a two- or three-year contract. "You always need to review your RFP," says Parrish. "Every show is different, year to year and city to city."

And the winner is...
Using an RFP gives you the best chance of lining up your prospective proposals side by side to see how they compare. Allow time for a quick, initial review of the written responses -- before contractors give their verbal presentations -- so participants have a chance to fine-tune their reports with anything you think is missing. Then, review the proposals with your show owners, board members or other decision makers, listen to the personal presentations and make a decision based on what you've seen and heard.

"We hold the presentations and decide right then and there," says Slater. "We don't do any of this 'sharpen your pencils and match their price' kind of thing. Don't play one contractor off the other; all of them should have already given you their best proposal, and you should take them at face value."

Also, remember that every contractor's proposal includes far more than a bottom-line dollar figure. "While competitive pricing is important, the lowest rate is not always the wisest choice for show planners, particularly if it means an unexpected compromise in quality," says the Ontario Hospital Association's DiClemente. "We're interested in a relationship built on honesty and trust, rather than a contract that might result in complacency."