I will be traveling 1700 miles to Jackson Hole from Alabama. We are considering flying and renting, shipping, and/or purchasing parts of my display....which is a very simple display for jewelry. I have two tables, and an A frame shelving unit and my props, tent, etc...
Any advice? I have not traveled more than 6 hours to a show so far......but my favorite place in the world will be worth the trouble :)
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Hi,
I have more often shipped to shows than driven in the last 3 years. I usually do indoor shows and have never shipped my canopy, so I don't know if that is cost efficient vs rentals. However, I usually ship a floor, lights, drapes, knock-down propanels, pedestals, plus other stuff for my displays. I carry my actual art in hard-side suitcases at exactly 50lbs (allowed by Jet Blue and Southwest for free) on the airlines. I ship ahead to my hotel by Fed X Ground. It takes 4 days to most places. Sometimes the hotel will want a handling fee per box( I ask ahead), and if they do, I ship to the nearest FEd X office that will do a ground hold for pick-up--another free service. You can figure all this out ahead of time on the fEd-X website.
If I can get a hotel at a good price near the show, I just walk everything over (I usually ship a collapsible light -weight dolly). I have stayed at very nice hotels which have lent me a baggage cart also when asked. If I'm not within walking distance, I rent a car at the airport and keep it 1 day to get my boxes to the show and take public transport back and forth from the airport car rental. Just this year, I discovered ZipCar--which is absolutely fantastic if they are located in the city you are going to and near your show--you join for like 25.00 per year (plus an initial registration fee) and the you can rent their cars by the hour at aprox 8.00 an hour. with which I have picked up and dropped off my boxes. and then again after the show--Fed X offices are often open 24 hours so I can do it after a show on Sunday night.
It's alot of work to pack and un-pack for shipping at a show, but it is perfectly do-able once you get in the right mindset. My whole booth packs down into 8-10 boxes that I can lift myself, I don't think anything weighs over 45lbs. My shipping usually runs between 200-260.00 one-way, which is alot, but not so bad when you figure what gas plus time plus lodging can cost when you are traveling far distances between shows.
I hope this is of some help!
Thank you for this info! I was only looking at shipping by freight, not regular shipping since I was including my tent. What do you normally pay for tent rental? I have been quoted 375 for the weekend.
I've only done outdoor shows so far where you can rent a canopy from the show, and it has run between 40.00 to about 150.00. Indoor shows, I get the pipe without the drape (bring my own) for as low as 50.00 to up to 250.00. I would call more places and see if you could find something cheaper than 375. Did you ask the show? Sometimes they are renting tents and stuff themselves for wine/beer garden, information booths, silent auction, etc, and will be using a company that you can rent through too.
I'd also weigh your tent and look up ground shipping--it might not be as much as 375. If you paid for shipping when you first bought it, that would give you some idea. So far, I've found Ground shipping cheaper than Freight by about half--I think you need to be sending aprox 400lbs for Frieght to be worth it, and you need to palletize your stuff and have somewhere to ship it to that has a loading dock or you will get alot of handling charges.
I'm thinking about using the Auto Train to go from FL to VA this summer. I will be taking my tent. Be careful about tent rentals, some of the industrial strength canopies are so thick, they let no light in.
I did the auto train last November from Va. to Fl. and back. Get your tickets early! The earlier you get them the cheaper they are. I ate dinner with a couple who had paid double what I paid. I paid a little over $600 for the round trip except I hate sleeping in coach so I sprang for a room on the way back, an extra $200. If you do round trip one direction will always be peak depending on which way the snow birds are going. That is why I opted for the room on the way back but not the way down. It does take a lot more time than driving depending on how far you live from the station. I left my house at 9AM on Sat. and arrived at 9AM on Sunday. If I had left my house 5 hours earlier and driven to Florida I would have been in Florida before the train left at 4PM.
I was not aware of the Auto Train. I looked into it, but it only runs from orlando to va. Great concept...would love to see more routes!
Yeah, I've been thinking about that too, Dan. Probably makes sense to keep some mileage off my old Dodge Caravan at this point, especially when I'm doing shows within a 2 hour drive of Lorton VA (the drop-off point, in far-suburban Washington DC). For those of you not familiar with this, the trains leave daily from Sanford FL (near Orlando) and Lorton VA. You check in at least 1 hour before departure (sooner if you have an oversized vehicle, trailer, etc.). There aren't intermediate stops. So the idea is that you check in, board, have dinner, sleep overnight and then arrive the next morning at your destination. Looks like the price for a single passenger and a regular sized vehicle is between $300 and $350 in the summertime.
Ask to see if they have tents available to rent there. We've had shows where people rented professional type tents. Might be worth the cost of shipping everything. The same people would also be able to rent you tables and chairs.
I have found a place to rent a tent @ $375 for the weekend...they would also set it up. When you are used to a $200 EZ up from Sam's that has worked well for shows...even in wind, it's hard to imagine paying more to rent :( If I purchased a tent out there, I would still need good tent weights that must be made, not purchased. Shipping costs are very high...so far $375 each way with UPS freight.
$375 for the weekend is not a bad price if you consider the shipping costs and that they will set it up and take it down for you. I would probably make sure they have the proper weights.
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