Travelling with a booth
 

September seems to be the busiest month for conferences this year. We have back-to-back conferences in which I am wondering whether it is less expensive to ship the booth overnight from A ---> B or should I just travel with it and check it in as oversized luggage. Does anybody have any experience in this post September 11 world with travelling with a booth (it looks like a giant golf club case)? What do the airlines charge? It weighs about 70 pounds. Is it a hassle to retrieve once at the arrival airport? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

It's been my experience that it's roughly 2-3X cost to ship the container as it to take it; depends somewhat on the carrier (and angels, if you have them...). That being said, I've found that shipping makes it lots easier, just for not having to wait for the checked container & lug it around.

Answer would be lots different if it were a John-Wilkes Booth...

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Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Do yourself a favour (british spelling so no it's not spelled wrong http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif) and send it rather than schlepping through the airport with it - far less hassle factor that way

I'd vote to ship it. Contract FedEx/UPS rates may make it cheaper. Last year, my GF and I got dinged by US for oversized/overweight for one such. And we were both US Gold Preferreds!

I presume this is a USA domestic trip.

Take it with you. It will be cheaper, and less hassle. 70lbs overnight is expensive, and the promoter at both ends wants still more money.

1. Call the cab(limo) company and get a cab that it will fit in. give him a tip to get it in and out of the cab.

2. Get a porter to haul it to check in. Pay the extra fee(no fee in international).

3. When it arrives, get a porter. It will probably be brought by separate cart to the same place skis arrive.

4. get a cab that fits.

5. Get a hotel porter, and have it kept in the "left luggage room".

I haul 4-8 32kg packages from Italy to IAD. The only problem is no porters in the customs room. However, they are brought in on a separate cart, and I can usually get the cart driver to help me load them on the Customs carts.

We have been dealing with this recently... we found shipping to be cheaper than carrying as our booth case has to travel as oversized luggage so we pay a penalty for both the weight and the size... and then we have to worry about schlepping it on the rental car bus, into a car, into the hotel, out to the show, etc. It is cheaper to ship direct. One thing to make sure of if you are calculating cost, however, is receiving fees at the convention hall. I've seen fees as high as $75 per unit to receive goods at the hall... and some operations require that you use THEIR common carrier to ship items back which can also inflate costs.

I wasn't even thinking about the convention fees and logistics. Well we're probably already up merde creek as the booth is supposed to arrive several days earlier at the hotel shipping dock. And yes, GES is running the show so they've got their union rules to uphold. I think I will have to bring it with me as they probably will not accept my booth the same day. And I can't risk having it lost somewhere on the hotel premises.

I'll bring plenty of money to tip. Thanks everybody.

I too have back-to-back conferences in Sep (11-12 in STL then 14-18 at Amelia Island in FL).

Since I'll be checking golf clubs, I'm going to ship out display container.

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LMAO!!

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My booth is a three case pop-up (I also have a large wood panel system which is much larger) so I wouldn't even fathom the idea of taking it with me on the plane. I have many shows in Sept-Oct. Most of my shows I use a ground carrier - Target Logistics who specializes in booth transport. With that said though, if I just had one small case (like you have), I would bring it with me. However, make sure you have it insured.