Trade show success often depends on seamless logistics and effective cost management. For businesses that participate in multiple trade shows each year, trade show asset management plays a critical role in keeping operations smooth and budgets in check. By organizing, tracking, and maintaining trade show materials, asset management offers exhibitors the tools they need to excel.
This blog explores how trade show asset management saves time and money, providing valuable insights for businesses looking to enhance their trade show ROI.
What is Trade Show Asset Management?
Trade show asset management involves cataloging, organizing, and maintaining all assets used for trade shows. This can include booth components, promotional materials, technology, and graphics. A robust asset management strategy ensures that these items are tracked, maintained, and ready for each event.
For example:
- Knowing exactly where each component of your booth is stored.
- Tracking the condition of banners or graphics or exhibit hardware to avoid last-minute replacements.
- Coordinating the shipping and return of materials to and from trade show locations.
Time-Saving Benefits of Trade Show Asset Management
Efficient asset management eliminates chaos and ensures smooth operations. Here’s how it saves time:
- Centralized Inventory Management A comprehensive inventory system allows you to know what assets you have and where they are stored. This avoids time wasted searching for items or duplicating orders for materials you already own.
Example: A company using asset management software can locate booth graphics in seconds rather than spending hours digging through storage. - Streamlined Shipping Coordination By preplanning logistics and having all assets inventoried, you can optimize shipping schedules and avoid delays. Coordinating shipments to arrive early at pre-show warehouses ensures stress-free setups.
- Pre-Event Readiness Asset management helps prepare your team ahead of time by tracking which materials are ready to go and which require updates or repairs. This ensures a smooth setup process at the event with consolidated invoicing.
Cost-Saving Benefits of Trade Show Asset Management
Beyond saving time, effective asset management directly impacts your bottom line:
- Preventing Lost or Damaged Assets Without a reliable tracking system, it’s easy for items to be misplaced or damaged. Replacing these items can quickly eat into your trade show budget.
Example: An asset management program might include protective storage solutions or detailed checklists to prevent losses during transit. - Reducing Redundant Purchases Many companies waste money purchasing duplicate trade show assets simply because they lack visibility into what they already own. An organized inventory ensures you only buy what you need.
- Optimizing Storage Costs With proper asset management, you can evaluate what needs to be stored long-term and what can be recycled or retired. This reduces the expense of unnecessary storage.
- Efficient Reuse of Assets Reusing high-quality materials across multiple shows saves significant costs. Modular booth components, for example, can be reconfigured for different layouts, minimizing the need for new purchases.
Technology and Tools for Exhibit Asset Management
Modern trade show asset management often relies on technology to enhance efficiency and accuracy. Here are some tools to consider:
- Asset Management Software Platforms like ExhibitForce and ShowGo allow companies to track, organize, and manage their inventory in real-time, ensuring all assets are accounted for and ready to ship.
- RFID and Barcode Tracking Adding RFID tags or barcodes to booth components enables precise tracking during shipping, setup, and dismantling, reducing the risk of misplaced items.
- Digital Checklists Use digital tools to create setup and teardown checklists, ensuring all assets are accounted for at every stage of the process.
How Brave Exhibits Optimizes Trade Show Asset Management
At Brave Exhibits, we offer a complete trade show asset management program (AMP) that simplifies logistics and helps our clients save time and money. Here’s how we do it:
- Centralized Storage: We maintain your assets in a secure facility, cataloged for easy retrieval and tracking.
- Condition Monitoring: Regular inspections ensure that all materials are in excellent condition and ready for use.
- Logistics Coordination: Our team handles shipping and setup, ensuring everything arrives on time and in perfect condition.
- Asset Reuse Strategy: We help clients repurpose and redesign modular exhibits to maximize ROI over multiple events.
For example, we recently worked with a financial services client to streamline their trade show assets for 10 events in one year. By leveraging modular components and an advanced tracking system, we reduced their overall exhibit costs by 25%.
Simplify Your Trade Show Logistics Today
Ready to optimize your trade show operations? Brave Exhibits offers tailored asset management solutions to help you stay ahead. From secure storage to seamless logistics, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to get started!
