Online Section Manual

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXHIBITS COMMITTEE CHAIR

The following information is a helpful guideline for the Exhibits Committee Chair to follow.

Approximately 12 Months Out:

• Have the hotel Sales Manager give you a tour of the property including exhibits area.
• Plan exhibit area in detail. Use scaled drawings. Determine ALL of your space requirements such as square footage needed for exhibits and exhibit storage.
• Decide how many vendors are possible, and pass this information on to your Meeting Coordinator at GSA.
• Sections are responsible for getting trade show vendors to exhibit during the section meeting. During the meeting, it is common practice for the upcoming local committee chair, to walk around and visit the current vendors. Talk with them and see if they're willing to exhibit at next years meeting, and what suggestions they may have to provide what is needed.
• Sections are responsible for setting the price for exhibitors. There are usually two prices, a Profit cost and a Not for Profit cost.
• Section decides what is included in this price. A few items to consider are:
  1. A decorating service (skirted tables, back drops).
  2. Size of booth space
  3. Size of table provided in booth
  4. Quantity of chairs (one? two?)
  5. Wastebaskets
  6. Is there electricity?
  7. Wireless internet services available?
  8. Free booth worker badge for one person? Two people?
• Determine the exhibitor registration fees and pass along to GSA.

Approximatley 6 Months Out:

Determine the following for exhibitors and send to potential clients. Include GSA Headquarters in all correspondence with invitation to exhibit, etc.

• Exhibiting hours, including any special events where exhibits should be open (such as welcoming receptions)
• A floor plan with booth spaces marked out and sized
• Setup and teardown hours
• Exhibitor move-in and move-out requirements
• Freight handling – if show tears down on a Friday and exhibitor needs to ship out are services available (ie UPS pickup available); if show happens over spring break, on a campus, what facilities are available
• Security (make sure that the exhibit area is secure at all times; if exhibit area is scheduled for another non-exhibitor event, there has to be notification to exhibitors that this will happen; there has to be security for exhibitors products/services.

Approximately One Week Out

• Confirm vendors.
• Review move-in/move-out process for exhibits.