Negotiate Outbound Weights

If you ship catalogs, premiums or other heavy giveaways to a show, always try to negotiate a new outbound weight for your materials handling. For example, say your inbound shipment (exhibit, product, giveaways and other materials) weighs in at 20 CWT. By the end of the show, you know you have given away at least 2 CWT in catalogs; another 3 CWT in computer equipment you plan to ship back via FedEx.

Rather than using your original inbound weight, negotiate a new outbound weight of 15 CWT with the contractor. It's best to do your negotiating on the last day, when you have a good idea of how much product you have distributed over the course of the show. Potential savings: $300, at $60 per CWT. Link.