A targeted move in will be used for freight shipped directly to the McCormick Place. Shipments sent to the warehouse must be received no later than October 6. They will be delivered according to the targeted schedule below. To receive a straight-time rate for freight delivered directly to the convention center, trucks must check in no later than 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
All exhibitors requiring the use of a crane must schedule the work in advance with The Freeman Companies. All crane work should be scheduled for Tuesday, October 14.
Refer to the floor plan and/or the booth freight schedule to determine the targeted move-in times for all booths and special times for booths requiring crane work or mobile units. The plan is based upon size of space and location in the halls.
Complete freight and shipping information can be found in Freeman Services or on Freeman’s website.
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| Advance/Warehouse Shipments |
If you ship your freight in advance to the Freeman warehouse, your freight will be in your booth by 8 a.m. on your target date. This is one of the benefits of shipping in advance. You’ll pay a slightly higher rate, but your freight will be there when you arrive and you can schedule labor to work the full day.
Freeman will begin accepting freight 30 days prior to show move-in. The warehouse will receive shipments Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Advance shipments to the warehouse must be delivered by October 6. Advance to Warehouse labels are available below or address your packages with the following information:
Advanced Shipping Labels:
Freeman/Exhibitor Company Name
Hold for: WEFTEC.08 - Booth #
2500 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60632
No. of Pieces_____________
Carrier __________________
Rush Delivery must deliver by: 10/6/08
If you ship your materials to the warehouse, please call Freeman to confirm that they have been received. If you arrive in Chicago to find that your shipment was not received, it may be difficult to arrange delivery prior to the opening of the show, as many carriers do not operate on the weekends.
Crates, cartons, skids, trunks/cases and carpets will be accepted at the warehouse. Loose or pad-wrapped material must be sent directly to the show site.
All shipments must have a bill of lading or delivery slip indicating the number of pieces, type of merchandise and weight. Certified weight tickets must accompany all shipments.
Complete shipping information can be found in Freeman Services or on Freeman’s website.
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If you ship your freight directly to the show site, your freight will be delivered to your booth on your target day. Your carrier may check-in starting at 6 a.m. at the designated marshaling yard. (Download Marshaling Yard Directions here.) Please keep in mind that freight receiving is an all-day process and it may take several hours for your truck to move through the marshaling line, and then for your freight to be unloaded and delivered to your booth. We strongly encourage you to schedule labor for 8 a.m. on the morning following your target date.
Direct-to-Show Site labels are available below or address your packages with the following information:
Direct-to-Show Site Labels:
Freeman/Exhibiting Company Name
WEFTEC.08 – Booth #
c/o Freeman
McCormick Place
2301 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60616
No. of Pieces___________
Carrier ________________
Exhibitors who will be bringing items in their privately owned vehicle must check in with The Freeman Companies at the loading docks at the marshalling yard. The vehicle will be directed to the appropriate dock area. The vehicle may remain at the dock only for the time it takes for Freeman to unload the materials from the vehicle. Those parking at any gate or dock area will be towed. No materials may be moved in through the lobby area and vehicles may not be parked in the front of the building or they will be towed.
All shipments must have a bill of lading or delivery slip indicating the number of pieces, type of merchandise and weight. Certified weight tickets must accompany all shipments.
Complete shipping information can be found in Freeman Services or on Freeman’s website.
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Exhibitors are not permitted to begin set up on the show floor unless their exhibit space is paid in full. Show Management will direct Freeman and other show contractors not to deliver show freight to your booth or provide other show services if your exhibit space is not paid in full.
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You may hand-carry your own materials in the exhibit hall provided you do not use material handling equipment to assist you. Two-wheel luggage carts are acceptable; hand-carts, motorized vehicles, forklifts, pallet jacks and other wheeled vehicles are prohibited. None of these items, including luggage carts, are allowed on escalators.
Hand-carry materials may only be brought in through the front doors of the exhibit halls, and you will not be permitted access to the loading dock and/or freight door areas.
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- If you are delivering materials in your own small privately-owned vehicle, you must first go to the designated marshaling yard.
- The unloading of any materials from a POV must be done at the loading dock only.
- Exhibitors may unload their vehicles provided they do not use any material handling equipment (fork-lifts, flatbeds, dollies, pallet jacks, etc.) If any of these tools are required to unload your vehicle, you must use union labor.
- Upon arrival at the marshaling yard, you will be directed to a “Speed Line” set up specifically for small privately owned vehicles. Freeman will make every effort to expedite the dispatch and unloading of POVs.
- POVs cannot stand or wait at any gate in any tunnel in any building. These gates are designed for passenger drop-off and pick-up. For safety and to maintain efficient traffic patterns throughout the show, we will tow vehicles which are left unattended in any tunnel or at any taxi gate.
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All overnight deliveries will be routed through Freeman. Federal Express, UPS, US Mail and other like carriers will deliver directly to the freight entrance. Freeman will then sort and log these items for delivery to your booth. This process can take several hours. If you are planning an overnight delivery, please allow for the sorting time when estimating your need for the package.
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All materials handled by Freeman are subject to specific terms and conditions. For complete details, visit Freeman online.
Damaged or Lost Freight
Any damage or loss must be reported to Freeman by the exhibitor prior to the close of the show to receive verification for your insurance broker. It is highly recommended that exhibitors insure their exhibit and product, taking out a rider policy to cover from the time such materials leave exhibitors’ possession until the time such materials return from the show.
Freeman will take damage and loss reports on-site, but it is the exhibitors responsibility to contact Freeman after returning from the show to initiate the claims process.
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Arrangements for outbound freight can be made in advance or at the show site at the Freeman Service Desk. Service representatives will assist in scheduling, filling out Outbound Shipment Forms and general coordination of all outbound freight activities.
Each shipment must have a completed Material Handling Agreement in order to ship materials from the show. All pieces must be labeled individually. The agreement and labels will be processed and available prior to the show closing.
After materials are packed, labeled, and ready to be shipped, the completed Material Handling Agreement must be turned in at the Service Center. Inform your designated carrier with pickup information.
Please Note: In the event that your selected carrier fails to show on final move-out day, your shipment will be either rerouted to Freeman’s carrier choice or delivered back to the warehouse at the exhibitor’s expense.
For your convenience, show recommended carriers will be onsite to handle outbound transportation. Complete shipping information can be found in Freeman Services or on Freeman’s website.
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Air Freight
Freeman Exhibit Transportation
Attention: Keith Engelman
5040 W. Roosevelt
Chicago, IL 60644
Phone: 1-773-473-8323
Fax: 1-773-854-3794
Email: keith.engelman@freemanco.com
Truck Line
Freeman Exhibit Transportation
Attention: Keith Engelman
5040 W. Roosevelt
Chicago, IL 60644
Phone: 1-773-473-8323
Fax: 1-773-854-3794
Email: keith.engelman@freemanco.com
Van Line Carrier
MACC Inc. /Bekins Van Lines
Attention: Mac McCallum
2006 Southern Boulevard, Suite #202
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Phone: 1-505-891-8031
Fax: 1-505-892-2964
Email: maccmacc@aol.com
International Shipping/Customs Clearance
TWI Group
Attention: Octavio Astorga
2725 E. Desert Inn Road, Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89121
Phone: 1-702-354-7519
Fax: 1-619-330-4859
Email: oastorga@twiglobal.com
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If you will be shipping items to the show outside the United States, you will have to arrange custom clearance. WEF has been approved for a Trade Fair Bond that will permit you to ship your materials to the show duty-free.
TWI has been appointed by the Water Environment Federation as the official import customs broker for delivery on international shipments designated for WEFTEC.08. No other broker can access the bond.
The information contained in the TWI Import Services pamphlet includes important information including shipping deadlines and documentation requirements for the importation of your exhibition materials into the United States of America.
TWI Group, Inc.
Attn: Octavio Astorga
2725 E. Desert Inn Road, Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89121
Phone: 702-354-7519
Fax: 1-619-330-4859
oastorga@twiglobal.com
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| Material Handling & Cost-Saving Tips |
One of the largest expenses associated with exhibiting at tradeshows is transporting your exhibit and marketing materials to the show and back home again. This movement is known in the tradeshow world as material handling.
To avoid incurring any unnecessary expenses with material handling, Show Management has created a list of tips to make sure your tradeshow experience is easy and hassle-free.
- Be sure to read the entire exhibitor manual. It contains valuable information to save you money and assure a smooth, worry-free move-in. The discount deadline ordering dates are an easy way to save money.
- Make sure your goods are insured from the time they leave your facility until they return following the show.
- When making your shipping plans, also plan for the return shipment. Make sure that someone from your company will be on-site to oversee the outbound shipment of your display and product.
- To ensure the maximum set up time, ship early to the warehouse. Ship to arrive on or before the published deadline for warehouse receiving to avoid incurring a “late to warehouse” surcharge.
- Before sending anything to Freeman, remove all old shipping (and empty storage) labels and attach clean, accurate labels with your company name, the show name and your booth number clearly identified.
- Take the time to ensure that your display and products are packed neatly and securely.
- Ship all hanging signs in advance to the Freeman warehouse so they can be installed prior to your arrival.
- Confirm receipt of advance warehouse shipments before you leave for the show.
- Advise your carrier that each shipment will be required to have certified weight tickets at the time of check in for unloading. If your driver arrives without weight tickets, you could incur delays in unloading.
- If you ship direct to the show site, make sure your carrier is given explicit information as to where and when to check in at the marshaling yard in order to meet your delivery target and avoid potential surcharges. Select a carrier with experience in handling exhibition materials.
- Delivery and pick up times are often out of the range of “normal” delivery hours, and usually require some waiting time. Make sure your carrier is committed to meeting your target date and time.
- Make sure the items needed first, such as your carpet, are loaded last on your truck so they can be unloaded first, this will provide you with the opportunity to start your installation while the remainder of your shipment is being unloaded.
- If your shipment consists of both crated and uncrated materials, ship uncrated materials on a separate bill of lading with separate weight tickets and physically separate the materials on the truck.
- For on-site deliveries, confirm delivery date and time 24 hours in advance with your carrier. Don’t forget to get names and contact information.
- Make sure that someone representing your company has all shipping information available at show site (carrier, tracking number, carrier contact, etc.)
- Control your cost by avoiding and/or managing whenever possible the following:
- Late arrival at warehouse
- Late check in on your targeted or designated unloading day
- Unloading or loading during overtime periods
- Unskidded boxes and equipment
- Missed target date or time
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