Trade show logistics is the work around the show itself: getting booth crates, displays, product and marketing materials to the venue on time, getting them back out at move-out, and keeping them somewhere safe until the next show. Alvy Logistics handles it for exhibitors at Southern California shows from its warehouse in Valencia, in north Los Angeles County, with cargo vans and 20 to 26 ft box trucks run by our network of independent-contractor drivers.
How do you ship to a trade show?
Start with the exhibitor services manual. It names the show’s general contractor and lists the advance warehouse address and receiving dates, the direct-to-show move-in schedule, the label format and the move-out deadlines. Then:
- Pick one route for each shipment: the advance warehouse or direct to the show.
- Label every piece with the show’s labels: exhibitor name, booth number, show name and the piece count (1 of 4, 2 of 4).
- Send us the crate list: pieces, dimensions and weights, the pickup address and the delivery window.
- Book the return at the same time. Outbound pickup is easier to plan before the show than on the last afternoon.
That is the whole job of trade show shipping for a local show: the right freight at the right address in the right window, then back again.
Advance warehouse or direct to the show?
| Advance warehouse | Direct to show | |
|---|---|---|
| When freight arrives | Inside the receiving dates, often weeks before the show | On your target move-in time |
| Timing risk at move-in | Low: crates are waiting at your booth | Higher: the truck has to make its window |
| Show handling charges | Higher: receiving, storage and the transfer to the hall | Usually lower |
| Best for | Large booths, tight move-in schedules | Local shows and smaller booths |
We deliver to either. At many venues, trucks check in at a marshalling yard first and are sent to the dock in order, so build waiting time into the plan. For a show in Los Angeles, Anaheim or Long Beach, direct delivery by box truck is often the simpler choice, because the truck comes from nearby instead of across the country.
What paperwork and labels does the show require?
The general contractor sets the rules. Expect show labels on every piece, a bill of lading for each shipment and, at move-out, an outbound material handling form filed at the service desk naming the carrier that will collect your freight. Our drivers sign the bill of lading and delivery receipts as the carrier, and a certificate of insurance can be supplied to the venue on request. If no carrier is checked in by the move-out deadline, the contractor can send your freight with its own carrier at its own rates, known as forced freight. Booking the return before the show opens avoids that.
Who moves freight on the show floor?
Not us. Material handling, often called drayage at shows, is done by the show’s official contractor: unloading at the dock, moving crates to your booth, storing empties during the show and returning them at move-out. That contractor bills it separately, usually by weight. Booth installation and dismantle (I&D) is done by the show’s own contractors or your exhibit house. Our part of trade show transportation ends at the dock, marshalling yard or advance warehouse, and starts again there at move-out.
How to compare trade show shipping companies
Trade show shipping companies range from national freight carriers with exhibit divisions to local couriers. For a Southern California show, compare who moves the freight on each leg, whether the driver can meet the advance warehouse’s receiving window or the marshalling yard time, whether storage between shows sits in the same company’s building, and whether the quote lists every charge before move-in. Trade show transportation inside the region starts at $80 by cargo van or $200 by box truck with Alvy Logistics, with storage in Valencia from $25 a pallet a month.
Exhibit shipping to Southern California venues
- Los Angeles Convention Center, downtown Los Angeles, about 40 miles from Valencia by road.
- Anaheim Convention Center, on Katella Avenue in Anaheim.
- Long Beach Convention Center, on Ocean Boulevard in downtown Long Beach.
- San Diego Convention Center, on Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego.
- Ontario Convention Center, in Ontario in the Inland Empire.
These are venues we deliver to, not partners, and each show sets its own rules. Hotel ballrooms, arenas and outdoor venues work the same way, and live event logistics follows the same pattern: displays, cases and merch to the dock on load-in day. Box trucks are available in every service area, and drivers are based in each area, so there is no charge to bring a driver to you.
Runs to Anaheim go with drivers based in Orange County, and runs to the Long Beach and San Diego convention centers with drivers based in Long Beach and the South Bay and San Diego.
Trade show booth storage between shows
Most booths spend more time in storage than on a show floor. Crates and displays can sit in our Valencia warehouse from $25 per pallet per month, with crates too big for a pallet on dedicated floor space from $2.50 per sq ft per month. Handling starts at $12 per pallet in or out, and terms are not annual-only. Freight that arrives before a show is ready can be held here and delivered on the right day. See pallet storage for how storage is set up. The building is ambient, so there is no climate-controlled storage.
Show kits, literature and giveaways
Literature, giveaways and product can be received, counted and stored in the same building, then packed into show kits that travel with the booth or ship ahead. Leftovers come back after the show, are counted and go back into stock. Marketing and merch kits covers how kit builds are priced.
Trade show freight to shows outside Southern California
Large national trade show shipping companies serve venues across the country. Alvy is a regional carrier. Exhibit shipping to a show in Las Vegas or elsewhere in the West moves as trade show freight arranged through Accurate Freight Systems LLC, the licensed property broker in our group (MC-572734), with an authorized motor carrier, by LTL shipping or truckload, quoted per shipment. Your booth can leave from storage in Valencia and come back there.
What does a trade show quote need?
Send the show name, venue and dates; the advance warehouse receiving dates or your target move-in time; the move-out time; the crate list with dimensions and weights; the pickup address; and whether the booth comes back to storage. Phones are answered Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Pacific, so book night and weekend move-ins ahead; those runs carry an added charge listed on your quote. Runs are booked and followed in Alvy’s online shipper portal, and business clients are invoiced. Start with a quote request or call (661) 344-8766.
