We booked our booth for the upcoming ‘07 DM Days expo while at last year’s show. Almost one year ago we waited in line, deliberated over our many options, used or priority points, and finally decided upon booth #753.
It’s a 10x10 corner booth on major artery...great location. We ordered furniture specifically for this location, as we planned to fully utilize the fact that we’re on an unobstructed corner.
I get a call yesterday from one an unnamed DMA exhibits manager. Let’s call her Gaye D. no wait that too obvious; let’s call her G. Dullaghan. Okay that’s better.
I’m not one to shoot the messenger, but this mystery DMA rep proceeds to inform me that they’ve double booked our booth and we have to be moved. Don’t even get me started how they just discovered this oversight and why they think Teramedia should move as opposed to the other party. Let’s focus on the solution.
To make good they’ve selected an alternative location for us; booth #623 which is also a corner booth. Sounds good right? Wrong.
If you’ve ever gone to tradeshow you know that corner locations are worth their weight in gold. So the only reason why booth #666 was passed up by EVERY other exhibitor, including the DMA, is that it’s best used as a storage area.
To be fair, it would be a decent location if you could make the giant column (that would block Teramedia from our clients, vendors and prospects as well as prevents the spot form being a corner booth) magically disappear. Let’s not forget though that they also offered to give us the space “around” the monolith as added-value and pay for few small items. No thank you.
Combine our printing and promotional costs coupled with the effects of “lost” customers and a generally crappy location; and we could easily lose tens or thousands of dollars. We can’t let that happen.
I know that organization makes mistakes, but this one is going to be expensive.
Looks like a free upgrade to 20x10 may be necessary plus some free promotional.
Posted by: Matt | 06/11/2007 at 09:17 AM