Just like last year, once again, almost all of the PartnerShip core carriers were recognized with Quest for Quality awards this year by the readers of Logistics Management magazine.

As part of the 30th annual Quest for Quality awards competition, Logistics Management readers evaluate companies in all modes and service disciplines, choosing the top performers in key categories. This year the research group received 6,179 total responses. In order to be a "winner," a company had to receive at least five percent of the category vote. Transportation service providers are rated on five key criteria: On-time Performance, Value, Information Technology, Customer Service, and Equipment & Operations.

Here are the PartnerShip carriers that received awards this year:

• National LTL Freight:

• National: FedEx Freight, Con-way Freight
  

• Multi-Regional: FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, UPS Freight
  

• Surface Package: FedEx Ground, UPS

• Regional LTL Freight:

• Northeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S.: New Penn, Pitt Ohio

• Western U.S.: Reddaway

• Truckload/Specialized:

• Dry Freight: Pitt Ohio, Con-way Truckload

• Expedited: UPS Urgent, Old Dominion, Pitt Ohio, FedEx Custom Critical

• High Value Goods: United Van Lines

• Air Express:

• Air Express: FedEx Express

On behalf of PartnerShip, our employees, and the thousands of our customers that rely on your services as part of our shipping programs - congratulations to all of the carriers that won Quest for Quality awards this year! PartnerShip works with only the best carriers in the industry - and you've all proven to be in that category once again.

If you find yourself traveling frequently for business — whether it is to meetings, conferences, or trade shows — you know that it can be a challenge to find the best way to transport your marketing collateral and materials. Sometimes you may require exhibit transportation services for your larger, palletized shipments, but other times you might just have display materials for a small booth or table. Before you try to stuff all of those materials into your suitcase, consider shipping them. 

Shipping to a conference or a meeting can be a cost-effective and convenient option to get your materials where they need to be. But where do you ship it to? Through FedEx, you can ship your package to a nearby FedEx Office store at no extra cost. There are many FedEx locations around the country — often times right around the corner from, if not in, your hotel or conference center. And if you are an enrolled member in a PartnerShip association shipping program, your FedEx discounts still apply to the shipment.

Gone are the days that you try to stuff your marketing collateral in your personal luggage or pay extra to check an additional bag! Not to mention, you don't have to worry about lugging another set of luggage around the airport and to your hotel or show site.

Watch the video below or follow these simple steps to benefit from this free service:

1. Find a FedEx Office location

2. Create your shipment

3. Select the option —hold at a FedEx location'

4. Pickup at your convenience

The PartnerShip exhibit transportation team continues to accumulate many accolades and testimonials for our tradeshow shipping services. Common points of feedback tend to include:

• 'Your team is there supporting me from A-Z, start-to-finish for every show.'
• 'You help take the burden off the exhibitor of finding the right carriers and completing the right paperwork.'
• 'You've got great people working on your team, and I know they are always just a quick phone call or email away.'
• "PartnerShip makes every trade show go smoothly - we have never been dissapointed."
• 'In the rare cases where I have a problem or delay, your team is very responsive in resolving the issues.'
• 'The proactive communications and tracking information your team provides me goes above and beyond my expectations.'
• 'You guys are awesome, thanks!'

We love happy customers, and we love it when our customers share their experience with us (both good and bad), which is why we ask every exhibitor for their candid feedback after each tradeshow shipment we handle. In fact, we've recently started taking a camcorder with us to some of the bigger shows that we support in order to capture live feedback from a few of the exhibitors we serve. Here are three recent shows and testimonials captured on film by one of our very own senior tradeshow representatives, Bryan Chambers  - who we now affectionately refer to as "Bryan Seacrest" (the first video also includes an introductory interview conducted by Harry Centa, senior program manager for PartnerShip).

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We typically share our tradeshow videos and stories on The Tradeshow Stories Blog - and we also encourage our exhibitors to share their stories using a simple, online form. So if you're an exhibitor looking to work with one of the best, most experienced, tradeshow shipping providers in the industry, I encourage you to check out these resources and then give us a call for a free, no-obligation quote on your next exhibit shipment. 

Scott G Frederick

A tradeshow is a great way to get in front of your customers.Managing shipping programs for over 100 associations means that PartnerShip attends its fair share of tradeshows and events. What we've gleaned from all of these tradeshows is that there is always something new to learn, and things are always changing. That's why we called on one of the PartnerShip resident tradeshow experts to share some experience and knowledge that he has gathered over the years.

Harry Centa, a senior program manager with PartnerShip, has attended over 100 tradeshows in his seven year career with the company. When asked why tradeshows are important to small businesses, Harry said, —Tradeshows are a great way to put a face and personality to your company. The face-to-face interactions and conversations you have at tradeshows go a long way in building relationships and solidifying leads for your company. That's why we take tradeshows seriously and invest resources in this valuable tool.'

We asked Harry for some tips on pre-show, at-show, and post-show best practices and this is the advice he had to offer:

• Pre-Show — —Decide on a plan of attack for the upcoming show. Establish what you want to accomplish, how you are going to accomplish it, and what tools you'll need to successfully carry out your plan. You can then start thinking about collateral, giveaways, and promotions leading up to the show. Determine if your booth will ship to the advance warehouse or directly to the showsite. Lastly, bringing your own table, chairs, modular carpet squares, etc. can dramatically reduce your exhibiting costs.'
• At-Show — —If possible, setup your booth a day in advance of the show start, that way you are not rushed, have plenty of time to make extra copies of your marketing materials, and deal with any emergencies that can arise from time to time. Take advantage of every networking opportunity, and be sure to track all leads. For larger shows, renting a lead retrieval scanner is a wise choice, and for smaller shows, taking notes on business cards works just as well."
• Post-Show — —Write down what you learned through your show experience — it will be valuable for future shows. Also, be sure to follow up with any leads you received at the show in a timely manner. Striking while the iron is hot will ensure you are fresh in the prospect's mind and you won't get sent to voice mail with the rest of the sales calls. Another best practice is to send a post show eblast and/or postcard to the attendees list (if offered) to remind them of your product or service.'

Additionally, Harry emphasized, —The most important aspect of tradeshows is getting your booth and show materials to the tradeshow on-time and in one piece. Without a booth or materials for customers, the tradeshow experience is hampered considerably.' Harry went on to say, —Shipping my tradeshow materials is one part of the tradeshow process I leave to the tradeshow shipping experts here at PartnerShip!'

Your booth is now at the show, you've followed Harry's pre-show rituals to a T — now, how do you drive people to your booth? —There's not much point in going to a tradeshow if your just going to stand there and shuffle your feet for 8 hours.' said Harry, —I use giveaways as a method for driving traffic to my booth, and once customers are there I use that opportunity to discuss PartnerShip and the services we provide. Tradeshows are constantly changing, but one idea will always hold true: People love free stuff - pens, pads or any swag in general!' Harry went on to stress that a consistent, inviting, and aesthetically pleasing display is an important tool in catching people's eye, getting your sales pitch out, and getting literature in a customer's hand.

Tradeshows can be an investment for your company, but when done right, tradeshows are one of the most useful tools in your sales toolbox. The PartnerShip goal is to make sure your booth is at a tradeshow on-time and you are prepared for a successful show. That's why we've developed some tradeshow specific information for our customers: The 411 on Tradeshow Shipping and our tradeshow helpful hints page.

If you have any additional questions about shipping to tradeshows, about tradeshows in general, or would like to quote a shipment to your next show — contact the PartnerShip dedicated tradeshow team at tradeshow@PartnerShip.com or call 800-599-2902. You can also contact Harry Centa at the above information.

Whether you’re a frequent tradeshow exhibitor, an occasional exhibitor, or a show organizer, you inevitably begin with a long list of “to-do’s” when planning your exhibit or event. You’ve probably spent months carefully considering your booth design, literature, show floor strategy, and giveaways. But one thing is for certain, your plans all hinge on your show and conference materials arriving at your event – on time and in good condition!                                                 

This is one part of the process that is often the most overlooked, and least considered – getting your precious cargo from Point A to Point B. When it comes to tradeshow shipping, many exhibitors believe that they can save time, money and energy by using the decorator’s freight solution, shipping through a small package ground program, or bringing the materials in themselves.  Sometimes exhibitors will choose to go with a lesser-known freight carrier, thinking that they will have the lowest rates.                                                                                                              

If your tradeshow shipment is at least 150lbs., you will want to find a shipping option that meets all of your most important criteria:                                    

1. Use a transportation partner that has a dedicated tradeshow shipping department – Tradeshow shipping is a unique line of business in the freight transportation world, so pick a partner that specializes in getting to know the logistics of your event. Inbound and outbound shipping paperwork, and warehouse deadlines all become easier to navigate when you’ve picked the right partner.                     

2. Who’s watching your shipment? – The success of your business can hinge on your success at a large tradeshow or event, so pick the partner that’s going to track your shipment from the time it leaves your dock to the time it gets to the show.

3. Money isn’t everything, but… – You don’t want to end up spending all of your hard-earned profits from the show on freight, but you want to make sure that you don’t jump at the lowest offer if it’s a carrier that you’ve never heard of. “Bob’s Trucking” may be offering you the lowest shipping rate, but make sure you won’t be charged additional fees that you didn’t know about, such as “wait time” and “lift gate” fees. Also, you’ll want to make sure that your show materials are covered by a certain amount of liability insurance with the carrier that you’ve chosen.

PartnerShip can help you with all of your tradeshow freight shipping, using the best national carriers, and at the most competitive rates. When you ship to a tradeshow using PartnerShip services, you can be sure that you’re getting the best service from a partner that will treat your shipment as if it was our own – daily tracking, preparing your paperwork, and providing you with the best liability insurance in the industry.

Visit TradeshowSelect.com to get a free rate quote and learn about our services. For more information, email tradeshow@PartnerShip.com or call our dedicated tradeshow team at 800-599-2902 from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. ET. Want even more tradeshow info from the experts? Download our whitepaper – The 411 to Tradeshow Shipping.