2015 Heartland Travel Showcase Exhibitor Handbook Show Colors – Tan and green drapes. The table skirt is white. The floor is fully carpeted with multicolor carpet. Exhibit Booth Description – One 10 x 10’ space with an 8’ tall drape back drop and two 3’ side panels. Your booth does come with a 6’ skirted table, 3 side chairs and a waste basket. The floor is fully carpeted. Profile Sheets - Must have current complete information about your area, venue, product/services offered. When compiling your profile sheet, please be sure to include the following information: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Name of the company (easily identified) Company Address Contact information (to include: direct line, fax, cell phone, email & website) Any group tour policies Special offers Good clear directions to your location/property. Include a map if possible. Surrounding attractions Calendar of events for that area (even if you are a hotel, know the area) Make color copies Focus on what’s distinctive about your destination/property/attraction Focus on the experience (not the site) Include a lot of great photos Label the photos Sample itineraries are great (if space permits)
BONUS OPPORTUNITY--You can provide the profiles directly to EVERY Tour Operator at Heartland Travel Showcase by purchasing a binder sponsorship- ONLY $440. See Sponsorship brochure for more details. Handouts – Exhibitors may have small marketing items as giveaways for the operators on their tables. This should be offered as an option for them if they would like. Likewise, additional marketing pamphlets and brochures may also be available as an option.
Move In – Booths may be set up on Friday, February 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All booths must be completely installed no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Move Out – All exhibits MUST remain in place until after closing. Tear down will be permitted on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Exhibitors are responsible for the removal of all their materials at the conclusion of the show. For better security make sure all items which can be easily picked up are removed first. It may be best to make arrangements to have help during this period so one person remains in the booth during tear-down. Heartland Travel Showcase is not responsible for items lost due to theft. Booth Decoration and Construction – You may decorate your booth(s) at Heartland Travel Showcase. Your booth structure must be sound so as not to collapse or produce hazardous conditions for occupants and show visitors. No exhibit (10 x 10’ display), structure (display, signs, etc.) shall extend more than 7’ in height of the back line or 4’ from the rear of the booth to the aisle. Exhibitor’s display and/or decorations may not obstruct other displays nor project into aisles. Monitors must be placed to rear of exhibit with the volume very low. Helium filled balloons MAY NOT BE USED in the Hyatt Regency Riverside Center. Use of Space – All sales, taking orders for future delivery, conferences, lectures, displays and distribution of literature will be limited exclusively to exhibitors and must be conducted in a dignified manner consistent with the overall theme of the show within the confines of the leased booth space. The aisles are not to be used for passing literature out to the tour operators on their way to appointments. Please share your profile sheet with them when they are visiting you in your booth space. No noise-making devices, public address systems, and/or sound systems of any type shall be allowed. All exhibitors must be in attendance during Show hours. No placement of stickers on persons or center grounds will be permitted. Booth Share – Both organizations will receive a profile listing in Heartland Connections. The primary exhibitor will also receive all mailings and is responsible for sharing this information with their booth share partner. The cost to booth share is $500 in addition to the cost for a booth rental. Exhibitor Registration – Exhibitor Registration will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Insurance Requirements – All exhibitors MUST furnish liability insurance. This is not a new requirement. A Certificate of Insurance stating you have coverage should be sent to Heartland Travel Showcase. It must name Heartland Travel Showcase as additional insured. This is an important safeguard for your company while exhibiting at the Show. For specifications please see the insurance and liability clause taken from the terms and conditions of your contract: “Insurance and Liability: Also, Exhibitor shall maintain in effect and, upon request, shall supply Show Management with certificates of insurance for comprehensive general liability insurance with combined bodily injury and property damage limits of $500,000 each occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate and an umbrella liability insurance policy with limits of $1,000,000. Neither the Show, Show management, Convention nor Sponsor(s) shall be responsible for loss or damage occurring to Exhibitor’s property from any cause including without limitation the negligence of Show or Show Management, their agents, employees, invitees, contractors, successors and assigns. Small and valuable exhibit material should be packed away each night. Exhibitor agrees to protect and hold harmless Show, Show Management, Convention Center and sponsor(s) against any and all claims for loss, injury or damage to persons to property arising out of the activities of Exhibitor, his agents, employees, invitees, licensees, or guests, and to defend Show, Show Management, Convention Center and sponsor(s) for any loss, damage, expense or payment suffered thereby.”
Name Badges – You are NOT permitted to exchange/trade your name badge off with anyone. Only registered exhibitors may attend the show. You cannot have more than three (3) registered exhibitors in a booth. Please comply with the show rules in fairness to all attendees. Primary Exhibitor – The main exhibitor that submitted the contract. You have full show access (except Tour Operator only functions). Booth Share Partner – The second company that is sharing a booth with the primary exhibitor. You have full show access (except Tour Operator only functions). Additional Delegate Pass – For a fee of $400, you can register a colleague as an additional delegate. The additional delegate may attend all functions except the Four Minute Meet on Friday and Tour Operator only functions. This session is for the primary and booth share partner only. A booth may have no more than three (3) delegates. If you are a booth share partner the $500 fee includes an upgrade. Floor Only - The Primary exhibitor may bring one additional person from his/her company at no additional cost. This delegate has access to the exhibit show floor ONLY. If you would like to attend other functions, you must upgrade to an additional delegate. (see information above). Building Smoking Regulations – The Hyatt Regency Hotel is a non-smoking facility. Attendees must go outside the building to smoke. Fire Prevention Code – All materials used for decorations MUST BE FLAME RESISTANT, capable of meeting a match flame test. No hazardous equipment or material is permitted in the exhibit area without written approval from the Fire Prevention Bureau – this includes open flames, hot coals, toxic liquid or gases, flammable chemicals and LP cylinders. Liquor Control Policy – All employees, guests or exhibitors are prohibited from selling, giving away or bringing upon the premises, any intoxicating liquor, liquids or compounds. Also see the Chicago Area Union document below:
CHICAGO AREA UNION JURISDICTIONS DECORATORS UNION Decorators handle installation of signs, drape background, table skirting, and other items of a decorative nature that must be done after a display background is erected, such as photos, and framed and unframed pictures. Exhibitors may hang their own corporate logos, small pictures and graphics when such items are designed to be attached by pre-set velcro strips, permanently mounted hooks or snaps. Exhibitors may set up and take down 10’ x 10’ displays (“pop-ups’) if one person can accomplish the task in 1/2 hour or less without the use of tools. Exhibitors may skirt table(s) provided they do it with their own custom fi t skirts, without the use of staples, snaps or velcro.
ELECTRICAL UNION Electricians handle all electrical work, which includes supplying power lines to your booth, connecting equipment to the proper outlets, and installing any signs or headers that are lighted, unless they are permanently attached to the exhibit backwall.
GENERAL PROVISIONS In each case where these rules indicate that an “exhibitor may” do something, this is interpreted to mean a full-time employee of the exhibiting company (full time throughout the year. Verifi able documentation must be provided upon request). Reasonable judgement must be used in determining when a task is so large or so time consuming as to require professional union labor.
WHAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT UNIONS IN THE CHICAGO AREA Contrary to popular belief, exhibitors are allowed to do a few jobs in the comfort and privacy of their own booth. Hopefully this guideline will help. Exhibitors are allowed to unpack and repack their own product. This does not mean that because your product is a 10 ton assembly line, and is shipped in pieces, that you can assemble it; it means that if you are displaying some type of merchandise that comes in boxes, you can unpack and set out for display providing no tools are required to open boxes. Exhibitors are allowed to do the technical work on their machines, example: fi ne line balancing, programming, additional electrical work, in most cases, and cleaning of the machines.
CHICAGO AREA UNION JURISDICTIONS All exhibit and display work in the Chicago area must be done by union personnel. There are six major unions that have jurisdiction over tradeshows. The following guidelines will help you in preparing your exhibit to conform to union jurisdiction and adherence to them can save you a substantial amount of money.
TEAMSTER UNION Teamsters handle all freight inside the exhibit hall. They unload all trucks or vehicles, deliver the material to your booth and remove and reload material at the close of the show. The only exceptions to this are, machinery, which is handled by the Riggers and Machinery Movers Union, and small items which can be easily carried by one person, in one trip, without the aid of fl at trucks, dollies, etc. Exhibitor may carry in small packages including pop-up booths provided they can be hand-carried.
MACHINERY MOVERS & RIGGERS (1) Riggers, as members of the union are usually referred to, handle all machines. This includes unloading machines from trucks, moving the materials to your booth and uncrating them if necessary. Riggers also remove skids and reskid machines and spot the machines in your booth. (2) An exhibitor and exhibitor employees are permitted in a booth of any size to skid, position, and re-skid all exhibitor material, machinery and equipment. (3) Consistent with safety and the skills and training necessary to perform the task, an exhibitor and exhibitor employees (“Exhibitor employee” means any person who has been employed by the exhibitor as a full-time employee for a minimum of 6 months before the show’s opening date) are permitted in a booth of any size with the use of the
exhibitor’s ladders and hand tools to assemble and disassemble machinery or equipment. (4) Please note: An exhibitor and exhibitor employees are prohibited at any time from using scooters, forklifts, pallet jacks, condors, scissor lifts, motorized dollies, or similar motorized or hydraulic equipment.
CARPENTERS UNION Carpenters handle the erection and dismantling of display and exhibit booths. This includes all display work with the exception of machinery, signs or lighted headers, unless the sign or header is a permanently attached part of the display. Carpenters also recrate machines for outbound loading. Exhibitors may set up and dismantle pop-up displays in booths of 10’ x 10’ or less. A pop-up display shall be defined as a display system of ten feet or less, that can be set up by one person in 1/2 hour or less, without the use of tools. Pop-up displays larger than 10 feet will require union labor.