Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, CMM, “The Booth Mom,” is an independent exhibit-management consultant, trainer, speaker, writer, and an Exhibitor conference faculty member. CandyAdams @BoothMom.com

or me, one of the toughest parts of being a rookie exhibit manager was trying to figure out who all the players on the trade show floor were, not to mention what services they provided to the exhibitor, show manager, or attendee. Terms like independent contractor, exhibitor-appointed contractor, specialty subcontractor, exclusive contractor, and general contractor, often without company names attached, went right over my head.

If you’re confused by the number of contractor names on the show floor and who is responsible for what, you’re not alone. The sheer number and similarity of titles almost guarantees confusion. And the relationships between those titles can change from show to show, which makes keeping them straight as difficult as nailing Jell-O to the wall. To further muddy the water, each type of contractor also has an acronym that goes with it, which in some cases is industry specific.

To help you clear up the confusion, here’s a rundown on some of the most common trade show contractor titles and the general responsibilities assigned to each of them.

General Services Contractor

The general services contractor (GSC), also known as a general contractor (GC) or official general contractor, is contracted by the show organizer or by show management. The GSC accepts responsibility for the physical setup of the exhibition, which generally includes the following tasks. However, depending on the capabilities and bandwidth of the GSC in a given city, it might subcontract some of the following services.

Conduct a pre-contract inspection of the trade show venue (generally a convention center or hotel) for planning purposes.

Prepare the overall show-floor layout, including areas for registration, show offices, food service, and booth spaces. (This also includes assigning exhibit numbers and mapping the location of show entrances, utilities, and obstacles such as columns and fire apparatus, no-freight aisles, and freight access.)

Coordinate with show management and the venue to generate the exhibitor services portion of the exhibitor services manual.

Provide all equipment required for material handling (also known as drayage) such as various sizes of forklifts, dollies, and dock plates.

Manage exhibitor freight, including up to 30 days of free storage in the advance warehouse at most shows, and the location and operation of the marshaling yard. (This also includes managing the flow of freight through the docks during show move in and move out, storage of empty crates and cartons, and management of accessible storage during the show.)

Provide installation and dismantle equipment such as ladders, forklifts, and gang boxes of commonly used show supplies.

Hire and manage the labor force, including I&D personnel such as carpenters, decorators, and riggers.

Provide rigging equipment, such as high lifts (also known as JLG lifts, scissor lifts, or cherry pickers), and hanging materials, such as wire and hooks, for rigging and hanging exhibitor signs, aisle-identification signage, and large banners.

Print and place directional and informational signage such as aisle signs in the exhibit hall.

Decorate the hall, including hanging the side- and back-wall pipe and drape for linear exhibits, masking drape to hide unused or unsightly areas of the show floor, and skirting tables and counters.

Provide and install aisle carpet and rental exhibit pad and carpet.

Design and construct decorative features at the main hall entrances.

Provide registration counters for exhibitors, attendees, press, and VIPs, and service desks for the GSC and other official contractors.

Furnish various show-management offices, including the show office and exhibit-sales suite.

Provide rental exhibit properties and standard and custom furnishings.

Shampoo and vacuum aisle and exhibit carpets.

Remove miscellaneous trash from the show floor during setup, show days, and tear down.

Staff an on-site GSC service desk so exhibitors can order and pay for the services listed in the exhibitor services manual.

Exclusive Contractors

The space contract that the show organizer signs to use a trade show or conference facility can stipulate that it must work with only the exclusive contractors with which the facility has contracted. If this is the case, both show management and the exhibitors must use these exclusive contractors.

Until recently, the exclusive contractors dealt only with the physical infrastructure of the show facility, such as electrical, plumbing, compressed air, telecommunications, Internet, and catering services. But to enhance the facility’s revenue stream, some convention facilities are naming exclusive contractors for other services, such as audiovisual and computer rentals and service, security, and floor cleaning. This not only restricts the exhibitors’ ability to use the vendors of their choice, but usually also raises the exhibitors’ costs since the venue marks up the vendor’s cost of providing the product/service.

Official Contractors

Official contractors are suppliers designated by the show organizer or GSC as preferred providers of certain services. They are also known as subcontractors or specialty subcontractors.

While the term “official” makes it seem that you would have to use the services of these contractors, this is not the case. (Exhibitors can also appoint their own contractors, as explained in the next section.) As a matter of fact, it might not be in your best financial interest to do so. To gain “official” status and access to the exhibitor list for marketing their services, official contractors often make agreements to share profits and/or offer discounted or complimentary services to the show organizer, show manager, or GSC (depending on who is contracting them). This can result in markups to exhibitors.

Official contractors often provide the following services:

Shipping arrangements via common carrier, or specialized shipping via van line or air freight.

Customs brokerage and freight forwarding of international shipments.

Flower and plant rental.

Hotel reservations in the show’s official room block.

Travel services.

Photography and videography services during the show.

Rental of custom furnishings for your company’s exhibit.

Computer and AV rentals.

In-booth security.

Lead-retrieval systems.

Exhibitor Appointed Contractors

An exhibitor appointed contractor (EAC) is any subcontractor chosen and used by an exhibitor to perform services or provide rental products that have not been exclusively contracted by the show organizer. EACs are also known as independent contractors, indies, or nonofficial contractors. At medical-industry trade shows, however, they are generally referred to as exhibitor-designated contractors, or EDCs.

If you choose to use an EAC rather than the show’s official contractors, you must notify the show organizer, show manager, or GSC. The exhibitor services manual should explain the show’s specific notification process and include forms for you and your EAC to fill out. The EAC must provide paperwork proving it has adequate insurance (generally both liability and workers compensation), as stipulated on the EAC form, naming the show organizer, show manager, general service contractor, and facility as additional insured parties on the policy. Deadlines for submitting this paperwork are generally between 30 and 60 days before show opening. If the proper paperwork is not in place, your chosen vendors could be turned away when they reach show site.

When I entered the industry as an exhibit manager almost 20 years ago, the only vendor-selected contractor for whom we had to submit EAC paperwork was an I&D vendor. Now, because of the liability of having numerous types of vendors working on the show floor, the breadth of who is considered an EAC has changed. Some shows have expanded the term to include any contractor other than the GSC, exclusive contractor, or official contractor, hired by an exhibitor. This can include outside vendors of AV equipment or computer rentals, custom furniture rental, etc. When in doubt about whether you need to submit EAC forms and have your EAC submit its insurance documentation, ask the person to whose attention you are to submit the form. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

In addition to completing paperwork and submitting insurance forms, a small percentage of shows require exhibitors to pay a fee to use an EAC’s services. This fee is meant to cover the cost of processing the paperwork for additional contractors on the show floor and is usually submitted by the EAC with its insurance coverage form. This fee can be passed through to the exhibitor on the EAC’s final invoice. Check with your EAC to see if it absorbs this as a standard business expense, or if you are responsible for paying part or all of it.

Even if at first glance it looks like hiring an EAC rather than an official contractor will save you money, this might not be the case. Be sure you look at the bottom line of all charges, not just the basic cost of the product or service. For example, if you use the official AV or custom-furnishings contractors at a show, you might not have to pay material handling or delivery fees, but an EAC would generally charge you for both.

Ultimately, there is no universal answer to the question of whether an EAC or official contractor is the best or most cost-effective solution; the answer will vary from show to show and service to service. So before deciding which contractor to use, ask candidates lots of questions about the value they’ll bring to your trade show exhibit program. e