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    Stopping The Brain Drain: How To Capture Key Business Knowledge Before It Walks Out The Door
    The verdict is in: More and more baby boomers will be leaving the workplace sooner, rather than later. Many industries are predicting that between 25 and 45% of their more senior employees will soon be departing their organizations. And as they leave, they will be taking vast amounts of accumulated business knowledge with them.Why the mass exodus? As the age of the workforce increases, a greater number of people will be leaving their jobs due to death, disability, or retirement. For several decades, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking the numbers of baby boomers leaving the workplace and reports that close to 25 million people will have left the workforce in the years between 1998 and 2008. Of these, 22 million are or will be aged 45 years or older and thus will be leaving mostly to retire. The total number of people who left the labor force between 1988 and 1998 was 19 million. As we near the end of the current period (1998 – 2008), the oldest baby-boomers are or will be aged 52 to 62 and eligible to retire.The Graying WorkforceThe baby boom began in 1946 and continued through 1964. During those years, 76 million people were born. The unprecedented number of births during this period has had a major impact on many aspects of the economy over the last 50 years, mainly fo
    re also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is

    Opening a Dollar Store - Give and Receive
    If you are opening a dollar store be sure that you support the community that your store is located in. One of the best things that you can do for your business is to establish a set of guidelines associated with giving to the community. Manage your business to that guideline by giving every month.There are many options regarding how to best handle community giving. One of the easiest is simply to find the organizations that fit with your personal preferences. After opening a dollar store contact those targeted organizations and then work with them to find a means of helping. In some cases there will not be an easy way to match your offer to their needs. However in other cases there will soon be obvious matches that work for both you and the organization.For example if you support local education there might be several giving options available. When opening a dollar store possibly you can offer free products to support parties or events that are held in the local grade school. Another much appreciated option is to provide a 10% discount on all purchases to teachers. The list of options is really limited only by your creativity.Many times the offer that you make will actually result in sales. In the example above the 10% discount still results in sales occurring. While you are trading prof
    DECIDING HOW MANY SHOWS TO DO PER YEAR

    Depending on whether you are a manufacturer or a wholesaler dependent on a manufacturer, the number of shows that you can do are limited to the amount of product that can be realistically produced per year.

    If you are depending on the Department of Trade to finance your shows, you will only be able to do 4 per year, and that is only while they have the money allocated for trade shows.

    If you do 4 shows per year, and are being funded by the DTI, you will have to return to South Africa after every show, and all goods and monies have to emanate from South Africa. They will not consider any claims that are paid for with foreign money, i.e. by agents on your behalf.

    PLANNING THE BOOTH

    It is imperative that you take as little equipment with you, because when the show is done, you will either have to dispose of all your furniture/stuff, or place it in storage in the USA if you want to use it again.

    The DTI gives you an allowance to get your samples and equipment to the USA, but they won’t pay for you to take it back home again, unless you are participating in a Pavilion show, where they will pay all your expenses. It is essential that you decide what you will do with the entire booth once the first show is finished.

    The DTI will also not pay the costs of warehousing in the USA and the transport of the booth to the second show from that warehouse. If you do want to go that route, you will have to pay for that yourself.

    A typical charge to get goods to a show is approx. $400, obviously depending on the weight and size of the shipment.

    It’s a good idea to set up the booth beforehand and plan exactly how you want everything to look. Pare it down to the minimum. After all, you are selling goods, not decorations. Use your imagination to exhibit the samples in the most cost effective way.

    Make sure that you have all the risers and decorations that you envisage. Pack all office needs, i.e. invoices, brochures (very important), staplers and spare staples, pens, etc. etc. Although there are of course many shops around, sometimes the shows are in out of the way places, and it is not easy to get photocopies done and buy forgotten essentials.

    SHIPPING SAMPLES AND BOOTH EQUIPMENT

    “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”

    Allow plenty of time for your samples to arrive at the warehouse so that it doesn’t cost you anything extra by way of drayage.

    Also, although your shipping agents will give you an idea of how long your goods will take to get there, always allow an extra two weeks, because there can be delays with Customs Clearance and delivery.

    Make sure that you have clear and precise invoices accompanying the samples, with prices, tariff headings, and clearly marked as Trade Show samples which are duty free.

    If you are sending any seeds, pods, grasses, make sure that you have fumigation certificates. Leather and animal goods have to have a Wildlife Permit.

    Try and contain your booth equipment into as small a size as possible. It is easier to move compact equipment around than large, oversize pallets, which cost more because of the volumetric size.

    BOOTH SET-UP

    Plan on getting to your destination at least one day before set-up day. If you have not been to the site before hand, go down to the show site and check that your samples have arrived in your booth.

    Check your directory entry to see that everything is correct, and familiarize yourself with the lay-out of the hall. Make sure of the time that you can start setting up, and be there promptly. If you have to go out to buy anything that you may have forgotten, now is the time to do it.

    Prepare your “office” so that everything you may need to write orders, give out brochures and price lists is neatly available.

    Make sure that all your samples are clearly marked with the prices. Once you get busy and have more than one person in the booth, you don’t want to lose a sale because the samples aren’t marked. Customers are happy to browse if you are busy, and will wait patiently if they can see everything clearly.

    You may also want to bring some see-through netting or other covering with you to tie across the booth at the end of the day.

    Always be on time in your booth. You will lose valuable sales if you are late coming in, or early going out.

    TAKING ORDERS, ARRANGING PAYMENT

    Always give a clear indication when you plan to ship your orders. USA customers usually work with budgets, and may ask you for shipment on a specific date. They also don’t want to have to worry with importing their goods, and won’t deal with Customs, or pay customs duties. They will all ask for shipment from a USA city.

    The reason for this is that it makes no difference if you are shipping one carton, or one hundred cartons. The clearing charges are the same, and the customer will not happily pay those costs, which can run to $300 per shipment.

    This is where a logistics company can help you. You can ship your entire trade show orders to one place, and there will be only one Customs Clearance charge for the consolidated shipment. Your logistics company will then strip down the shipment, and send the individual boxes onward to the customers. You will then be charged the cost of the local shipments by common carriers, i.e. UPS or FedEx. However, you can charge your customer the cost of the shipping, which is common practice and they are used to paying the UPS charges.

    Another problem you will encounter is accepting payment for your orders. The greater percent of your customers pay on their credit cards. Unless you have a USA company, or you have a Dollar Account in South Africa, you will not be able to process cheques or credit card deposits into your South African bank account in US$. You will need a USA based company to process your credit card payments.

    A similar problem is acceptance of cheques, which carry high bank charges if deposited into a South African bank account. You are also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is

    The Best Plus Size Suits For Job Interviews
    You've fine-tuned your resume and landed that important interview for the perfect job. Now, you need to figure out what plus size suits will make you look professional and stylish. There are many options for plus size suits, but let's narrow down the search to what will give you the sharp image that you need to impress your interviewers.What Type Of Job Are You Interviewing For?When you begin searching through the racks of plus size suits, keep in mind the position for which you are interviewing. If you are hoping for a job in a creative field such as advertising, art, fashion, or entertainment, you will want to choose more colorful fabrics and trendy styles in suits. Potential accountants, bankers, and financial planners should stick to conservative colors, styles, and fabrics. And, if you are hoping to land a sales position, look for tailored suits in assertive colors.Consider Your Body TypeNo two bodies are alike, but here are some general guidelines that will help you select the best style for your figure. If you are top heavy, your best suit options will be single breasted with narrow lapels. Ample hips and thighs can look slimmer with a duster or fingertip-length coat. If you have a shapely waist, peplums or jackets with fitted waists can play up your curves wi
    charge to get goods to a show is approx. $400, obviously depending on the weight and size of the shipment.

    It’s a good idea to set up the booth beforehand and plan exactly how you want everything to look. Pare it down to the minimum. After all, you are selling goods, not decorations. Use your imagination to exhibit the samples in the most cost effective way.

    Make sure that you have all the risers and decorations that you envisage. Pack all office needs, i.e. invoices, brochures (very important), staplers and spare staples, pens, etc. etc. Although there are of course many shops around, sometimes the shows are in out of the way places, and it is not easy to get photocopies done and buy forgotten essentials.

    SHIPPING SAMPLES AND BOOTH EQUIPMENT

    “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”

    Allow plenty of time for your samples to arrive at the warehouse so that it doesn’t cost you anything extra by way of drayage.

    Also, although your shipping agents will give you an idea of how long your goods will take to get there, always allow an extra two weeks, because there can be delays with Customs Clearance and delivery.

    Make sure that you have clear and precise invoices accompanying the samples, with prices, tariff headings, and clearly marked as Trade Show samples which are duty free.

    If you are sending any seeds, pods, grasses, make sure that you have fumigation certificates. Leather and animal goods have to have a Wildlife Permit.

    Try and contain your booth equipment into as small a size as possible. It is easier to move compact equipment around than large, oversize pallets, which cost more because of the volumetric size.

    BOOTH SET-UP

    Plan on getting to your destination at least one day before set-up day. If you have not been to the site before hand, go down to the show site and check that your samples have arrived in your booth.

    Check your directory entry to see that everything is correct, and familiarize yourself with the lay-out of the hall. Make sure of the time that you can start setting up, and be there promptly. If you have to go out to buy anything that you may have forgotten, now is the time to do it.

    Prepare your “office” so that everything you may need to write orders, give out brochures and price lists is neatly available.

    Make sure that all your samples are clearly marked with the prices. Once you get busy and have more than one person in the booth, you don’t want to lose a sale because the samples aren’t marked. Customers are happy to browse if you are busy, and will wait patiently if they can see everything clearly.

    You may also want to bring some see-through netting or other covering with you to tie across the booth at the end of the day.

    Always be on time in your booth. You will lose valuable sales if you are late coming in, or early going out.

    TAKING ORDERS, ARRANGING PAYMENT

    Always give a clear indication when you plan to ship your orders. USA customers usually work with budgets, and may ask you for shipment on a specific date. They also don’t want to have to worry with importing their goods, and won’t deal with Customs, or pay customs duties. They will all ask for shipment from a USA city.

    The reason for this is that it makes no difference if you are shipping one carton, or one hundred cartons. The clearing charges are the same, and the customer will not happily pay those costs, which can run to $300 per shipment.

    This is where a logistics company can help you. You can ship your entire trade show orders to one place, and there will be only one Customs Clearance charge for the consolidated shipment. Your logistics company will then strip down the shipment, and send the individual boxes onward to the customers. You will then be charged the cost of the local shipments by common carriers, i.e. UPS or FedEx. However, you can charge your customer the cost of the shipping, which is common practice and they are used to paying the UPS charges.

    Another problem you will encounter is accepting payment for your orders. The greater percent of your customers pay on their credit cards. Unless you have a USA company, or you have a Dollar Account in South Africa, you will not be able to process cheques or credit card deposits into your South African bank account in US$. You will need a USA based company to process your credit card payments.

    A similar problem is acceptance of cheques, which carry high bank charges if deposited into a South African bank account. You are also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is

    Management Procedures' Usability - How to Improve
    Are your people consistently following your procedures? Each year, organizations lose thousands of dollars through common mistakes and lapses in usability. But what does that mean for business owners and executives?Ask yourself: • Are your required actions described thoroughly and accurately, or are the details left open to interpretation?• Is your content consistent and complete, or are your writers leaving gaps no one has noticed?• Are revisions controlled, or are different people using different versions?• Are your procedures compliant with regulations? Are you sure?• Are all documents written to produce clear, measurable results?If you're unsure about any of the answers to these questions, there is good news: you can make your procedures clear and complete without combing through all of them yourself line by line. You have invested in your procedures; now ensure you are communicating clear expectations, and your professionalism, with the best tools possible.Strengthen Your Management Procedures’ DocumentsWith a technical writing review, professional technical writers can review and edit your documents. Methodologies have been developed and used by experienced technical writers to strengthen policies and procedures, so you can put
    booth equipment into as small a size as possible. It is easier to move compact equipment around than large, oversize pallets, which cost more because of the volumetric size.

    BOOTH SET-UP

    Plan on getting to your destination at least one day before set-up day. If you have not been to the site before hand, go down to the show site and check that your samples have arrived in your booth.

    Check your directory entry to see that everything is correct, and familiarize yourself with the lay-out of the hall. Make sure of the time that you can start setting up, and be there promptly. If you have to go out to buy anything that you may have forgotten, now is the time to do it.

    Prepare your “office” so that everything you may need to write orders, give out brochures and price lists is neatly available.

    Make sure that all your samples are clearly marked with the prices. Once you get busy and have more than one person in the booth, you don’t want to lose a sale because the samples aren’t marked. Customers are happy to browse if you are busy, and will wait patiently if they can see everything clearly.

    You may also want to bring some see-through netting or other covering with you to tie across the booth at the end of the day.

    Always be on time in your booth. You will lose valuable sales if you are late coming in, or early going out.

    TAKING ORDERS, ARRANGING PAYMENT

    Always give a clear indication when you plan to ship your orders. USA customers usually work with budgets, and may ask you for shipment on a specific date. They also don’t want to have to worry with importing their goods, and won’t deal with Customs, or pay customs duties. They will all ask for shipment from a USA city.

    The reason for this is that it makes no difference if you are shipping one carton, or one hundred cartons. The clearing charges are the same, and the customer will not happily pay those costs, which can run to $300 per shipment.

    This is where a logistics company can help you. You can ship your entire trade show orders to one place, and there will be only one Customs Clearance charge for the consolidated shipment. Your logistics company will then strip down the shipment, and send the individual boxes onward to the customers. You will then be charged the cost of the local shipments by common carriers, i.e. UPS or FedEx. However, you can charge your customer the cost of the shipping, which is common practice and they are used to paying the UPS charges.

    Another problem you will encounter is accepting payment for your orders. The greater percent of your customers pay on their credit cards. Unless you have a USA company, or you have a Dollar Account in South Africa, you will not be able to process cheques or credit card deposits into your South African bank account in US$. You will need a USA based company to process your credit card payments.

    A similar problem is acceptance of cheques, which carry high bank charges if deposited into a South African bank account. You are also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is

    Tapping Talent for Organization
    No matter what type of organization you run whether it be a small business, team, non-profit, government agencies or religious group there comes a time that you must tap the greatest talent necessary to take your group to the next level.So, where do you find such talent? Well I suggest that it may not be as far away as you think and you may be surprised to find that the most common ways that management, coaches, clergy, entrepreneurs and leaders find talent is not necessarily the easiest way to yield the best results.For instance often head hunters are a good source of finding talent and they will present a candidate or two, but realize they are working for the sale and therefore, might make it look as if they have the best person in mind and yet it may not be the best fit for your goals, mission and the direction you wish to take your organization.Of course even with that said; Tapping Talent in for Organization is the key to success and we all know that. A good fit with the right talent can boost confidence in an organization and accelerate the organizational capital.One of the most important things you need to do is stop looking at resumes simply to check off boxes. Went to an Ivy League, has a degree in this and that, worked for two fortune 500s in the such and such department.
    s, and may ask you for shipment on a specific date. They also don’t want to have to worry with importing their goods, and won’t deal with Customs, or pay customs duties. They will all ask for shipment from a USA city.

    The reason for this is that it makes no difference if you are shipping one carton, or one hundred cartons. The clearing charges are the same, and the customer will not happily pay those costs, which can run to $300 per shipment.

    This is where a logistics company can help you. You can ship your entire trade show orders to one place, and there will be only one Customs Clearance charge for the consolidated shipment. Your logistics company will then strip down the shipment, and send the individual boxes onward to the customers. You will then be charged the cost of the local shipments by common carriers, i.e. UPS or FedEx. However, you can charge your customer the cost of the shipping, which is common practice and they are used to paying the UPS charges.

    Another problem you will encounter is accepting payment for your orders. The greater percent of your customers pay on their credit cards. Unless you have a USA company, or you have a Dollar Account in South Africa, you will not be able to process cheques or credit card deposits into your South African bank account in US$. You will need a USA based company to process your credit card payments.

    A similar problem is acceptance of cheques, which carry high bank charges if deposited into a South African bank account. You are also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is

    Toxic Bosses
    What’s everyone’s favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses! You know, the ones who make life in the office unbearable? Here are some of the more common varieties you’ll find.1. The Screamer. You can’t miss this guy. He never stops to consider his audience or who might be listening when he starts one of his rants. He’ll dress down a subordinate in the middle of the hall; he’ll scream at the supplier on the phone; he’ll holler to his secretary from inside his office instead of using the intercom. Nothing’s private and no one is exempt from his temper.2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A variation on The Screamer, only without the consistency. With this boss, you never know whether you’re going to be praised for something or get your head handed to you. It’s hard to plan for both flowers and brickbats at the same time.3. The Micro-Manager. A very common genus, the Micro-Manager is so unsure of herself that she can’t afford to trust other people’s work. She makes you explain reports line by line, then sends you back to re-do them. She demands twice-daily updates on your projects. She won’t let you make a single decision without her input. It’s like being in kindergarten but without nap-time.4. The Invisible Woman. You never see her, which might be ok except when you need a question
    re also at risk that the cheque may not be good. Once again, your logistics company can arrange the collection of money on your behalf.

    An ideal situation would be if

    You are a manufacturer:

    o Look for a reputable logistics company, and keep a stock holding in their warehouse. In this way, you will be able to service your customers on an ongoing basis when they wish to re-order. USA customers do not like to wait for months for an order to be fulfilled.

    o Try and find a rep who will sell your goods. It is preferable to have someone in place all the time, rather than trying to sell from afar.

    o Your logistics company can arrange the picking, packing and shipping of the order. If you want to take their responsibilities further, they can do your invoicing and collecting of money on your behalf.

    o As soon as you have an amount of money in your trust account, the logistics company can transfer one bulk sum. This way you can save on bank charges and wire transfer charges. Each wire transfer fee costs approx. $20, with another corresponding fee in South Africa which can run at R200 or more.

    If you are a wholesaler/representative:

    o Try and arrange with the manufacturer to let you have consignment stock, which you can hold in a USA warehouse.

    o You could follow the above scenario as far as logistics are concerned.

    o Your manufacturer may possibly help you with brochure and advertising costs.

    AFTER THE TRADE SHOW

    Once your first trade show is complete, you will have to decide what to do with your booth contents.

    As advised before, the DTI will not pay for the shipping costs to return your samples. They give you the option of selling the samples and re-couping the money.

    You could store the samples in a rental warehouse, but you would then have to go to that warehouse at a future date to move the goods.

    You could warehouse the samples with a logistics company. When you next need them, you can arrange with the logistics company to forward the samples to the next trade show. You will not, however, be reimbursed by the DTI for that cost.

    You could abandon the samples and booth equipment. That would be costly, because you would have to replace those samples for future shows.

    LOGISTICS IN THE USA

    When you supply goods into the USA market, you need to have good packaging. Each item needs to be in its own box and clearly labeled. Packaging is a very important part of merchandising.

    If you are going to use a logistics company, again, each item needs to be in its own box (unless you sell, say, a dozen items per box), and they need to have clear codes and labels. You will also have to let the logistics company know the price of each item so that packing lists can be generated for the orders.

    If your goods are fragile, packaging is vitally important. They should be securely packed in bubble wrap, and wedged into their boxes so that there is no movement when the boxes are shipped locally.

    All common carriers here recommend that your goods pass “the drop test” : If a box is dropped from a height, no damage will be done to the contents. They are notorious for throwing the boxes around.

    The same applies to airfreight consignments. You should make sure that your boxes are packed securely onto pallets and then shrink wrapped so that they don’t move. That will also ensure that your consignments are not split up en route, causing delays in deliveries. Always allow two extra weeks for delays in Customs Clearance, air delays, etc. Your goods will never arrive at its destination when your agents tell you they will.

    TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

    It is important that you plan your travel to the USA very carefully. The weather plays an important part in planning your trip, as it is not uncommon for flights to be delayed or cancelled altogether due to inclement weather, either snow or rain or wind, etc. This can play havoc if you haven’t left yourself enough time to arrive at your destination in order to set up your booth. It is preferable to allow an extra day earlier than the show set up day, so that you don’t have to panic if there is a delay.

    TAKE A VACATION

    Once your trade show is over, take an extra day or two to visit the city. You won’t have much time when the show is on, and you may as well take a breather before the hard work starts to supply the goods.

    HAVE FUN !!

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