DISPOSING of A DISPLAY- WHY IS THE COST SO HIGH?

Ever wonder why it costs “so much” to dump an old booth?  For those of you who are considering disposing of an older display, here’s information about what the cost covers and the typical process you’ll use.

Booth disposal is an alternative to selling non-wanted display properties.  Disposal costs are high in the USA because companies who “dump” displays are required by law to dispose at an Environmental Protection Agency/EPA approved dumping site.  Why?  Because there are glues and other toxins in most booth construction that require special permits to dump.  In fact, if an exhibit house were to dump at a non-approved area, the government could impose fines on the company executing the disposal as well as the client’s company.

Costs are also driven by:

-          Labor, time and equipment to retrieve and load the properties at the warehouse

-          Labor to check that these are indeed the correct properties to be disposed of

-          Transportation to dumping ground (truck, driver)

-          Distance to environmentally approved sites.

Legalities to Consider
·          EPA requirements were already addressed.

·          Abandoned property at a vendor’s site.  When is property officially abandoned and how soon can it be disposed of without client approval?

·          How properties are financially reported (accounting write-offs)?

·          Vendor liabilities when storing and disposing of properties for customers.

Process
1.      Client company advises their exhibit house they want to dispose a display.  Most exhibit houses prefer to have this request in writing and signed by an authorized agent of the client company.

2.      Exhibit house submits a quote to the client for approval.

3.      Exhibit house pulls the exhibit/cases and transports to the dumping grounds.

4.      Exhibit house obtains a receipt from the dumping grounds and, in some cases, certification that the disposal was made under environmental guidelines.

5.      Exhibit house submits a copy of the disposal certification to the client.

6.      Adjustments to future client storage bills are made.

About the author
E. Jane Lorimer is managing director of Lorimer Consulting Group in Denver, Colorado, which focuses on exhibit and event operating efficiencies, measuring and evaluating event results and building client development programs. For more information contact www.lorimerconsulting.com or call 303.388.9224 Denver.