2021 was a “roll-with-the-punches” kind of year.
The year began with an almost complete nationwide shutdown on trade shows and large gatherings, then ended with a full calendar of live and in-person shows.
As a trade show exhibit company, we lept from demand issues (no trade shows) to supply issues (lots of trade shows but with dwindling inventory).
As 2022 approaches and arrives, here are some important items to be aware of for your trade show exhibits and graphics.
#1 Inventory—Or lack thereof – What used to be a smooth supply chain of automatically ordering new inventory has become a challenge industry-wide, all the way from Chinese suppliers to container ships lined up offshore and waiting weeks for a spot to dock in port.
(See below for a grainy, zoomed-in picture I took of LA Harbor when flying out of LAX in late November.)
#2 Production Time – The next issue to be aware of is production time. Keep in mind that we lost some top talent in the production department, and this has slowed down the process. While the situation continues to improve weekly, there can be unexpected production delays, encouraging you to order sooner than you normally would.
Orders with expedited shipping selected will take priority over ground-shipping methods until things are caught up.
#3 Shipping Delays – Hopefully, shipping and time-in-transit will start to normalize after the holidays, but in the meantime, FedEx, UPS, and freight service delays continue to be the norm.
Yet another reason to pad on a few extra business days to account for delays!
#4 Price Increases – No one wants to see this, but it’s coming. Our entire economy is in a supply-side crunch, driving up prices on everything from groceries to cars—and trade show exhibits.
During 2021, we held our pricing down almost across the board, however as 2022 rolls around, we expect we’ll need to pass along some of the price increases we’ve incurred.
This is industry-wide and not unique to Production Prints. What we can promise is that we will continue to be one of the most competitively priced online retailers out there, and we still stand by our Gold Star Price Match Guarantee.
Conclusion
A lot has changed from the well-oiled machine we had in 2019. However, a little extra time and planning ahead will keep you in front of any potential issues.
Together we will get through this, and we appreciate your business and patience!
– Production Prints