I DO NOT recommend Exhibit Boss. My experience was a near DISASTER. David was great a first, answered my numerous questions quickly & was very attentive. He was personable, persuasive, showed me images of completed booths & even had me talk to a satisfied client on the phone. I now believe most of this was probably staged to get my business.
Once the final payment was made which David requested early and should have been my clue, communication slowed to a crawl, if at all. Artwork was approved with plenty of time remaining, however, actually getting the booth was challenging & extremely stressful with no updates from David. He knew of our deadlines and IGNORED them.
We paid for items we did not receive nor were refunded for. This is DISHONEST! We paid for 2 hanging signs and only received 1 defective one. We DID NOT receive the flooring which was supposed to be included as stated on our paid invoice and as listed on the Exhibit Boss website. David did not once offer to correct this, apologize or refund any monies paid to him for not delivering.
The only positive in our situation was Lance, the Artistic Director, who was professional and good to work with on the artwork. Lance tried to assist with what he could, though most of this was out of his hands.
I upheld my part of the transaction - made all 4 payments on time and quickly. Exhibit Boss failed to deliver. Our booth was basically too late, the hanging sign was incorrect and broken, some aluminum poles were bent (we were able to straighten them) and we did not receive the promised flooring. On top of this I believe that I was overcharged.
We paid $12K and did not receive what we paid for. If you still choose to go forward with any booth, make sure to cover yourself. Here are some things I learned from my experience which should apply to any company you use:
1) GET EVERYTHING itemized in writing including any extras like TV mounts, shelves, flooring etc.
2) ESTABLISH a timeline in writing with FIRM deadlines for every step of the project including EXACT shipping dates. For example, create a deadline to approve artwork which can be the longest part. Next, have a production deadline of no more than 2 weeks after the artwork is approved. Establish firm shipping deadlines with dates you expect to have the booth in your possession. You will need time to receive it & set it up to make sure it is what you ordered. Add padding in your timeline for any revisions to your design and MAKE SURE to establish deadlines for changes IN WRITING.
3) DO NOT make the final payment until you are absolutely sure as you can be that you'll receive your booth by your deadline.
4) HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. Allow for your deadline to including plenty of time to get another booth should it come to that. If your original deadline is not met, cancel your transaction and go with your backup. This is IMPORTANT.
5) If any deadline passes, get on it immediately. DO NOT LET THIS GO! I was so busy with my other duties, I should have done a better job pressing David with more follow-ups and demanding answers. I put my trust in people too much sometimes.
6) SHOP AROUND. There were other companies which had the same booth design cheaper. I went with Exhibit Boss based on U.S. location, good reviews, free flooring, free shipping and a discount. This was my first large booth & I thought it would be worth paying a little more for what I thought would be better customer service from an established company. I've since learned that ALL of these booths come from China & Exhibit Boss is just a middleman. There are ways you can buy the same exact booths direct, save a ton of money, with less hassle & get it much faster.
Contact me if you want more details, proof, info and tips.
I would not spend my valuable time writing this extensive review if I did not feel strongly about what happened. read more