You register to exhibit at a meeting, then a couple months before the conference, you receive the Exhibitor Service Kit. So many words. Material Handling Fees?! What?!
Many larger conferences outsource the handling of shipments to a third party (GES, Freeman, etc).
While sometimes it’s required to ship to their warehouse and pay their fees, make sure you do your due diligence and explore all your options.
It may be possible to ship direct to the hotel, or to the business center and pay a fraction of what the material handling fees would be.
A word of caution- be prepared to learn the hard way a time or two. Make sure you check the hours of the business center to be certain they can accept your return shipment on a Saturday or after hours.
As you attend the same conferences year after year, make note of the most efficient and economical shipping method for each one.
-ANN