Trade show, staging and event logistics in California
Booths into Moscone, exhibits into the LA Convention Center and Anaheim, gear into hotel ballrooms. Marshalling yard timing, tight move-in windows and a driver who understands that late means the stand does not get built.
- Move-in window timing
- Storage and staging
- Liftgate and inside delivery
- Post-show returns
- 24/7 dispatch
Marvin Transportation has run trade shows staging across California since the company started, with dispatch open around the clock and proof of delivery on every job.
Event freight has the least forgiving schedule in logistics. A show gives you a move-in window measured in hours, a marshalling yard that runs on its own clock, and a hard move-out the moment the hall closes. Miss the window and the alternative is paying show labour to wait.
We handle exhibit and event logistics across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego, covering Moscone Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Anaheim Convention Center, the San Diego Convention Center and hotel and corporate venues in between.
What we move for shows and events
Heavy, awkward and on a clock.
Exhibit booths and stands
Crated booth properties delivered to the marshalling yard or dock inside the assigned move-in window.
AV and production equipment
Staging, lighting and sound gear into venues and ballrooms with inside delivery and placement.
Product and demo units
High-value demonstration equipment moved with the handling and insurance the value requires.
Print, signage and collateral
Banners, literature and giveaways timed to arrive with the stand rather than a day late.
Furniture and fixtures
Booth furniture, flooring and fixtures, including pop-up retail builds.
Post-show returns
Collection at move-out and return to your warehouse, storage facility or the next show.
Why exhibitors and agencies use us
Move-in windows understood
We schedule to the marshalling yard time and the dock assignment, not to a generic delivery day.
Storage before and after
Freight can be held in our warehouse until the window opens and collected again at move-out, so nothing sits on a dock accruing charges.
Inside delivery and placement
Crates taken to the stand location rather than dropped at the loading bay for someone else to solve.
Move-out coverage
Move-out is chaos and it is usually at night. Dispatch is staffed around the clock, so collection happens when the hall says so.
Statewide show coverage
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego on one carrier, useful when a tour hits several venues.
High-value cover
Demo units and production equipment insured at the value they are actually worth, arranged in advance.
How show freight is handled
Event logistics is a scheduling discipline more than a driving one.
- Delivery timed to the assigned move-in window and marshalling yard slot
- Storage and staging available before move-in and after move-out
- Liftgate, pallet jack and inside delivery for venues and hotel ballrooms
- Photo and signature proof of delivery at the stand or dock
- Post-show collection scheduled to the move-out clock, including overnight
- Higher cargo insurance limits arranged in advance for demo and production equipment
- DOT registered fleet with FMCSA hours of service and ELD compliance
How a run works
Share the show paperwork
Venue, hall, move-in window, marshalling yard instructions and booth number. The show own rules drive the plan.
Stage if needed
Freight can arrive early into our warehouse and be held until the window opens, avoiding dock and storage charges.
Deliver into the window
The vehicle presents at the assigned time with the paperwork the venue expects, and the crates go to the stand.
Collect at move-out
We return at the move-out time, including overnight, and take the freight back to storage or the next venue.
Services these accounts use most
White glove delivery
Inside delivery, placement and unpacking at the stand or ballroom.
Warehousing and distribution
Storage and staging before move-in and after move-out.
Cartage and freight
Palletized and crated freight to venues and marshalling yards.
Same-day courier service
The rush run when something is missing on build day.
Questions we get from this sector
Can you deliver to Moscone Center and the LA Convention Center?
Yes, along with Anaheim and San Diego. Send the show paperwork with the move-in window and marshalling yard instructions and we will schedule to it.
Can you store our booth between shows?
Yes. We hold exhibit freight in our warehouse between shows and deliver it into the next move-in window, which is usually cheaper than show storage.
What happens at move-out?
We schedule collection to the move-out time, including overnight if the hall requires it, and return the freight to storage, your warehouse or the next venue.
Do you take crates to the stand or just the dock?
To the stand, through our white glove service. Leaving crates at the loading bay is how exhibitors end up paying show labour to move them.
How is high-value demo equipment insured?
Higher cargo insurance limits are arranged in advance. Declare the value when you book and we will confirm coverage in writing before the freight moves.
What if something is missing on build day?
Dispatch runs a same-day rush from your warehouse or a local supplier. It is a common call and it is why we keep 24/7 coverage during show weeks.
Send us your next show
Give us the venue, the dates and the move-in window. We will build the schedule backwards from the hall clock and price it.
Trade Shows Staging across California
We handle trade shows staging for businesses across the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley and Southern California. Vehicles are DOT registered, cargo is fully insured, and every job closes with a signature or photo proof of delivery. One-off or recurring, dispatch can price it on the call rather than sending you a form.
Carrier standards for this work are set by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. For everything else we run, see our California logistics services.