What We Do
Complete Trade Show
Logistics Services
Every service we offer is built around one reality: trade show freight has different rules, different deadlines, and different consequences when something goes wrong. We know the game.
All Services
Core Service
Trade Show Freight
Calway's flagship service: end-to-end freight forwarding built specifically for trade show exhibitors. We know the difference between advance warehouse and direct-to-show delivery windows, how GSC drayage is calculated, and what it takes to get your crates staged and ready before move-in.
Get a Trade Show Freight Quote →
What's Included
- ✓Full-cycle shipping: origin pickup to booth delivery and back
- ✓Advance warehouse coordination with all major convention centers
- ✓Drayage staging and MHA check-in management
- ✓Crating, re-crating, and protective packaging available
- ✓Shipment tracking with proactive status updates
Shipping Modes
How your freight moves — choose the mode that fits your load size and timeline.
Less Than Truckload
LTL Shipping
Not every exhibit fills a full truck — and you shouldn't have to pay as if it does. Calway's LTL service matches your freight to the right carrier and lane, giving you reliable transit times and real tracking without the full-truckload price tag.
Get an LTL Quote →
What's Included
- ✓Competitive rates on shipments from 150 lbs to 10,000 lbs
- ✓Transit time options from standard to expedited LTL
- ✓Freight class and NMFC code guidance included
- ✓Insurance and declared value options
- ✓Consolidated billing, no hidden accessorial surprises
Full Load
Truckload (FTL)
When you've got a full trailer's worth of freight — or a build too large, heavy, or valuable to share space with anyone else's cargo — full truckload is the move. Your freight loads once and travels alone: direct point-to-point, no terminal transfers, no waiting on other shipments. Fewer touchpoints means faster, more predictable transit and lower damage risk for island exhibits and high-value displays.
Get a Truckload Quote →
What's Included
- ✓Dedicated trailer — your freight only, no shared space, no transfers
- ✓Direct point-to-point routing with faster, more predictable transit
- ✓Fewer handling touchpoints — lower damage risk on large or fragile builds
- ✓Ideal for island exhibits, heavy freight, and consolidated multi-crate loads
- ✓Team-driver and expedited FTL options for tight move-in windows
Time-Critical
Expedited Shipping
Missed the advance warehouse window? Last-minute exhibit component addition? We run expedited freight when the deadline doesn't move. Guaranteed delivery windows, real-time tracking, and a dedicated ops contact from pickup to delivery.
Request Expedited Freight →
What's Included
- ✓Next-day and two-day guaranteed delivery options
- ✓Priority carrier selection for time-sensitive lanes
- ✓Direct driver assignment on critical shipments
- ✓After-hours and weekend pickups available
- ✓Dedicated contact throughout the freight lifecycle
Global & Cross-Border
International & Cross-Border Freight
Shipping an exhibit in from overseas or across the US–Canada border adds customs, documentation, and timing risk on top of the freight itself. Calway coordinates ocean and air inbound through LAX and the Port of Long Beach, clears customs, stages at our La Puente warehouse, and runs the final leg to your show — one team accountable from origin port to booth. For US–Canada shows, we handle cross-border routing and CBSA documentation so your freight doesn't sit at the border.
Get an International Quote →
What's Included
- ✓Ocean and air inbound via LAX and the Port of Long Beach
- ✓Customs clearance coordination with licensed brokers
- ✓US–Canada cross-border routing with CBSA documentation
- ✓Warehouse staging and inspection before the final domestic leg
- ✓Buffer planning built around vessel/flight arrival and your show deadline
Show-Floor Logistics
What happens around the show — staging your freight, getting it to the booth, and getting it home.
Pre-Show
Advance Warehouse
Ship your exhibit to the show's advance warehouse facility before the event opens. Lower drayage rates, guaranteed staging, and no show-floor chaos on move-in day. Calway tracks receiving windows and notifies you when freight is confirmed received.
Plan Your Advance Warehouse Shipment →
What's Included
- ✓Booking and coordination with venue advance warehouses
- ✓Delivery confirmation and receiving documentation
- ✓Lower drayage rates vs. direct-to-show delivery
- ✓Early ship date planning to avoid deadline risk
- ✓Storage coordination between multi-show runs
Show Floor
Direct to Show Floor
For large or time-sensitive exhibits, direct delivery to your booth space eliminates warehouse handling and reduces transit touchpoints. Calway coordinates precisely with show schedules, your install crew, and venue loading dock windows to hit the exact move-in slot.
Arrange Direct Delivery →
What's Included
- ✓Precision-timed delivery matched to move-in schedule
- ✓Loading dock window reservation and management
- ✓Coordination with install crews and exhibit houses
- ✓Oversized and high-value freight handling
- ✓White-glove option for sensitive display components
Material Handling
Drayage & Material Handling
Drayage is the move from the dock or advance warehouse to your booth — controlled by the show's general service contractor, billed by weight, and the single most misunderstood cost in trade show freight. Calway plans it before your freight ships: we estimate it into your quote, route through the advance warehouse to keep the rate down, and coordinate directly with the GSC so your crates land at the right hall and dock — not the wrong one, which triggers cross-hall charges.
Get a Drayage Estimate →
What's Included
- ✓Drayage estimated upfront and built into your quote — no surprise CWT charges
- ✓GSC coordination with GES, Freeman, and venue contractors
- ✓Correct-hall / correct-dock routing to avoid cross-hall drayage penalties
- ✓Advance-warehouse staging to secure the lower drayage rate
- ✓Material Handling Agreement (MHA) check-in and documentation managed for you
Post-Show
Return Freight
The show ends — but your freight still needs to get home. Calway manages the full return cycle: MHA coordination, re-crating, pickup booking, and transit back to your warehouse or directly to the next show. No abandoned crates. No missed pickups.
Book Return Freight →
What's Included
- ✓MHA check-out and marshaling area coordination
- ✓Re-crating and damage assessment on-site
- ✓Direct return to warehouse or cross-country relay to next show
- ✓Consolidated return freight with other exhibitor shipments
- ✓Shipment tracking through final delivery confirmation
Storage & Staging
Warehousing & Staging
Your exhibit doesn't have to ship home between shows. Our La Puente, California warehouse gives you secure short- and long-term storage, so freight can stage with us, get inspected and re-labeled, and ship out on your next deadline — not bounce back and forth across the country. This is our own facility, separate from any venue's advance warehouse: real square footage, real inventory tracking, and one team accountable for your freight while it sits.
Reserve Warehouse Space →
What's Included
- ✓Short- and long-term storage at our La Puente, CA facility
- ✓Between-show holding — your exhibit stays staged, not shipped home and back
- ✓Inbound inspection, re-labeling, and minor crate repair before the next leg
- ✓Consolidation of multi-origin freight into a single show shipment
- ✓Inventory tracking with scheduled release timed to your move-in deadline
Not Sure Which Service You Need?
Tell us your show name, dates, origin, and freight details. We'll recommend the right service and get you a quote within 24 hours.