Electronic Crating For Trade Shows and Events : A Total Guide and Breakdown

 Crating for electronics doesn't change dramatically just because the show switches from CES in January to NAB in April—both are massive at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), both use Freeman as the official contractor for drayage and material handling, and both demand serious protection for sensitive gear like cameras, broadcast rigs, servers, LED walls, and audio equipment. The core principles stay the same: custom wood crates, anti-static foam, shock indicators, precise labeling, and advance shipping to avoid show-site headaches.

That said, as an out-of-state company shipping electronics to Vegas multiple times a year, we've noticed real operational differences between the two shows that affect how we approach crating, timing, and costs. NAB tends to feel a bit more "pro AV/broadcast" focused with heavier, specialized equipment, while CES leans toward high-volume consumer tech displays that can be lighter but more numerous and fragile in different ways. Here's a straight comparison based on what we've dealt with over several cycles.Show Scale and Booth DemandsCES is the monster—often 2.5–3 million square feet of exhibit space, 4,000+ exhibitors, 130,000+–150,000 attendees. Booths run the gamut from tiny startup tables to sprawling experiential setups with huge curved displays and interactive kiosks. That means more variety in crate sizes and more pieces overall. We end up building a fleet of smaller-to-medium crates for individual monitors, demo stations, and modular components.NAB is smaller in footprint (typically around 900,000–1 million square feet in recent years) but denser with pro gear. Exhibitors bring broadcast cameras, production switchers, large-format production monitors, RF equipment, and heavy rack-mounted servers. Crates skew toward larger, heavier, and more rugged builds to protect precision optics and metal housings that don't forgive bumps the way consumer plastics sometimes do.Bottom line: For CES, we plan for quantity and variety in crating; for NAB, it's about depth and durability for bigger, pricier individual items.Timing and Weather Impact on CratingCES hits in early January—right after holidays, with colder cross-country hauls and potential snow/ice delays en route to Vegas. We add extra desiccant packs and vapor barriers because condensation risk spikes when cold trailers hit warm desert docks.NAB lands in mid-to-late April—warmer overall, less winter transit drama, but Vegas can still hit 80–90°F during setup. Temperature swings are milder, so we sometimes lighten up on humidity protection but keep the same robust insulation in the crates themselves.Advance warehouse deadlines are similar for both (weeks early via Freeman), but CES crowds make warehouse space tighter—get your stuff in sooner. NAB feels a touch more forgiving on timing.Drayage, Union Rules, and On-Site HandlingBoth shows are LVCC-heavy, so Freeman handles drayage exclusively in most halls. Union labor uncrates and moves everything heavy—no self-uncrating unless it's small hand-carry. The rules read almost identical: forklifts for anything over a certain size, strict dock schedules, and hefty fees for overtime or missed windows.Where they differ slightly:

• CES often has more venues in play (LVCC, Venetian, sometimes hotels like Aria/Mandalay), so crating needs to account for potential multi-site moves or tighter suite access at places like Venetian Expo. We've had crates built with hinged ramps specifically for Venetian loading.
• NAB sticks mostly to LVCC Central/South Halls—simpler logistics, fewer venue switches. But broadcast exhibitors sometimes need rigging for overhead monitors or truss, which ties into crating (we build crates that break down into reusable rigging components).

Drayage is weight-based for both—crated shipments get charged by the pound/100 lbs. Heavy NAB broadcast racks can rack up bigger bills than lighter CES consumer displays, so we optimize crate weight where possible without sacrificing protection.Gear-Specific Crating Adjustments

• CES electronics (consumer TVs, wearables, drones, AR/VR headsets): More emphasis on anti-static everything, delicate screens, and vibration isolation for touch interfaces. We use floating foam cradles and edge protectors galore. Lots of modular crates for quick booth reconfiguration.
• NAB electronics (pro cameras, lenses, mixers, encoders): Focus shifts to protecting precision mechanics (lens elements, gimbals) and heavy metal enclosures. We add more internal bracing, custom dividers for cables/connectors, and sometimes shock-mounted bases for rack gear. Optical gear gets extra blackout foam to prevent dust ingress.

Both need shock/tip indicators and full insurance declarations, but NAB pieces often carry higher replacement values, so we double-check documentation.Cost and ReusabilityCES reusable crates see heavier wear from sheer volume and attendee traffic—more chances for forklift dings during peak move-in. NAB's slightly calmer pace (fewer total exhibitors) means crates come back in better shape. Reusability shines for both, but NAB's larger/heavier crates justify the upfront build cost faster if you're doing multiple broadcast shows.We store reusable crates locally in Vegas between events—saves shipping back home and forth again.Bottom Line for Out-of-State ExhibitorsThe crating process is 85–90% the same: partner with a Vegas-based pro who knows Freeman/LVCC inside out, build custom wood crates on-site at your facility if possible, ship advance to warehouse, label obsessively, and repack identically at teardown.The real differences come from the gear type and show rhythm. CES demands flexibility for diverse, high-volume consumer tech; NAB rewards rugged, precision-focused protection for pro broadcast tools. Plan your crates around what you're actually demoing—don't use the same generic setup for both without tweaking internals.If you're hitting both in the same year, invest in versatile, modular crates with swappable foam inserts. It cuts long-term costs and lets one set of crates handle the January frenzy and the April pro push without starting from scratch.Either way, treat crating like the make-or-break step it is. One cracked lens or fried board mid-show, and the whole trip was for nothing. We've learned that lesson the expensive way—now our gear shows up ready to roll every time.