Wife was responsible for setting up a booth at a sporting goods show at the convention center years ago.
She said it was impossible to get anything done without a roll of twenties in your pocket.
Whether you needed something unloaded, carried, placed, wired or changed, you HAD to grease a palm or it wouldn’t get done.
Had the same experience with the organization I worked for. The regular rotation of convention locations included Chicago and without a doubt, Chicago required the most grease. I made the CEO had to sign off on my “walking around money” every morning and it was my job for ten days to make problems disappear. Amazing how quickly a few benjis and ducats for big vendor parties and Bears tickets make problems go away.