5 headaches of the event industry
August is the time of rest and relaxation for many industries, while the scorching sun sets the mood for the holidays. Summer is also a time of preparation for the upcoming wave of challenges, both in terms of recharging the batteries and planning the workflow. With the approaching fair season, the memories of the event-specific pains come flooding. Some view them as exciting challenges, others as curveballs thrown at them, and those more experienced will be facing those situations for the umpteenth time, approaching them as a natural and indispensable parts of the process. Exhibits have their own internal rules – the following list is not a closed one. What keeps the stand creators up at night?
1. Delayed arrival of the goods
Untimeliness always brings frustration – we are probably all familiar with the feeling of disappointment when the courier arrives a couple days later than expected, especially when we have already envisioned an oak shelf standing in the room or ourselves wearing new shoes. A minor slip causes a chain of complications through a snowball effect. What may tarnish the nerves even more is the prospect of not building the stand on time.
2. Fast deliveries of small packages
The issue of time pressure arises once more – this time on the side of production. Building a fair stand involves a combination of many elements, with each and every one of them coming together to achieve a cohesive and elegant effect. The delivery of later-produced items – posters, furniture, multimedia equipment – might be problematic, considering that those are small packages with a long distance to go; because of that, there is scarcely anyone to undertake such shipping, while international courier might not be fast enough when every hour matters greatly.
3. Forklift availability
Further problems in the exhibition centres might be caused by forklifts – the reality often does not match what is on paper. The hours of the booking oftentimes do not reflect their availability; as a result, the on-site crew has a move difficult task and is their work is being held on pause. Due to the prolongation of waiting, long standstill time might lead to the extra costs and the need to extend entry tickets.
4. The goods’ layout on the trailer
The stands are built from many elements, with different dimensions, requiring various forms of damage protection. Planning the loading space on approximation might on the one hand lead to the inability to pack everything, or – on the other – to carrying air, both of which generate additional costs and requires extra work and time. If the goods are squeezed in using force, they can be deformed od damaged, ruining the aesthetics at best, leading to the instability of the construction in the worst-case scenario.
5. Inefficient communication
The language barrier is a problem, which causes issues in dealing with certain aspects on the spot. If you encounter someone in international trade fair centre, who speaks solely in their mother tongue, the trouble might be hard to resolve with no help from the outside. Similarly with the drivers – let’s imagine how hard it is to give directions to a certain point, when the language sounds unlike the ones we know.
Every industry has it own challenges and problems, and their deeper understanding enables a better understanding of the other side, predict and prevent potential problems as much as the circumstances allow and plan the workflow more precisely. To take the burden off your shoulders and let the creativity flow unbothered by the everyday formalities, we are introducing a comprehensive service of trade fair logistics, so that you can entrust in our hands not only the transportation, but also all side aspects. If you want to find out more – just drop us an e-mail or call, and we will present the entire range of options to support you!
Author:
Nadia Potocka