Most international exhibition organisers will have endured sleepless nights waiting for goods stuck in transit before a show. In some cases, there could be a logistical problem. In others circumstances out of the ordinary will cause sleepless nights for a show organiser.
Freak weather, an overthrown government or an economic crisis, can lead to a quick reassessment of a show’s viability.
Terry Waller, managing director of event insurance specialists Arc International advises organisers to act before crisis strikes.
“My advice would be to consult with at least one insurance specialist,” he said. “Don’t leave it too late. You can’t insure a house when it’s starting to burn.”
Waller regularly advises on terrorism insurance, and has guided organisers through what appear to be complex situations.
“In cases of political unrest, embassies are always a good place to start.”
Logistics firm Show Carriage operated on the recent Libya Build event in Tripoli. Commercial manager Neil Larkin claims success in tough environments requires giving organisers assurance that logistics partners are always trying to work with their needs. “The main message I would say is to organisers in times of difficulty is that we are on the same side,” he says.
“Don’t cast us as the villain. We do get some organisers who do that, but most of the people we work with are accommodating in tricky circumstances.”
Larkin recalled a time where freak weather nearly put pay to an organiser’s wishes. “There was one occasion where we were working at a medical show in Barcelona. We had arrived early, and were told to park in a building site in the middle of the city.
“There was then a massive rain storm which trapped all the vehicles on the site. The vehicle was stuck and it meant we had to carry everything out by hand, knee deep in mud. That was a difficult time but we still managed to get the gear to them in time.”
According to CEVA Showfreight MD Phil Powell, organisers need a lot of patience in difficult circumstances. “What organisers need in difficult situations is flexibility, proactivity and stamina,” he said.
David Richards, MD of Agility Fairs and Events Logistics, believes each organiser and event has to be treated individually to make the process easier.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” he said. “So as part of our strategy, we attend client meetings when exhibitors come to a show. We also introduce exhibitor incentive schemes when they choose to ship a greater volume.”
Expo World Logistics takes the measure of having someone at the venue liaising with the vehicles as they come in, according to operational director Ian Snow.
Ultimately for organisers, it’s about using trusted firms familiar with the unique demands of the sector. The International Event Logistics Association (IELA) chairman Robert Moore claims non-exhibition specialist logistics firms tend to forget the time required to clear at destination and the build times needed onsite.
“An IELA member works totally in concert with the organiser from the time the exhibition is contracted to make the logistics effort totally seamless,” he said.
“The planning process includes liaison with customs officials, air and ocean carriers and setting realistic deadlines for exhibitors to plan the total lead times required to exhibit.”
For any organiser, having a network of logistics partners who can assist when disaster strikes is as vital as the visitors who come to the stands.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carry that weight – IELA gets exhibitor out of a tight spot
The International Event Logistics Association (IELA) provides a case from this year’s Drupa show for the print media industry at Messe Dusseldorf where a logistics firm defied the fears of an exhibitor and the gathered press.
IELA’s PR and marketing working group chairman Kay Lohe sets the scene.
At this year’s show, the biggest exhibitor at Drupa 2012, Heidelberger Duckmaschinen AG, had expected the delivery of a 30-tonne printing machine.
“In all our advance meetings we had planned to lift the machine from the truck with a 60-tonne crane outside the hall and put the machine on heavy-lift rolls, taking note of the hall’s height of eight metres.
“You normally cannot lift such a heavy machine inside the hall with one crane. “Therefore we would normally have these heavy-lift rolls that we can put machines on, and push with an eight tonne forklift into the hall. We would normally put it down with hydraulic pumps.
“For this operation, a lot of journalists and TV teams were expected. So everyone, particularly on the exhibitors’ side, were very nervous.
“The evening before, I looked at the conditions inside the hall and outside the area where we were supposed to unload the machine the next day.
“I realised that the way from the truck to the position on the booth was too dangerous for the machine to use the rolls, because of their small size of 5cm in diameter.
“I then had a second look in the hall and decided that we would proceed in a totally different way the next day. After telling our client my decision they became more nervous, because of the big publicity.
“Next morning we lifted the machine from the truck and put it on a heavy-lift-trolley [60cm above the bottom] and pushed the machine with a four tonne forklift into the hall.
“In the hall, a 70 tonne crane waited in a fixed position with the extended arm very close to the roof.
“After having the trolley in the right position, we had to fix the machine at the crane hawk with the correct composition of chains.
“The crane was only able to lift the machine 10cm. Afterwards the forklift pulled the trolley away and we were able to bring the machine into the right position. The whole process was done safely after three and a half hours of work.
“For sure, my way was very risky. But at the end the customer was 100 per cent satisfied.”
This was first published in Issue 3/2012 of EW. Any comments? Email sarah@mashmedia.net
