IELA
Service/logistics
Standard
bearer
Good service is not only a matter of
trust, but operational excellence,
says International Exhibition
Logistics Association (IELA)
he exhibition environment
has changed. In times of
uncertainty such as global
security risks, unexpected
circumstances in our daily workplace
whether on-site or in the office, a great
responsibility rests on the suppliers.
Taking the flourishing growth of the
exhibition business into account, it
is a widely acknowledged fact that
ever-changing demands on service are
growing.
Facing this, trade show organisers,
venue owners and vendors of the entire
value adding supply chain must keep
pace with even more specialised projects
and requirements.
In particular, logistics companies meet
extra challenges: shortened build-up
and dismantling times, special needs
for exhibition goods, security aspects,
international shipments and the
changing digital world in general. At the
end, performance is key – no goods, no
show.
IELA members approach these
challenges with specialised services,
passion and a self-expectation to serve
beyond expected standards. IELA
constantly strives to further improve
training and educational programmes
for its members and to provide platforms
for knowledge exchange, enabling
operational excellence.
IELA is committed to proactively
strengthening relationships for a safer
and more secure exhibition industry
providing Safety and Security training
workshops, guidelines etc. for organisers,
venues and associations.
The association now has 173 members
from 55 countries. More information,
visit: www.iela.org
48
Issue 1 2019
Heading
for a breakdown?
Miriam Sigler, Director of UK organiser Ways &
Means Events, says there is pressure to deliver shorter
breakdowns at trade shows
horter breakdowns are
absolutely doable for some
shows, and often preferable
for all involved. It’s less
cost for the organiser, more bookings
for venues and means quicker
turnaround of kit for contractors (plus
an opportunity to actually make it
home every once in a while for the
ops manager!) – until something goes
wrong that is.
As with everything in event
planning, any good ops manager will
have planned the get in and get out
in detail, trying to anticipate where
the problem areas are likely to be and
ensuring everything happens in good
time. However, there is always that one
element out of your control; a crash
on the motorway; a forklift breaking
down; a lift not working – all of which
can have a dire effect on getting out
of the halls on time. There are ways
around; as always team work, goodwill,
favours and problem solving are key,
but on a short breakdown there is very
little room for leeway, especially in a
venue with back-to-back bookings.
There are certainly times when a
short breakdown is just not suitable.
It can put huge amounts of pressure
on the contractors and endanger
exhibitors who are rushing to pack
up while stands are being ripped
down around them. Something or
someone ends up being compromised.
Contractors being told to put more
people on the job at their expense, ops
teams begging for favours and venue
staff staying on just that bit longer –
again – to help out. This isn’t a long
term or sustainable solution.
Breakdown times need to be
considered with just as much
importance as build. It may be the least
glamorous part of the show cycle, but
it’s just as valuable as build or open.
William Reed MD Events &
Exhibitions, Andrew Reed, says the
equation is: “amount of time available
times the size of the task; divided by the
number skilled people”.
He adds that the issue is often
around the quality of the part time staff
available to contractors, given that the
basic trade show infrastructure has
often become commoditised, meaning
there is little opportunity to make any
money on, say, installing shell scheme.
“From an electrical point of view,”
Reed adds, “these people have to have
basic qualifications but for other tasks
you don’t need any qualification. The
real question should be, ‘is there a
sufficiently qualified pool of competent
staff for all of the contractors to draw
down on so we do not have a serious
incident?’”
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk