Triple checks

Before dispatching your finished exhibition stand, we go through a series of rigorous checks. The print department will have built your stand as part of their own quality checks on panel quality and alignment. Any lighting or other electronics will have been tested too, in the context of the built stand if necessary.

Building your stand at our HQ in Skipton has the rather obvious side-benefit of ensuring that it's all there. We don't want to find out about missing components in a panicked call from the show. But it also allows us to double-check the quality and functionality of all the hardware we've painstakingly compiled in our own warehouse or integrated from one of our partners. We don't want to find out about broken components in a panicked call from the show either.

Quality of service is about many things, but a key aspect is consistency across the board. It's not enough to excel at just some areas of the business; people tend to judge you on that element that wasn't quite up to scratch. That's why we're absolutely insistent on every job leaving us in the optimum condition, packed snugly in bespoke hard cases whenever possible.

But then, there's the couriers...

The pros and cons of couriers

Well... cons, mostly.

We wish we could deliver all our exhibition equipment by hand. But the practicalities of a UK-wide delivery service (and the fact that we have quite a few customers doing lots of shows, often at the same time) dictate that the personal delivery touch is reserved for people using our installs and logistics services. That means that we need the assistance of couriers.

Our account managers will tell you that couriers are the bane of their lives. Actually, couriers are fulfilling a vital role in the supply chain, and it would be more accurate to say that they (usually) do what you ask them to. But, it must be stressed, that if you expect them to deliver something by a specific time the following day, you are placing your trust in a flimsy promise. They'll charge you hundreds of squid for the privilege of enduring that nail-biting wait. And we'll probably spend all morning trying to stick a rocket up their backsides.

It's a particular problem for companies like us, for whom quality and service are absolutely key. We rely on couriers, but they have a slightly different view on what constitutes great service. They also have to plan their routes and drop-offs with several customers in mind. If you're one of the first on their route, great, otherwise good luck.

We literally test our hardware to destruction with each new batch of stock and use bespoke hard cases, so protection in transit is very rarely an issue, even if the courier somehow mistakes the case for a football.

So believe it or not, this is not a rant. It's an appeal. The solution to nearly all courier-based problems is about timing and organisation; that these issues can usually be avoided by simply getting that artwork to us a couple of days earlier. In this scenario, that breathing space means that if something doesn't quite go to plan, there's still time to remedy it.

The man in the van

Please follow the links below to find out about our installs and logistics services. If you call on us to install or breakdown your exhibition stand, you can rest assured that all the equipment will go through all our regular checks prior to dispatch. In addition, we'll pack it all neatly and carefully into one of our vans, ensuring that everything comes out in the right order at the show.

The man in the van (or men in a gaggle of vans if it's a big build) will not just be a driver desperate to get your signature and move on to the next delivery. He'll be one of our professional installers, eager to give you the best exhibition experience possible by taking care of everything so that you can focus on running the show.

Before you say anything, the man in the van might be a woman. But be honest, 'the man (or occasionally a woman) in the van' is not quite as punchy a strapline. Call it poetic licence.