Once the exhibits are unpacked at the stand, a problem remains: empty crates, frames and packaging that cannot stay in the hall during the fair. The solution is storage away from the venue — our Milton Keynes warehouse takes packaging in after build-up, stores it for the duration of the exhibition and returns it to the stand exactly for breakdown.
Why the hall will not store your crates
Venue regulations as a rule do not allow empty packaging to be kept at the stand or in the aisles — a matter of fire safety rules and space. Organisers sometimes offer paid storage services, but the rules and availability differ between venues and events, and the details must be confirmed with the organiser each time. An exhibitor who does not plan this ahead is left on opening day with a pile of crates and nowhere to put them.
The Milton Keynes warehouse — a buffer close to the venues
OPTIMUS TRANSPORT runs a warehouse in Milton Keynes in central England, between London and Birmingham — a convenient point relative to the most frequently served fair venues. The warehouse acts as a buffer: it takes in empty packaging after build-up ends, stores it safely for the duration of the show and releases it back for breakdown. The same facility handles cross-dock, repacking and storage of exhibits ahead of the delivery slot, so the whole of your fair logistics can rest on one point.
- Collection of empty crates and packaging from the stand after build-up.
- Storage for the duration of the fair, with records kept per exhibitor.
- Delivery of the packaging back to the stand in the breakdown window.
- Option to combine with buffering exhibits ahead of the delivery slot.
How it works step by step
We agree the schedule with you before the fair departure. After the exhibits are delivered and the stand is unpacked, we take the packaging to Milton Keynes. During the fair the crates wait in the warehouse, labelled and assigned to the exhibitor. For breakdown they return to the stand, the exhibits are packed into the same packaging — which also matters for the ATA carnet, because the goods return complete and in the same configuration — and set off on the return journey.
Not just crates — what else we buffer
The same mechanism works for other items that get in the way at the stand but will be needed later: a reserve of marketing materials, stand structure elements for the next event, returnable packaging or stock replenished during the fair. The Milton Keynes warehouse can also take in exhibits before the fair, when the truck reaches England earlier than the build-up window opens — the goods then wait safely under a roof rather than in a trailer on a car park. Everything happens within one order and one point of contact, so you do not have to look separately for a warehouse, local transport and a company to collect the packaging.
What to ask before the fair
- Does the organiser offer on-site packaging storage and on what terms?
- How many packages, and of what size, will remain once the stand is unpacked?
- When exactly does build-up end and breakdown begin?
- Do the exhibits return in the same packaging — important for the ATA carnet?
Answers to these questions let you plan the storage in advance instead of improvising on the opening day of the fair.
One truck, one partner, less stress
Combining exhibit transport, packaging storage and post-fair collection with one carrier removes the most common problem: coordinating several companies within the rigid time windows of the venue. Our team knows the whole schedule, so the crates are where they should be — not a day too early, not an hour too late.
Read more about exhibition support on the exhibition logistics page, about the Milton Keynes facility itself under warehousing, and about the return of exhibits in the article on post-show logistics.
Preparing a stand for a UK fair? Write to us — we will plan the exhibit transport together with crate storage in Milton Keynes.
