Printed matter and giveaways differ from the rest of a fair load in three ways: they do not come back to Poland, they weigh disproportionately much for their volume, and they hold a different customs status from exhibits. So we treat them as a separate stream, planned to a different date and often on a different vehicle from the stand structure and demonstration equipment.
Why the weight surprises people
A box of catalogues the size of a shoebox can weigh over ten kilograms, and a pallet of catalogues easily outweighs a whole light stand structure. That changes the freight calculation, because freight charges on the greater of two figures: weight or the space taken in the trailer. With print, weight almost always wins.
From that follows the first practical decision: work out how many catalogues will really be taken over four days, not how many were printed. Surplus carried across half of Europe usually ends up disposed of locally anyway, because returning unsold print rarely makes economic sense. The same calculation appears for structures in after breakdown: return, storage or disposal.
A different customs status, a different document
Exhibits, equipment and the stand structure normally return, so they fit temporary admission. Print and giveaways stay, so they need an ordinary import declaration with value and classification. Mixing the two groups in one consignment is possible, but it complicates the paperwork and lengthens clearance, because one consignment note then describes goods under two different regimes. Splitting them into two consignments with separate consignment notes is often simpler than explaining it at the border. We describe how the document is completed in the CMR consignment note.
Watch one trap: a giveaway has a customs value even when it is handed out free. Declaring zero value is not correct and is a common reason for a consignment being held for clarification. We develop the theme of goods staying in Britain in the ATA carnet and goods sold at the fair.
Why they are shipped earlier
Print needs no build crew, nothing to connect or position, and damage to it does not stop you exhibiting. That makes it an ideal candidate for early shipment into a facility near the venue and delivery on the day the stand is ready. It frees space on the critical movement and shortens the list of things that have to make the last hour of the build-up window.
On the British side that role is played by our Milton Keynes warehouse, where we receive and release pallets, store short term, cross-dock and consolidate pallet batches. On the Polish side the facility is our Kielce base, about four kilometres from the fairground, described in the buffer warehouse next to Targi Kielce.
Packing: cartons, pallets and moisture
Paper absorbs moisture and loses its finish, and a catalogue with wavy corners works against a brand about as effectively as no catalogue at all. So print travels in cartons of a single format, stacked squarely on a pallet, wrapped and with the corners protected. Heavy boxes go at the bottom, light ones on top, and nothing overhangs the pallet, because an overhanging corner collects damage at every handling. The rules for building a pallet are in palletising goods for the UK.
It is also worth labelling the cartons legibly for someone who does not know the contents: exhibitor name, stand number, carton number and the number of cartons in the set. In a hall full of identical pallets that is the only way to find your own.
What is left after the show
Unused print and giveaways usually do not return, because the cost of the return exceeds their value. Two options remain: handing them to a British partner, or disposal with confirmation. The second needs to be arranged in advance, because leaving cartons on the stand after breakdown is often treated as exhibitor waste and charged separately by the venue. We carry out disposal with confirmation at the Milton Keynes warehouse. Event waste falls under British classification rules, referenced in the sources.
What to state when ordering this stream
The number and format of cartons and the pallet weight. The date by which the material has to be available. Whether it can arrive early into a facility. The customs value and description of the goods for the declaration. And the decision on what happens to the surplus after the show. Those five items close the subject of print without it coming back during build-up week.
Sources
- GOV.UK: classifying waste
- GOV.UK: importing goods temporarily, and what may return
- GOV.UK: customs declarations for goods taken out of the EU
Shipping catalogues and giveaways to a British fair? Send the pallet count and readiness date through the quotation form and we will plan an early shipment into a facility and delivery on the day the stand is ready. The scope is on our exhibition logistics page.
