Trade Fair Transport
Trade fair transport from Logisticoo delivers your stand, exhibits and brochure material on time into the booked build-up window — and reliably back again after the fair closes. Trade fair logistics has its own rules: deliveries run through the time slots and marshalling areas of the fair operators; at large venues such as Hannover, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Munich, Berlin or Nuremberg, the grounds are congested during build-up and dismantling phases, and anyone who misses their slot waits. Your personal dispatcher books the time slots, coordinates with the stand builder and the operator's forwarding system, and plans the return already on the outbound trip — including interim storage of empties during the fair run, if desired. Sensitive exhibits, displays and equipment travel in a box body, shock-protected and secured in accordance with VDI 2700; for parts forgotten at short notice — the classic on build-up day — the express direct transport steps in. Overseas fairs in 55 countries we handle including customs papers (such as an ATA Carnet for temporary export). A fixed price for the outbound and return transport in 30 minutes, collection in 147 German cities — one dispatcher for the entire fair cycle.
Service features
- Time-slot booking and coordination with fair operator and stand construction
- Outbound and return transport as one order, including interim storage of empties
- Box vehicles with shock-protected packaging for exhibits and equipment
- Express direct transport as a rescue for forgotten or defective parts on build-up day
- Overseas fairs with ATA Carnet and customs clearance
- Experience with the procedures of the major German trade fair venues
Or call us directly: +49 30 346 467 850
When trade fair logistics needs its own planning
As soon as goods have to go onto a trade fair site, different rules apply than for any normal delivery. The fair operators meter access via time slots and marshalling areas; during build-up and dismantling days the site is overloaded, cranes and forklifts are scarce, and a missed slot means hours of waiting. At the same time, the entire stand build-up with booked tradespeople hinges on punctual arrival. Typical users are exhibitors with their own stand, stand-construction companies, roadshow organisers and firms with sensitive exhibits or demonstration equipment. Anyone sending just a single box of brochures gets by with standard shipping — but as soon as stand, equipment, time slots and return collection come together, thoroughly planned trade fair logistics with one responsible point of contact is needed.
Out, interim storage, back — the fair cycle in detail
We plan the complete cycle as a single order. For the outbound trip we book the build-up time slot, coordinate with the stand builder and the organiser's forwarding system, and deliver into the agreed slot. Sensitive exhibits, displays and equipment travel in a closed box body, shock-protected and secured in accordance with VDI 2700. The empties that arise after build-up — crates, packaging, transport frames — we take away, store them in interim storage near the fair, and return them punctually for dismantling, so that no expensive storage space is tied up at the stand. The return collection of the stand goods is scheduled within the same order. If a part is missing on build-up day, the express direct transport steps in — the dispatcher knows your stand location from the main order and delivers straight to it, observing the on-site logistics.
ATA Carnet, customs clearance and EU traffic — the distinction
For overseas fairs, the destination determines the customs handling. Within the EU we drive fair goods freely without customs formalities. For fairs in a third country — such as Switzerland, Turkey, the Gulf region, the USA — it depends on whether the goods remain there or return. For exhibits, demonstration equipment and stand construction that are only temporarily exported and re-imported, the ATA Carnet is the tool of choice: it saves import duties and the posting of a deposit in the destination country and documents the temporary use. Sales goods or consumables that remain on site, by contrast, run through regular export and import customs clearance. Which procedure applies is clarified in advance by your dispatcher — including the timely application for the Carnet, so that the goods do not get stuck at customs at the fair location.
What does trade fair transport cost?
We calculate the outbound and return transport on a per-kilometre basis by vehicle (±15 %): Sprinter van ~€1.10/km from €89, 7.5 t truck ~€1.45/km from €169, curtain-side semi-trailer ~€1.95/km from €379. Example: a complete trade fair stand (around 6 pallets) from Berlin to the Düsseldorf fair and back (around 570 km each way) on the 7.5-tonner falls, for the outbound and return trip, roughly in the €1,700–2,100 range, plus interim storage of empties during the fair run. Price drivers are waiting times in overloaded build-up phases, time slots at off-peak hours, interim storage, as well as the ATA Carnet and customs clearance for overseas fairs. We quote the fixed price for the entire cycle in 30 minutes.
Services across the fair cycle
| Phase | Service | Special feature |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound trip | Time-slot delivery into the build-up slot | Coordination with stand construction & organiser |
| Fair run | Empties collection & interim storage near the fair | no storage space needed at the stand |
| Build-up day emergency | Express direct transport of forgotten parts | loading often in 60–120 min. |
| Return trip | scheduled stand-goods return collection | planned within the same order |
| Overseas fair | ATA Carnet / customs clearance | temporary export/import |
Frequently asked questions
What happens to empties and packaging during the fair run?
We take away crates and packaging after build-up, store them in interim storage near the fair and return them punctually for dismantling — you save the expensive storage service at the stand. The return collection of the stand goods is scheduled within the same order, so that nothing is left waiting on the grounds after the fair closes.
Can you make a short-notice re-delivery of something missing during build-up?
Yes — this is exactly what we keep the express direct transport ready for: vehicles in 147 cities, loading often within 60 to 120 minutes, delivery straight to the stand while observing the on-site logistics. Call your dispatcher; he knows your stand location from the main order.
Do you handle the time-slot booking with the fair operator?
Yes. We book the arrival and departure time slots via the organiser's forwarding and logistics system, coordinate with your stand builder, and schedule collection and pre-carriage backwards from the slot. This way we avoid waiting times in the overloaded marshalling areas and deliver into exactly the window in which your build-up team is standing ready.
Do you also handle transport to fairs abroad?
Yes, to 55 countries. Within the EU we drive free of formalities; for third-country fairs we organise the ATA Carnet for exhibits temporarily exported and re-imported, which saves import duties and a deposit in the destination country. Sales goods we clear through customs in the regular way. The right procedure and the timely application are clarified in advance by your dispatcher.
What does trade fair transport cost?
The outbound and return trip are calculated on a per-kilometre basis (Sprinter van ~€1.10/km, 7.5 t ~€1.45/km, FTL ~€1.95/km, ±15 %). A 6-pallet stand Berlin–Düsseldorf and back on the 7.5-tonner falls, for both trips, at roughly €1,700–2,100 plus interim storage. Waiting times in build-up phases, off-peak slots and Carnet/customs for overseas fairs we itemise separately; we quote the fixed price for the whole cycle in 30 minutes.