EXSA NEWS

How important is logistics to the exhibition industry?

The 11th edition of the IELA Winter Seminar, a 100 per cent funded event as part of IELA’s 2023 membership benefits programme, took place earlier in the year at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The event offered 31 students a high-quality educational programme focused on the daily responsibilities of exhibition freight forwarders and on-site operations businesses.

Under the motto ‘Building the Future’ and based on three event pillars: Connect, Learn and Succeed, the 2023 programme at this training event for young adults and newcomers clearly profited from the strength of IELA’s history and many years of extensive experience. The attendees learned why IELA plays an important role in the industry as well as why currently, the association is a trusted brand, recognised by the entire exhibition and event industry.

Following on from the IELA Conference held in Cape Town, EXSA asked two of our logistics members to discuss the importance of what they do and how it impacts the industry.

Jacqui Nel from GSM Exhibition Freighting and Leon Roux from LA Rouxnelle, both members of IELA, gave us the following input.

It is very important to belong to an association, as it keeps you relevant to change in the marketplace, upto-date with your industry and it keeps you connected to your peers within the industry. It is a great place for networking, not to mention the education programmes that are on offer by many associations. IELA is very much the same in that IELA members within the working groups work hard to run the various training programmes to upskill the staff within their members’ companies.

Jacqui Nel.

Jacqui Nel said: “The Winter Seminar is one of the platforms where young students can attend a three-day intensive training course, face-to-face with their peers from around the globe, and learn about the various aspects of logistics. IELA has 165 members from 52 different countries around the world. This shows how important it is to use an IELA Member when moving Exhibition goods around the world, to ensure that goods arrive in time for the event. IELA is an association of logistic specialists, as their members have to deal with all aspects of logistics, such as:

• Collecting of cargo from the exhibitor and ensuring that it is wrapped and packed correctly

• Ensuring that if sent by air/sea freight, that the cargo arrives in time at the destination’s air/seaport

• Clearing the cargo, and in most cases, as temporary importation, therefore temporary bonds need to be set up;

• Being aware of the various countries’ customs, rules and regulations, as each country is different

• Once all the customs procedures have been completed, the cargo is stored, until the build-up date

• Once the logistics of the event is being discussed, the IELA member becomes part of the logistic discussions

• The correct staff and equipment needs to be booked, so that the cargo can be delivered to the stand successfully

• In many cases, machines need to be positioned on the stand and, in some cases, assistance needs to be provided in assembling the machines on the stand, in order for them to work.

With the above in mind, it is vital for the IELA members to upskill their staff and keep their knowledge and skills relevant, in order to provide a five-star service to the exhibitor. We are constantly governed by deadline dates, ensuring that the cargo arrives in time for the event and delivered to the Exhibitor’s stand.

Usually, the Winter Seminar is hosted in Zurich, however, with Covid, all of this changed and instead of hosting the IELA conference in South Africa, it was decided to bring the Winter Seminar to Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town. The students were able to enjoy the rich diversity that South Africa has to offer, and it made their learning experience an enjoyable journey. IELA has an MOU with AAXO, EXSA and SAACI, which shows their support and commitment to South Africa.

Leon Roux.

Leon Roux from LA Rouxnelle, said the following: “In 2020, prior to Covid, South Africa was the host destination for the IELA 2020 Congress in Cape Town. However, due to the lockdown, the original venue closed its doors and we, as local members, had to find an alternative venue that was able to host approximately 250 delegates from 50 countries from across the world. As Cape Town is very high on delegates’ bucket lists, the decision was made by the board to host the event at Century City. Due to Covid, this did not happen and was postponed indefinitely, but, with the deposit still in place, the suggestion was given that instead of hosting the Winter Seminar in Switzerland, why not utilise these funds and host the Winter Seminar in Cape Town. This seminar is for young members and a great opportunity to meet new junior members and share thoughts throughout the seminar.

“The Winter Seminar has basically paved the way to host the IELA congress again in South Africa in 2025/2026, as was suggested to the board. We first need to find our feet again and have the exhibition and events industry perform well again and make the Congress a success.”

He said: “LA Rouxnelle Logistics and Consulting has been a member of IELA since 2011. Since joining the association we have made a number of new friends and agents that prefer to work with an IELA agent, as we all strive towards the same goal, which is to deliver a professional service where health and safety remains key. We learn from one another and share our thoughts, and you know that you can dial any IELA member’s number abroad for assistance. Through our membership, LA Rouxnelle has signed a SLA with another agent, Kuehne & Nagel Events, Germany and their other offices requested to work with LA Rouxnelle due to the long-standing relationship and due diligence that formed part of the agreement.”

Mr Roux added: “We are in a niche market, and I started my career in exhibitions way back in 1989, and to me, service to the client is most important. We respond to requests as we live and operate in a 24/7 industry, thus no reason to let clients wait.”