Operating Onsite
The three Ts
Jon Noonan, group sales
director at Thorns Group,
talks trust, transparency and
teamwork when working onsite
T
“In an ideal
world we would
have confirmed
floorplans four
weeks ahead of
build day and
tenancy times as
long as a piece of
string”
ime is something we never have enough
of; combine this with tight tenancies and
last-minute changes we sometimes feel as if we’re
already behind before we’ve even started. Our
onsite delivery team plan months in advance to
make sure our clients have everything they need
to deliver their best show and factor in everything
that could go wrong, but what they can’t predict
is that crash on the M25 causing a 20-mile
tailback which is going to set them back two-to-
four hours. While the onsite team are aware and
getting on with other tasks they know it could be
a late finish. This is just one issue we face onsite.
Everyone is running at 100mph working to the
same deadline: opening morning.
The end goal
Having the correct information is key for all
suppliers. This includes delivery drop off times,
access points, finalised floorplans and space
availability; something we have struggled with
on many occasions. As well as time we find
that space is also at a premium especially when
we have four artics of furniture waiting in the
loading bay. In an ideal world we would have
confirmed floorplans four weeks ahead of build
day and tenancy times as long as a piece of string.
However, through years of proactive learning and
delivering organiser and exhibitor satisfaction we
have a formula that works for us.
Breakdown
After working 18-hour days during show week
and then managing the show itself, it’s safe to say
that all everyone wants to do is go home, but not
before breakdown. This is the quickest part of the
entire show which isn’t always a good thing. We
50 — June
face challenges with restricted access depending
on the size of our vehicle; the larger our vehicle
the later it’s allowed in, which then reduces the
time we have to get all of our furniture out and
loaded efficiently onto the lorries. This then
brings us onto health and safety considerations; it
might seem like the easiest way to rip everything
down when you have to be out in five hours but
the last thing you want is a team member out of
action for six-to-eight weeks with a broken leg
because we were slightly hasty.
Trends
With the exhibitions industry worth a
whopping €116bn we’re seeing trends in
sustainability and innovation. With schemes
focused on reducing the use of plastic already
implemented in major UK venues, this will be
filtered through to the small/medium sized
venues. Innovation has always been key to the
industry and with each show we see an increase in
the ways technology is used to enhance content.
The three Ts
The live events industry is built on trust,
transparency and teamwork, something we pride
ourselves on with every event and exhibition we
deliver. We work with our clients to ensure stock
is secured for their show, sufficient spares are
loaded onto our lorries and all exhibitors are well
looked after with our onsite service desk. There is
no ideal world when it comes this industry, we’re
still learning as we go along and it’s in pressured
times where we come across new ways of dealing
with onsite challenges. We will always be an
extension of our client’s team so any challenges
they face onsite will also be our issues.