It ’ s now worryingly common for a show to break in four or five hours . There just aren ’ t enough qualified , competent , supervisor level people in our contracting community to manage those breakdowns effectively . In addition , the contractors that are going to breakdowns at 6pm , will probably have done a build up during the day . They ’ ll start at before six or 7am to get their van into a queue to get into a building , they ’ ll build all day , and then they ’ ll go to a breakdown .
We are more and more reliant on zero-hour contracts . Most of these people are not employed or protected by working hours directives . We are essentially an industry that is turning a blind eye to the fact that people are working 7am to 10pm plus , on a very regular basis . Some may say that is a contractor issue however , it is now a collective issue as so many of those contractors have now chosen to leave the industry and work in sectors that have better hours and better conditions .
What can be done and what is being done to try and to alleviate that ? The last time people ’ s hours were protected on the show floor in terms of the supply chain contractors was back in the union days . I don ’ t know many people that would ever want to go back to the union days , however , across the wider world not just our industry , over time , people ’ s employment rights have been eroded or pay rises haven ’ t been given . If our industry does not seek to redress some balance , and by that I mean paying what is required to employ people on a reasonable working day and in reasonable conditions then , I fear , that we are close to a breaking point . Over the pandemic we lost one of our top two core contractors , without much of a word being spoken . That was a bellwether moment that indicated all is not well in our supply chain .
Of course , organisers and venues are also facing unprecedented challenges , and we are in a period of change where there is huge uncertainty . My personal opinion is that we can no longer rely on the supply chain to reduce margins so that other organisations can protect theirs . Another issue to highlight , is that the supply chain also needs to stop racing to the bottom and driving down prices .
To give some perspective , shell rates are often what a show contract is tendered on – I ’ d argue that it isn ’ t a good measure but that ’ s another story . When I came into the industry in 1996 , the shell rate was well over £ 10 per sqm . Now it is often between £ 10and £ 11 . If prices had increased in line with inflation we should be paying closer to £ 20 . No organiser budget can support that level of uplift in one go , but what opsprofs have a duty to do , is tell the narrative and the consequences of cheap rates to those who are making the
Lou Kiwanuka
“ If our industry does not seek to redress some balance ... paying what is required and reasonable conditions ... then I fear , that we are close to a breaking point ”
final decisions on contracts and know what those consequences are . The loss of experienced people who understand those consequences is damaging .
I do not believe that we as an industry have taken the time or inclination to look at the effects of pricing . We might baulk at current price increases , but margins have decreased so significantly in much of the supply chain that we are now facing the volatility of the zero hours approach .
Price fluctuations are going both ways with some suppliers- for example AV companies pushing up rates as they see demand for their services . How is that affecting exhibitions ? Companies are facing huge increases from the labour pool , and this is especially an issue with skilled
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