Hunter agrees : “ Companies that have frequently exhibited around Europe have a routine and process that they like to follow . Many companies have often shipped catering supplies such as soft drinks , tea and coffee and snacks for use on the stand , usually because it is much easier than having to go to shops near the exhibition venue . This is now no longer an option due to import regulations and restrictions . These are not new as they existed all the time that the UK was a member of the EU . However , these regulations and restrictions apply to British companies now that the UK is classed as a ‘ third country ’.
“ For many of the freight forwarders involved in exhibitions outside the EU , the change has been relatively simple , but the key is having the first-hand knowledge and understanding of the requirements and know how the regulations are applied at the various venues . Again , this is nothing new as the UK applied the EU customs regulations slightly differently to France , which in turn applied them slightly differently to Spain and Germany , etc .”
Dean Wale , global sales development manager at CEVA Logistics says the “ enormous ” amount of extra documentation has an inevitable cost .
Exhibitors must now provide commodity codes , power of attorney forms and ATA Carnets – customs documents often referred to as a passport for goods – which then must be checked by an agent in the destination country and cannot be amended .
“ Once the documentation has been produced and checked with the agent in the respective country the shipment is final you can ’ t just chuck a couple of extra boxes on the pallet like we did in the old days ,” Wale says . “ All of this is extremely time consuming and has a cost implication which exhibitors and stand contractors wouldn ’ t have experienced pre-Brexit .” Highlighting the scale of additional costs , Hunter says it varies from show to show but increases of between 250 % and 400 % for a single shipment are now commonplace .
“ Naturally , once additional customs entries have been factored in , together with import taxes , additional tariff headings and special clearance costs , the increase can be substantially higher ,” Hunter says .
So , how can the issues be resolved ? In addition to planning logistics requirements earlier – education is needed for organisers and exhibitors .
Wale suggests : “ Organisers and their appointed logistics partners must try to educate exhibitors in the new processes . This can be achieved by hosting pre-show exhibitor / supplier workshops , online learning webinars , and re-iterating the importance contacting the official logistics supplier at the earliest opportunity .”
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 4 2022 27