NEC Birmingham exhibitor delivery guide: getting your stand there and back
How deliveries to the NEC work for exhibitors: halls, loading bays, timed slots, what to send ahead and what to bring on the day, and how to book a same-day van for the show.
The NEC hosts over 500 events a year and most exhibitors arrive from outside Birmingham. The ones who have a bad build-up day are almost always the ones who assumed delivery would be simple. It can be, if you know how the site works.
How the NEC handles deliveries
- Every hall has its own loading doors and marshalling area. Your organiser's exhibitor manual tells you which hall, which door, and your build-up slot.
- During build-up and breakdown, vehicles are called forward from the marshalling yard by slot. A van with your stand kit cannot just drive to the hall door whenever it likes.
- Nothing is accepted at the NEC without an exhibitor name, stand number and a person to receive it. There is no general goods-in that will sign for your boxes and hold them.
- During the open days, deliveries to stands are usually only possible before doors open each morning.
What to send ahead and what to bring on the day
Send the heavy, bulky and non-urgent kit ahead: stand structure, furniture, flooring, large graphics. Bring, or have couriered on the day, the things that go wrong: replacement graphics, printed collateral that was late from the printer, samples, laptops and the box of cables everyone forgets.
Why a dedicated van beats a pallet network for the NEC
Pallet networks deliver in a window, with a driver who has twelve other drops and can't wait in a marshalling yard. A dedicated same-day van arrives at your slot, waits to be called forward, unloads at your stand with your team, and can stay to take empties back to your storage or come back for breakdown. The first 30 minutes of waiting is included; after that it's £0.50 a minute, which is far cheaper than a missed slot.
Typical costs from the Midlands
| From | Miles to NEC | SWB van | Luton with tail lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham city centre | 10 | £45.00 | £85.00 |
| Wolverhampton | 24 | £55.20 | £87.00 |
| Coventry | 14 | £45.00 | £85.00 |
| Leicester | 40 | £76.00 | £115.00 |
The emergency run
The call we get most often during a show is from someone at the NEC at 8am whose graphics are still at a printer in Digbeth. A car from our Aston depot can be at a Digbeth printer in 15 minutes and at the NEC 25 minutes after that. If you're exhibiting, save our number before the show, not during it.
Timed collections after the show: tell us the breakdown slot and we'll have a van in the marshalling yard before the hall opens for breakdown.
Prices quoted are our published rates at the time of writing, with no VAT added. Enter your postcodes for a fixed price today.