Trade fair logistics in NRW: a courier for build-up, restocks and breakdown
Maxmove drives stand material, displays, AV equipment and forgotten restocks to Koelnmesse, Messe Düsseldorf and Messe Essen as a direct drive – timed to your access slot and with proof at handover.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Trade fair logistics is about slots, gates and empties
At a trade fair, the distance rarely decides anything – access does. During build-up and breakdown, vehicles only get onto the grounds with authorisation and often only within a booked time slot; at Koelnmesse there is no access during these phases without a booked eSlot. On the grounds in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen, only the venue's appointed contractors operate forklifts and cranes, and empty packaging must not stay on the stand.
What goes wrong in practice: the brochure reprint is still at the printer, the stand monitor is in the agency's store, a spare part for the exhibit machine is missing on the first morning. A parcel service delivers to the fair address, but not at the time the stand team needs – and on breakdown day there are crates at the hall that have to be gone before the slot ends.
Maxmove handles the drives between your warehouse, printer, workshop and the fairground as a direct drive: one vehicle, no transloading, live tracking for your stand team. You enter the hall, stand number, gate, time slot and the organiser's access details when you book, and the driver receives them in the app. Handover happens at the hall or delivery zone, recorded with signature and photos. Exhibits that need a forklift or crane to reach the stand are still moved by the appointed forwarders – that is how the venues regulate it.
What goes to the fair
Everything that shuttles between warehouse, printer, workshop and hall before, during and after the show.
- Stand walls, frame systems and displays
- Screens, AV equipment and cable crates
- Brochures, catalogues and reprints
- Promotional items and giveaways in boxes
- Hire furniture, counters and bar tables
- Smaller exhibits and samples
- Spare parts for exhibit machines
- Tools and material for stand building
- Stand kitchen, crockery and coffee machines
- Transport crates and flight cases
Trade fair runs in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen
Three drives that come up regularly at trade fairs in NRW.
Brochure restock to Koelnmesse
On the first day of the show, the catalogues on a stand at Koelnmesse in Deutz have run out. The printer in Köln-Ehrenfeld has reprinted them, six boxes are ready, and a high-roof compact van collects them. Access during the show follows the organiser's rules; the stand team names the gate, meeting point and contact in the order, follows the arrival in live tracking and receives the boxes there. A signature and photo confirm the handover.
Stand-building material to Messe Düsseldorf
A stand builder with a workshop in Düsseldorf-Reisholz takes wall elements, a counter and AV equipment to Messe Düsseldorf in Stockum. The 3.5-tonne box van takes crates and elements up to 1,200 kg. The stand builder or exhibitor arranges the access permit with the organiser and adds the details to the order so the driver can show them at the gate. Unloading at the hall is by hand, with carrying help if booked – on the grounds, forklifts come only from the appointed forwarder.
Return after breakdown in Essen
After a show at Messe Essen in Rüttenscheid, displays, flight cases and screens need to go back to the agency store in Essen-Kray. Vehicles can only enter during the official breakdown hours, depending on the event via the check-in at the signposted car park. The Sprinter is booked for the breakdown slot, and the stand team has the goods packed and labelled for collection at the hall. The proof of delivery at the store shows that every package arrived.
Local courier service:KölnDüsseldorfEssen
What exhibitors need to sort out first
The organiser sets the rules – here is what they mean for your drives and who arranges what.
The exhibitor books access and time slots
Vehicles can only enter the fairgrounds with authorisation. According to Koelnmesse's traffic guide, there is no access during build-up and breakdown without a booked eSlot; vehicles without one must register at the logistics centre at car park P22. Düsseldorf requires an entry permit, and in Essen entry during build-up and breakdown is organised via a check-in at the signposted car park. Book the slot or permit with the organiser and add the trip number, PIN or permit to the order.
Forklifts and cranes: appointed forwarders only
In Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen, only the venue's contract partners may operate cranes and forklifts on the grounds; your own equipment is not allowed. In Düsseldorf and Essen, the appointed forwarders also hold the exclusive right to move exhibits and stand structures into the stand. Heavy exhibits on pallets therefore need a forklift booking with the appointed forwarder. At Koelnmesse, a booked eSlot only becomes binding once the forklift booking is confirmed.
Empties and parking: nothing stays behind
In Düsseldorf and Essen, empty packaging must not be stored on the stand. At Koelnmesse, leaving vehicles, containers or empties on the grounds during the show is prohibited, and anything left is removed at the owner's cost. So decide in advance where boxes and crates go after build-up: into empties storage via the appointed forwarder, or back to your own warehouse on a separate return drive.
Label and secure every package
Each package needs the fair, hall, stand number, exhibitor name and the stand team's mobile number; Koelnmesse explicitly lists hall, company and contact person as part of the delivery address. Screens travel in flight cases or original boxes, wall elements with edge protection. In the vehicle, the load is secured under Section 22 of the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) so it cannot slide or tip under emergency braking; for vans, guideline VDI 2700 Part 16 describes the methods.
Which vehicle for which trade fair run
Boxes of brochures and giveaways or a single screen travel by car. AV equipment, several flight cases or two Euro pallets fit into the high-roof compact van. Wall elements, counters and hire furniture need the Sprinter with a 3.2 m load length or the 3.5-tonne box van with more than 4 m and up to 1,200 kg. Extra-long trusses or exhibits that need a crane are arranged as a [special run](/sonderfahrten).
| Vehicle | Макс. вес | Европоддоны | Макс. размер груза | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarПодходит, например Moving boxes, small furniture, classifieds pickups | 100 kg | – | 100 × 70 × 50 cm | from €79.86Base fare €18.90 | Book |
| Small VanПодходит, например Washing machine, armchair, moving boxes | 400 kg | 1–2 | 160 × 120 × 120 cm | from €94.05Base fare €29.90 | Book |
| Large VanПодходит, например Wardrobe, 2–3 room move, bulky furniture | 1000 kg | 3–4 | 330 × 180 × 170 cm | from €130.05Base fare €54.90 | Book |
| 3.5t Box LorryПодходит, например Retail goods, tail lift, large furniture | 1200 kg | 6–8 | 430 × 210 × 210 cm | from €211.24Base fare €129 | Book |
| 7.5t LorryПодходит, например Full house move, bulky retail goods, site material | 3000 kg | 12–15 | 610 × 245 × 240 cm | from €366.72Base fare €249 | Book |
Published examples for Köln → Düsseldorf, weekdays at 10:00 (Berlin time). The binding price for your addresses is shown before booking.
Bigger, open-bed or heavier than 3 t? On request as a special run
How a trade fair drive with Maxmove works
- 01
Secure the organiser's time slot
Book the access permit or time slot with the organiser – at Koelnmesse, the eSlot. Keep the trip number, PIN or permit ready for the booking.
- 02
Book the drive and add the details
Enter pickup address, fair, hall, stand number, gate and time slot. You see the instant price, vehicle and earliest pickup window, and can book the breakdown return at the same time.
- 03
Direct drive to the fairground
The driver collects from your warehouse, printer or workshop and drives straight to the fair. Your stand team sees in live tracking when the vehicle reaches the gate.
- 04
Handover at the hall
Handover to your contact at the hall or delivery zone, with signature, timestamp and photos in the proof of delivery. Your team sees the record in the order straight away.
Why Maxmove for Trade fair logistics
Restocks during the show
If brochures, cables or a spare part for the exhibit run out, book online at an instant price and see the earliest pickup window. The consignment travels on its own from the pickup address to the fair, and your stand team follows it live and plans the handover at the gate.
Build-up and breakdown in one order
Book the outbound drive for build-up and the return after the show together, each matched to the organiser's time slot. Stand builders and agencies with fixed show dates set up recurring drives and pay by invoice.
Clear responsibilities at the hall
We drive to the hall or delivery zone and hand over with a record. Forklifts, cranes and moving heavy exhibits into the stand stay with the appointed forwarder, stand building and assembly with your stand builder. Everyone knows in advance who does what at the hall.