Should we book both legs at once?

Always. A break-down window is not negotiable and finding a van for a Sunday evening at short notice is the hardest booking in this trade.

What should we ask the venue?

The access window for each leg, where a vehicle can stand, whether there is a lift or bay and how it is booked, and what happens if the break-down overruns.

What if the stand is not packed when you arrive?

We usually help pack. It is not the job as booked and it is considerably cheaper than a venue charging for space that should have been clear.

Do you do film and photographic work?

Kit and set dressing in and out, on the same both-legs basis. The scheduling is tighter and the principle is identical.

Are Sunday collections possible?

Yes, and they are the slots that fill first. Booked with the delivery they are straightforward; booked afterwards you are joining a queue.

In and out again · ⇥

In one day, out another

Markets, fairs, exhibitions, degree shows, pop-ups, shoots. The delivery gets booked because it is obvious; the collection gets forgotten because it is a week away and feels like a separate problem. It is not.

Finding a van for a Sunday evening at short notice is the hardest booking in this trade. Book both legs together.

What an in-and-out job involves

Both legs booked together Because the second one is the difficult one.

Venue windows established For both, with the break-down time treated as fixed.

Standing point at the venue Which at a market or a fair is rarely obvious.

Lift or bay bookings Where the venue runs them, and most do.

Short-term holding Where the two legs are far apart, listed and held.

A contingency stated For an overrun, because venues charge for them.

Why the second leg is the hard one

Because it lands at the end of a weekend, at a fixed hour, at a venue that wants everybody gone. Sunday evenings and late weekday break-downs are the least available slots there are, and a booking made on the day is a booking made into a queue.

Booked at the same time as the delivery it is straightforward. Booked afterwards it is a scramble, and it is the single most common way an otherwise well-organised event goes wrong.

What a venue actually needs from you

The access window for each leg, where a vehicle can stand, whether there is a lift or a loading bay and how it is booked, and what happens if the break-down overruns.

Four questions, one email to the venue, and they settle the whole job. Most organisers have the answers already and have not thought to pass them on.

When the two legs are far apart

An exhibition running for weeks, a seasonal stall, a shoot with a gap in it. Where the in and the out are separated by more than a few days, holding the empty crates and packing materials is frequently better than sending them back and forth.

They are listed and held rather than left in a vehicle, and it turns two long journeys into two short ones.

And the overrun

Venues charge for space that was supposed to be clear, and a break-down running late is the commonest way that happens. It is worth agreeing in advance what we do if the stand is not packed when we arrive.

Usually we help pack, which is not the job as booked and is much cheaper than a venue penalty.

In one day, out another

Questions about in one day, out another

Should we book both legs at once?: Always. A break-down window is not negotiable and finding a van for a Sunday evening at short notice is the hardest booking in this trade.
What should we ask the venue?: The access window for each leg, where a vehicle can stand, whether there is a lift or bay and how it is booked, and what happens if the break-down overruns.
Can you hold crates between the legs?: Where the two are more than a few days apart, yes. Listed and held rather than left in a vehicle, and it turns two long journeys into two short ones.
What if the stand is not packed when you arrive?: We usually help pack. It is not the job as booked and it is considerably cheaper than a venue charging for space that should have been clear.
Do you do film and photographic work?: Kit and set dressing in and out, on the same both-legs basis. The scheduling is tighter and the principle is identical.
Are Sunday collections possible?: Yes, and they are the slots that fill first. Booked with the delivery they are straightforward; booked afterwards you are joining a queue.

Does anything have to come back?

Both addresses, what is going, and whether anything has to leave as something arrives, go back where it came from, or be collected afterwards. Any yes makes it two legs.

Get a price Ask about the old one