Blog · London venues
London trade-show merch: a brief template
ExCeL London, Olympia London, Old Billingsgate, Tobacco Dock, the Business Design Centre and The Brewery all publish build-up windows and freight acceptance rules. The brief should lock these in writing before production starts.
UK and EU framework
The UK trade-show sector is served by a small number of large venues in London and a longer tail of regional venues. ExCeL London hosts the largest international shows (London Tech Week, IFSEC, BETT, World Travel Market, ICE London, IP Expo). Olympia London hosts the Olympia Beauty, the London Book Fair and the Business Show. Other dedicated London event venues include Old Billingsgate, Tobacco Dock, the Business Design Centre and The Brewery.
Each venue publishes its own freight acceptance rules, build-up windows, venue loading-bay booking rules and access procedures. For trade-show merchandise, the venue rules supplement (and sometimes override) the buyer's standard brief. The supplier needs the venue rules in the brief to confirm freight terms and delivery windows.
Some trade-show merchandise is supplied through the show organiser's own preferred-supplier agreements (for example, the show's nominated freight partner or show-marketing supplier). Where that is the case, the buyer's merch supplier will need to align with the nominated supplier's logistics. Corp-Merch.UK is independent of the show organisers and venues.
Pricing and framework
Trade-show merch pricing (exclusive of VAT) follows the standard UK B2B merch benchmark: branded apparel £12–£55 per piece; branded drinkware £7–£28 per piece; branded bags £5–£22 per piece; bespoke conference kits £35–£150 per pack; sampled giveaways £0.60–£3.50 per piece. Trade-show freight to venue typically adds £120–£550 per courier run for an exhibitor pack, depending on volume and distance from the supplier's warehouse.
Show-week rush surcharges (production completed within 7 working days) carry a 25–40% premium over the standard production price and may need to be booked before the show's freight cut-off. For shows with a 4-week minimum lead time before the build-up day, the rush premium is avoided by ordering within the standard window.
Lead time
The minimum lead time for trade-show merch depends on the show's freight cut-off, which is typically 5–10 working days before the build-up day. The supplier needs the show date, the build-up day, the booth number, the freight acceptance window and any venue-specific constraints locked in the brief.
Standard short lead-times: 4–6 weeks for fully bespoke merch (custom-colour garment, custom packaging); 2–3 weeks for stocked apparel with single-colour decoration; 7–10 working days for ready-stock blank goods with simple decoration. The standard order window for trade-show merch is 5–6 weeks.
Seasonal planning
UK trade-show peaks are concentrated in spring (April–June) and autumn (September–November). The spring peak (London Tech Week, BETT, IFSEC, Marketing Week Live, The Business Show) overlaps with the buyer's Q1 procurement cycle. The autumn peak (World Travel Market, the London Book Fair, Salon International) overlaps with the buyer's Q3 procurement cycle.
For spring shows, brief submission in February with delivery in early May is the typical pattern. For autumn shows, brief submission in June with delivery in late September or October is the typical pattern. Brief submissions in January for spring shows and brief submissions in May for autumn shows benefit from the supplier's available production capacity.
Delivery and hand-over
The delivery chain for London trade-show merch runs: supplier warehouse → venue loading bay → booth space. Each step requires the supplier to coordinate with the venue's loading-bay schedule and the show organiser's freight rules.
For ExCeL London, the loading-bay schedule is published by the show organiser in the exhibitor manual, typically 30 days before the show. Lorry slots are booked in advance; late arrivals queue or are turned away. The freight acceptance window is typically 4–6 hours on the build-up day, with limited overnight acceptance at premium rates.
For Olympia London, the loading-bay is shared with other event freight and the acceptance window is typically narrower than ExCeL's. For Business Design Centre the loading-bay is on Upper Street and accepts only small vehicles during the build-up window. Old Billingsgate and Tobacco Dock have dedicated loading bays accessed from Lower Thames Street and from Goodman Street respectively.
Couriers without a pre-booked slot are turned away at the venue loading bay; the merch supplier must coordinate the booking on the exhibitor's behalf or act on the exhibitor's instructions. The brief should specify who holds the loading-bay booking.
What this is and what it includes
This article covers the practical brief template for London trade-show corporate merch. It is written for exhibition organisers, event managers and marketing teams that deliver merch at trade shows and need a reusable format for the brief.
Coverage includes: the venue-specific delivery logistics for ExCeL London, Olympia London, Old Billingsgate, Tobacco Dock, the Business Design Centre and The Brewery; the standard trade-show brief fields; the freight cut-off and build-up window for major shows; the venue-specific constraints (height, weight, vehicle access); the practical checklist for handing the brief to a merch supplier; and the typical freight-incident-response playbook.
It does not cover the show-organiser-side responsibilities (stand construction, electrical, AV); it covers only the merch supplier-side responsibilities. It does not cover the international export channels for non-UK exhibitors; speak to a customs broker for those.
When and for whom
This article is written for: exhibition organisers running corporate booths at trade shows; corporate event managers; marketing teams delivering merch at conferences; agencies running event-marketing campaigns on behalf of clients; freelance event managers; and merch suppliers preparing trade-show quotations.
It applies to all UK-based trade shows and conferences. It applies to the major London trade shows (London Tech Week, IFSEC, BETT, World Travel Market, the London Book Fair, Marketing Week Live, The Business Show, ICE London) and to smaller UK regional shows. It applies whether the merch is handed out at the booth or distributed separately as part of the conference experience.
It does not cover corporate hospitality events (golf days, dinners, awards ceremonies), which have different delivery and hand-over dynamics and are addressed in a separate guide. It does not cover international trade shows outside the UK; the UK venue-specific knowledge does not directly apply abroad.
Specifications and materials
Trade-show merch typically combines: branded apparel (event-branded hoodie, event-branded t-shirt); branded drinkware (water bottle, coffee cup); branded bags (tote bag, drawcord bag); printed materials (programme, leaflet, lookbook); and on-stand giveaways (small items for the foot-traffic flow). All standard merch categories apply.
For shows with high visitor volume (over 10,000 visitors), the merch supply needs to scale. Show-day giveaways of small, lightweight items (sweets in branded pouches, branded pens, branded notebooks) are typical for managing volume. For shows with low visitor volume but high-value visitors (executive conferences), the merch can be higher-value (drinkware, apparel, conference kits).
Venue-acceptable specifications matter: high-visibility or large banners must meet the venue's fire-safety classifications; large structures require structural calculations and the venue's approval; materials brought onto the booth must be properly packed and stacked to comply with the venue's storage rules.
Common mistakes
The most common trade-show merch mistake is missing the show's freight cut-off. The freight cut-off is typically 5–10 working days before the build-up day; missing it forces the buyer to use a courier service at premium rates or to deliver personally. The brief should include the show date, the build-up day and the freight cut-off in the same place so the supplier cannot miss it.
The second is failing to book the venue's loading-bay slot. Some venues operate a strict pre-booked-slot model; some operate a queue model. The brief should specify which venue, who holds the loading-bay booking and what the supplier needs to do to align.
The third is over-ordering merch for high-traffic shows. Half-empty giveaways clutter the booth and look unprofessional; running out of merch half-way through the show is also unprofessional. The order quantity should be calibrated to expected foot traffic and the conversion rate (typically 30–60% of foot traffic takes a giveaway).
The fourth is under-ordering merch for low-traffic but high-value shows. An executive conference with 200 attendees may want a higher-quality pack (a branded notebook, a branded pen, a leather accessory) at £50–£80 per pack; under-ordering for cost reasons reduces the perceived value of the conference.
The fifth is leaving the merch on the venue's loading bay overnight. Most London venues have no overnight freight holding; merch left after the freight acceptance window is moved or disposed of. The merch supplier must clear the loading bay on the day of delivery.
Process and steps
The standard process for delivering trade-show merch runs as follows. Identify the show date, the build-up day and the freight cut-off. Identify the booth number and the venue. Confirm the venue's freight acceptance rules and the loading-bay booking arrangement. Submit the brief to the supplier with all of the above. Approve artwork and confirm sizes. Confirm production and decoration lead time. Confirm packing and freight arrangements. Receive the merch on the build-up day. Distribute at the booth. Collect or dispose of post-show.
For multi-show programmes across the year, the process repeats per show, but the supplier-side relationships and the artwork library can be re-used. The standard order window is 5–6 weeks. The brief should be a reusable template with venue-specific fields populated per show.
Case study
A UK tech company exhibited at London Tech Week 2026 at ExCeL London with a 6-metre booth and a target of 800 visitor engagements over the three show days. The brief called for 1,200 small giveaways (branded notebooks and pens) and 200 higher-value packs (branded water bottles and tote bags).
The supplier was given the show date (9–11 June), the build-up day (8 June), the booth number (D-205), the freight cut-off (3 June), and the loading-bay booking (held by the show's freight partner). The supplier confirmed the cut-off, booked the loading-bay with the show freight partner, and delivered on the build-up day at 06:30.
The show ran as planned. The supplier cleared the loading bay on the build-up day and left a packing-list for the booth staff. The high-value packs ran out by mid-day on the third day, as expected, and the small giveaways ran out by the show's close.
Compliance and certifications
Trade-show merch is governed by: VAT (20% standard rate on most merch, 0% on printed matter); product safety (UKCA / CE marking on tech accessories, drinkware with food contact, child-appealing items); the venue's fire-safety classification for booth furnishings (BS 5852 for upholstery foam, BS 7176 for higher-risk venues); the venue's structural-engineering rules for structures; modern-slavery compliance (Modern Slavery Act 2015 statement for buyers above the £36 million turnover); the UK GDPR for any data collected at the booth.
The supplier-side certifications most commonly seen on trade-show merch are the same as those for general merch (GOTS organic cotton, GRS recycled-content, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, FSC paper). The show's preferred-supplier framework may require specific certifications; check the show manual.
Comparison with other solutions
Compared with catalogue-based promotional product distributors, a UK B2B merch supplier offers tighter coordination with the venue's freight acceptance rules. Catalogue distributors typically hand the merch over to the buyer's chosen courier, who may not be familiar with the venue's rules.
Compared with the show organiser's own merch supplier (where one exists), the buyer's own supplier may be more flexible on the brief and may have wider material and product choices. The show organiser's supplier typically has reserved freight slots and may be cheaper for high-volume orders.
Program lifecycle
A typical UK trade-show merch programme runs from brief to closure in 4–8 weeks. The first 1–2 weeks cover the brief and supplier selection; weeks 2–4 cover production and decoration; week 5 cover packing and freight; week 6 covers delivery and on-stand support. Post-show activities (collecting surplus, packing-list reconciliation, supplier invoice reconciliation) take a further 1–2 weeks.
Repeat programmes (annual trade-show presence at the same shows) use the same supplier with refreshed artwork and refreshed product specifications. Annual reviews update the brief template, refresh the freight acceptance details and confirm lead times.
Closing note
Trade-show merch in London is well-served by dedicated suppliers familiar with ExCeL London, Olympia London, Old Billingsgate, Tobacco Dock, the Business Design Centre and The Brewery. The brief is the single most important document; lock in the show date, the build-up day, the booth number, the freight cut-off, the loading-bay booking and the venue's freight acceptance rules. Plan for the freight cut-off; for rush orders the supplier typically needs 7–10 working days.
Talk to a UK merch advisor
For a trade-show merch brief tailored to your show, your venue and your freight acceptance window, send the parameters through the form below. Quotes are returned within one working day.