Address The Who, What, Where, When and How of Event Delivery

If you're ordering products to be delivered for an event, whether it's on a hire basis or to own outright, there are several important factors you need to address when organising your delivery, being Who, What, Where, When and How.

Who is receiving it?
Who is accepting delivery and responsibility for your order? Are you sending it to your home? If so, is your supplier arranging a specific time to meet you there or is it being sent through the mail?

Are you sending it to a function venue? Have you got the name and title of the function manager or coordinator with clear instructions it's for your event? Items sent too far in advance can get misplaced if they're not needed immediately.

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What is being delivered?
What is being delivered? An enormous quantity of hire chairs will need the space cleared to install it so they can't typically arrive more than the day before. Perishable items such as food and flowers often need refrigeration or to be stored in a cool, dry place. Here's 20 questions to ask your venue caterer.

Do you want your custom, fragile item to be delivered to the venue by the supplier or do you want to take responsibility for it?

Is the supplier delivering just one, single item, a range of products or a truckload of them? Do you have a checklist of what is to arrive? 

Where is it being sent?
Where is the item being delivered? A home? Office? Function venue? Public space? There is a big difference between a specific delivery address such as a venue for a chandelier that will be permanently installed vs event hire of rugs and cushions in a public park where the supplier will need a sketch map of where exactly the event is taking place in the park.

How much access do you have to the space? Can a truck reverse all the way down a driveway?

If you're hiring something that needs to be delivered to a venue with a lift, will those lift dimensions accommodate your item? Will they have to carry them up several flights of stairs?

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When is it being delivered?
The vast majority of event hire items are delivered on the day of the event as the venue spaces are often hired right up until your own event. Have you got enough people to help you set up once it arrives?

Many public venues require set bump-in times so you will need for example, the expo stand to be constructed before the lighting technician can commence installation.

A perishable item has between sheer minutes and hours before it decays, melts or becomes a food health and safety risk so this has to be planned carefully, especially if you're catering for an event outdoors. Does the outdoor location have electrical supply for refrigeration? If not, do you need to make different catering choices?