What a Marshalling Yard Does
A venue has a fixed number of dock doors and a fixed amount of floor labor. When hundreds of trucks arrive on the first morning of move-in, they back up onto streets the city expects to stay clear, drivers bill waiting time, and the contractor unloads in arrival order instead of floor order. A marshalling yard turns that queue into a schedule.
- Check-in: drivers report to the yard, show their paperwork and receive a dispatch number
- Staging: trucks wait in lanes, usually grouped by size or by hall
- Dispatch: when a dock door opens, the dispatcher radios the yard and releases the next truck
- Escort or route: drivers follow a marked route or an escort to the correct dock
- Unload and release: the contractor unloads to the booth and the truck leaves the dock area
When a Show Needs a Marshalling Yard
Not every show needs a yard. Small expos in a hotel ballroom or a hall with plenty of docks often manage with a move-in schedule alone. Ask for one when the arithmetic doesn't work.
| Sign | Why it matters | What to ask the contractor or venue |
|---|---|---|
| Many direct-to-show trucks | More trucks than dock doors in the first hours of move-in | How many trucks per door per hour can you unload? |
| Downtown venue | No legal place for trucks to wait on the street | Does the city or venue require off-site staging? |
| Shared venue | Another event moving out while you move in | Which docks and hours are ours? |
| Large exhibits and islands | Long unload times and forklifts tied up at one booth | Can island freight arrive in its own window? |
| Short move-in | One day or less to get every booth in | Can we use targeted move-in by section? |
| Venue rule | Some convention centers require a yard for every show above a size | What does the venue's policy say? |
Bring these questions to your contractor early; our questions to ask a general service contractor list covers marshalling, material handling and labor in one pass.
Advance Warehouse vs. Marshalling Yard
| Route | When freight arrives | How it reaches the booth | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance warehouse | Days or weeks before the show, within the warehouse window | The contractor delivers it to the booth before or at move-in | Crated freight, exhibitors who want it waiting in the booth |
| Direct to show via the marshalling yard | On the assigned move-in date and time | Truck checks in at the yard, is dispatched to the dock, then unloaded | Exhibit houses, van lines, large or time-sensitive freight |
| POV / hand-carry area | During move-in hours | Exhibitor unloads a car or small van and carries items in | Small booths and tabletop exhibitors |
Explain the three routes in one place, with dates, addresses and costs side by side. Exhibitors choose a route based on cost and risk, and most confusion on move-in day comes from drivers who were told the warehouse address but sent to the show, or the reverse. The trade show logistics guide covers the wider shipping plan.
How to Plan Check-In, Dispatch and Time Slots
- 1
Divide Move-In into Windows
Agree with the contractor which days and hours belong to which halls, aisles or booth types. Large islands often go first, inline booths later.
- 2
Assign Targeted Times
Assign each exhibitor a window based on booth location, size and freight. Publish it on the exhibitor move-in schedule with the booth number next to each window.
- 3
Define Check-In Paperwork
List what drivers must bring: exhibitor name, booth number, bill of lading, carrier and truck length. Missing paperwork is the main cause of delays at check-in.
- 4
Set Early and Late Rules
Say what happens to a truck that arrives early (it waits until its window) or late (it waits for the next open slot, and waiting time may be billed).
- 5
Plan Signage and Routes
Directional signs from the highway to the yard, lane signs inside it, and a route sign from the yard to the docks. Give drivers a map, not just an address.
- 6
Connect the Yard to the Docks
Give the yard dispatcher, dock marshals and show office the same radio channel or phone list, and a floor plan with booth numbers.
What to Tell Exhibitors and Carriers
- Yard address, GPS coordinates and the entrance trucks must use
- Operating hours on each move-in and move-out day
- Vehicle rule: which trucks must use the yard and where cars and small vans go
- Required paperwork and the exhibitor's booth number on the bill of lading
- Targeted move-in window for each exhibitor, and the early and late rules
- Any marshalling fee or waiting time charge, and who pays it
- Driver facilities: restrooms, food and whether drivers may leave the truck
- Contact number for the yard dispatcher on move-in days
- Move-out: when trucks may check in to collect freight, and the order of release
Copy-Ready Marshalling Yard Notice
Send this with the service kit and again two weeks before move-in. Ask exhibitors to forward it to their exhibit house or carrier, since the driver is rarely the person who read your manual.
Reviewing the Yard After the Show
After the show, ask the contractor for dispatch times and the longest waits. If a section waited hours, widen its window next year; if the yard sat empty, shorten it. Note which exhibitors missed their slot and remind them first next year.
Trucks, docks and labor run on the floor plan. When booth numbers, exhibitor records and move-in documents live in one place, as they do in trade show management software, the contractor and the yard work from the same list you sold from.