Intercity logistics handover for events
Your roadshow or multi-city programme moves on, and the team in the next city starts with a partial picture.
The short answer
A handover works when it lists what is moving, who has it, who receives it, and what is still undecided, with a named person on each side.
Use one handover sheet per city transition, signed off by both teams and kept as the single record.
What a handover has to carry
- Items in transit: crates, signage, registration kit, printed materials, with counts.
- Contacts at the departing and receiving venue, hotel and transport supplier.
- Open decisions and who is making them.
- Known issues from the last city, such as a late delivery or unclear loading area.
- Cash, receipts and supplier invoices still to be settled, and who holds them.
Who hands over to whom
Name one person on the departing team and one on the receiving team. They both read the sheet and confirm by message that they agree it reflects the facts.
If the people differ from the ones named in your responsibility split, update that record at the same time.
Handover sequence
- Before leaving: count and photograph each item and record the carrier, tracking reference and expected arrival, taken from the carrier's own system.
- Send the sheet to the receiving team and the venue contact.
- Receiving team confirms the arrival window with the venue, in writing, and the loading and storage arrangement.
- On arrival: count against the sheet, mark any difference and photograph damage.
- Close the sheet: both people confirm and file it, and open items move to the decision log.
Tracking shipments between cities
Use the carrier's tracking and record the source and time you checked. Do not state a delivery time unless the carrier has confirmed it. The shipment delivery tracking page covers the log in more detail.
Tell guests what changes
Delegates in the next city need their own arrival instructions, with the new venue and entrance. Build them from verified details using the delegate arrival instructions builder.
Worked example · Fictional example
A three-city member roadshow
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Gabungan Fiktif Pekerja Profesional runs half-day member forums in three cities across a fortnight, with one crate of registration kit and two banner stands moving between them.
After city one, the coordinator photographs the crate contents, records the courier reference, and notes that the venue loading bay closed early. The receiving coordinator asks the next venue to confirm its loading window in writing and adds the count check to the sheet.
Use this yourself
Intercity handover sheet
Copy into a shared document. One sheet per city move.
- From city and venue / to city and venue:
- Departing owner and receiving owner (names, roles, how to reach them):
- Items moving: description, count, condition, photo location:
- Carrier, tracking reference, source and time checked, expected arrival as stated by the carrier:
- Receiving venue: loading arrangement and storage confirmed by (name, date):
- Hotel and transport supplier contacts in the next city:
- Open decisions, owner and decision date:
- Known issues from the last city:
- Receipts, cash and invoices still to settle, and who holds them:
- Arrival check: counts matched? differences noted:
- Sign-off by both owners, with date:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Two cities, one small kit and the same team on both ends.
- The receiving team already knows the venue and supplier contacts.
- Shipments are tracked by one person with the carrier's own reference.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several cities, several teams and more than one carrier or storage point.
- Local teams or hired hands change in each city, and the knowledge sits with one person.
- Open decisions, suppliers and receipts are being passed along informally.
Want the handover run as one connected programme?
A conference project lead can set up the handover sheet, brief each receiving team, check counts and open items at each move, and keep one decision record for the whole programme. Carrier timings and venue access stay with the carrier and venue to confirm.
Questions organisers ask
Who should sign off the handover?
One named person from each side. A sign-off by committee is slow and leaves nobody accountable.
What if the count does not match on arrival?
Record the difference with a photograph the same day, tell the departing owner and the carrier, and note it on the sheet. Do not adjust the count to make it match.
Should the sheet include costs?
Include open invoices and receipts and who holds them. Keep budgets and approvals in the finance record.
Can we use a messaging group instead of a sheet?
A group is good for quick questions. The sheet is the record, so copy decisions from the chat into it.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.