FCL Event Logistics is a trucking and logistics company dedicated to the events industry, recognised for its in-depth expertise in live events and its ability to design logistics operations that deliver a smooth, reliable service. Operating across the UK and into Europe, the firm has proven itself in just about all manner of event industry segment, supporting everything from trade conferences through to: exhibitions, music events, TV and film events, and more. Yet, following the acquisition of Conference Haul International, another prominent player in the events industry, FCL Event Logistics is now in a stronger position than ever.
FCL Event Logistics was founded in 2012 and immediately took it upon itself to become a specialist in the events industry where there was a real need for tailored services to support the unique logistical challenges associated with live events. Over the years, the organisation gradually made a name for itself and grew in a relatively sustainable fashion up until the COVID-19 pandemic – a period which understandably hit the industry hard. And while the pandemic spelled the end for many in the industry, for FCL Event Logistics the pandemic interestingly laid the foundations for the success of the company today.
According to Martin Cowie, Logistics Manager of FCL Event Logistics, the COVID years were indeed tough, with activity across the events space effectively grinding to a halt. While this presented its challenges, as a smaller family run organisation with a relatively small infrastructural footprint, the company was able to survive quite effectively. As a result, following the end of the period, FCL Event Logistics was in a rather envious position, able to assume new contracts and develop new relationships in what was (and to some extent, still is) a rapidly re-growing events industry that is figuratively making up for lost time.
According to Martin, the last two years have been ones of exponential growth for FCL Event Logistics, with the firm reporting its best financial year to-date last year and this year bearing all the signs of even greater commercial success. This success has been made possible in part due to the firm’s resiliency to prior economic conditions, but also due to the strength of its service and the great lengths that the company goes to in ensuring a logistics service that is tailored to the needs of the industry; right now, that includes an essential level of cost competitiveness as organisations shift to mitigate increases in their supply chain costs.
Martin Cowie, Logistics Manager for FCL Event Logistics explained: “Being a small family run-business we’re obviously very keen to keep customers very happy and that means understanding the trends of what they need. Right now they need competitive costings on transport (as it has gone through the roof across the board) and we’ve managed to maintain our level of business while still managing to grow. We’re growing each year at the moment, with our best year being last year and so far this year it’s been even better. The trend is there and the more that people see our name, the more business enquiries we seem to get.”
Outside of cost competitiveness, FCL Event Logistics is also known for the standard and professionalism of its services. According to Martin, this reputation stems from the hard work and diligence of its driver network who display an unparalleled degree of dedication thanks to the unique culture within the company and the level of appreciation shown for its drivers.
“We treat our drivers very well, like human beings. They are the most important part of our business: the face of our business; they see the customers even more than we get to,” continued Martin. “Our drivers enjoy working here and so we have drivers that have been with us for over 10 years now. We personally select each member of our team, often bringing in individuals from various industries like pallet networks, where they’re familiar with multi-drop work and appreciate the improved work-life balance here. What’s more, they build strong connections with people here, so clients often request them specifically – a rewarding experience for our team.”
As Martin alluded to, FCL Event Logistics pursues a relatively interesting approach to recruitment, opting to hand-pick talent from differing segments of the logistics industry rather than from in the event logistics space itself. In doing so, the company has not only benefited from an assortment of industry expertise and skill-sets, but also in the form of low driver turnover thanks to the comparatively preferential working conditions that the sector offers. Truly, it’s been a win-win for the company and has increasingly become one of the organisation’s greatest strengths.
As of today, the demand for FCL Event Logistics’ services is greater than ever, with the acquisition of Conference Haul International not only serving to expand the organisation’s operational capabilities but, as Martin explains it, also a means of growing out of its infrastructure-light operational base into a significant industry player. Indeed, through the acquisition the firm has not only expanded its fleet up to a total of 45 vehicles (formerly 32), but has also come with the addition of significant warehousing and storage capacity (taking the firm up to 50,000 square feet of storage space in total).
With its present-day infrastructure, FCL Event Logistics is now able to offer increasingly competitive services, allowing the firm to acutely service clients struggling with rising supply chain costs. Coupled with the growth in the firm’s operational capacity, all of this forms a clear pathway for significant commercial growth going forward. We’ll hopefully be able to report further on the shape of this growth trajectory over the course of 2025.
Alongside growth ambitions, FCL Event Logistics has plans to introduce the usage of HVO within the fleet in the coming year, which will no-doubt have a notable impact on carbon emissions. We look forward to reporting further on the exact reductions made.
https://www.fcllogistics.co.uk/
Transport & Logistics – Driving The Industry Forward
