Planning shipments for events

Written by Justin Hoehn •Updated May 26, 2026

Event merchandise shipments often involve fixed deadlines, venue coordination and additional logistical planning compared to standard employee launches.

Whether merchandise is shipping to a hotel, conference center, golf outing, offsite meeting or company event, planning ahead helps reduce shipping stress, simplify on-site distribution and improve the overall employee experience once merchandise arrives.

Because event timelines are usually fixed, companies should allow enough time for production, shipment coordination and delivery before the event begins.

Choose the right shipping setup

The best shipping setup often depends on how merchandise will be distributed during the event.

Many companies choose:

Individual Shipments for direct-to-attendee delivery
Single Location shipments for centralized event distributions
Pre-Pack Service for simplified employee handouts at the event

For conferences, employee events and pickup programs, Single Location shipments combined with Pre-Pack Service can significantly reduce the amount of sorting and organization required once merchandise arrives.

Because employee apparel orders are individually bagged and labeled by employee name, event teams can quickly distribute merchandise without manually reviewing spreadsheets, matching SKUs or organizing apparel sizes and styles manually.

Coordinate delivery requirements with the venue

Hotels, conference centers, golf courses and event venues often have specific delivery procedures for incoming shipments.

Companies should coordinate shipment requirements with the venue before production is completed to avoid delivery issues once merchandise ships.

This may include:

Delivery timing restrictions
Loading dock requirements
Freight delivery procedures
Storage limitations
Delivery labeling instructions
Receiving contact information

Some venues may also require advance notice before accepting large shipments.

Confirming these requirements early helps reduce delivery complications once merchandise is in transit.

Plan for on-site merchandise distribution

Companies should also plan ahead for how merchandise will be organized and distributed once shipments arrive.

This may include:

Assigning a distribution coordinator
Organizing employee pickup procedures
Confirming event storage space
Preparing registration or handout areas
Coordinating attendee arrivals with merchandise distribution

For larger employee events, grouped shipments can involve a significant number of boxes and apparel items. Planning distribution workflows ahead of time helps the event run more smoothly once merchandise arrives.

Production timelines and store scheduling

When planning your event timeline, keep in mind that production starts once your store closes, not while the store is open, unless the store is Always On.

Shorter store open windows are often recommended to help reduce overall production and shipping timelines for event-based launches.

Always On stores operate differently because production runs throughout the month as employee orders are placed, allowing for shorter ongoing lead times.

Companies should ideally plan for merchandise to arrive several days before the event whenever possible. Building additional time into the schedule helps create flexibility for shipment coordination, event setup and unexpected carrier delays.

Best practices

For the best results:

Build additional time into event-based launches
Use shorter store open windows when possible
Coordinate shipment procedures directly with the venue
Use Pre-Pack Service for larger apparel distributions
Confirm event delivery addresses and receiving contacts early

Pre-Pack Service
Single Location
Shipping costs and pricing
Choosing the right shipping method
International Shipping