The car park that we have to park in this year (E1) is actually a hell of a walk away from the hall so it may be best to obtain a loading pass for this if you have a lot of stuff to take in. While the NEC staff can be a bit useless sometimes, we've never usually had much trouble getting a pass. For those who haven't been before:

- Head to car park N12. This is right at the top of the NEC complex (see site map that PJ linked) and is just next to the on-site Premier Inn. When you get there, the steward will take a note of your registration plate, ask where you're headed (say you have stuff to unload for the Robo Challenge stand in Hall 3) and take a contact number from you, then issue you with a loading pass. This allows you access to the various hall loading areas.

- From N12, turn right at the small roundabout, through the gatehouse, and follow the road round to the right. You will get to a mini roundabout, where you need to turn right (you'll see Hall 3A in big letters on the right). Go past Hall 3A and look for door 3.3 or 3.2 (depending on which one is open). From here you can load your stuff in and the doors are right next to the pits area.

- Once you've loaded in, collect your passes and then take your car round to one of the car parks, then begin the long trek back to Hall 3!