FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page will be expanded as the need arises. Its purpose is to provide guidance in resolving common problems and help to reduce the number of support calls received by the Southampton International Exhibition (SIE). However, if your issues are not covered here or the explanation is confusing to you, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.

Registration and login

Why does my login not work?: First of all, are you sure that you are not already logged in? Your login status is displayed in the panel with the dark blue background in the upper right side of every page of our website.

The usual reason for login failure is that it has not yet been activated. When you first register on this site a confirmation email is automatically sent to you. You should receive this email within a minute or so of registering. If you click on the 'activation' link in this email it will take you back to our website and complete the registration process. Until this has been done, your login will not work.

Also note that if you have made 5 failed attempts to enter the correct password then your account will be automatically locked out and you will need to contact us for assistance. If you have forgotten your password then don't keep guessing what it might be. Use the password reminder facility on the Login page instead.
Why does nothing happen when I click on the activation link?: The activation link in your registration confirmation email will normally be highlighted, usually by being underlined and in a different colour. However, if it is just the same as the other text in the email then the link may not be live. Not all email software will permit the display of an active hyperlink in an email. If this applies to you then simply copy the activation link and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
My registration confirmation email did not arrive. What should I do?: There are two common reasons for not receiving this email. Your anti-spam software may have treated our email as suspicious and moved it to a 'quarantine' or junk mail folder. Please inspect that folder before you do anything else. To avoid such problems, add southamptoninternationalexhibition.co.uk to your list of trusted domains. Another possibility is that you mistyped your email address during the registration process (see below).
I may have mistyped my email address when registering. How do I fix this?: If you don't mind providing a new username then just restart the registration from the beginning. Take care to check all details thoroughly before clicking the Create User button (or before hitting the Enter key, which usually has the same effect). However, if you wish to continue using the username you originally specified, then please contact us for assistance.
I have lost my previous login details. Should I register as a new user?: No. That would just create duplicate records on our system, something we would prefer to avoid. If you remember your username then our login page provides a facility for requesting a reminder of your password, which will be sent to the primary email address in your profile. If you have forgotten your username then please contact us for assistance. We recommend that you keep your registration email in order to avoid problems of this nature.

Prints

I sent my prints to Smethwick without SIE entry number information. Is this a problem?: No. We ask those people who are having their prints forwarded to us from the Smethwick International to mark their Southampton entry reference number on the back of each print and to enclose a printout of the SIE entry confirmation email in the package sent to Smethwick. However, we realise that this will not be possible if you sent your prints to Smethwick before completing your SIE entry application. As long as your prints carry adequate identification we should still be able to process them without problem.

Payment

I don't have a PayPal account. Can I still enter online?: Yes. Our online entry process will take you to the PayPal website to make payment but you are not forced to pay via a PayPal account. You can also use your credit or debit card.
I don't have a PayPal account or a debit/credit card. Can I still enter online?: It is perfectly acceptable for someone else, such as a friend or another member of your family, to make the PayPal payment on your behalf.

Entry confirmation

Why have I not received any confirmation of my entry?: After completing your payment on the PayPal website you should be returned automatically to the SIE website, where you should see a page that provides confirmation of your entry. However, if you do not wait to be transferred back to our site or you have technical problems with your computer or Internet connection then you may not see that page. However, this onscreen confirmation is of minor importance as when we receive your payment status from PayPal an entry confirmation email is sent to your primary email address.

If you have not received this email then it may be that your anti-spam software has treated it as suspicious and moved it to a 'quarantine' or junk mail folder. Please inspect that folder before contacting us for assistance. To avoid such problems, add southamptoninternationalexhibition.co.uk to your list of trusted domains. If this email does not arrive within an hour of submitting your entry then please contact us to confirm that your entry has been received.

Communications

When can I expect to receive my report card/catalogue/prints?: You can find a list of all our key target dates here (in the sidebar on the right of that page). Please note that the report card is sent via email wherever possible. To save cost, catalogues and prints are sent by surface mail. Please allow a reasonable time for postal delays before contacting us about any missing items. For example, mail can take up to 12 weeks to reach Australia and 8 weeks for China.
Why has SIE not replied to my email?: We make every effort to respond to emails within 24 hours. However, on a very limited number of occasions we have found that our reply to an entrant has been rejected with an obscure error message from the entrant's ISP mail server. Repeat emails from us just generate the same error response. There are many possible reasons for such problems but they are usually beyond our control. This is very frustrating for everyone involved! If you continue to get no reply from us then we recommend that you try using a different email address (if you have one) or ask a friend to make contact with us on your behalf.
My email and/or postal address has changed. What should I do?: We would be grateful if you would notify us of any change in your personal contact details by updating your Profile in a timely manner. Please do not wait until the next competition before making such changes.

Note that if you request a password reminder it will be sent to the primary email address we have on record for you. If you have both forgotten your password and you know that your registered email address is no longer valid then you will have to contact us for assistance.