Tradeshows and events are a fantastic way of getting your brand out there and making new connections, but if it’s your first time planning an exhibition stand, it can feel overwhelming.
Careful planning is the groundwork to a successful event, so we have put together a clear timeline to keep you on track. Starting from six months before the big day (or even earlier), right up until the morning of the event, we have outlined the key considerations to make your event run as smoothly as possible.
Use the links below to move through the timeline:
- Six months before (but ideally earlier)
- Five months before
- Three to four months before
- Two months before
- One month before
- One week before
- Days before (and on the day)
Exhibition Stand Planning Timeline: From 6 Months to Show Day
Once you’ve booked your exhibition stand, the rest of your planning and preparation can begin…
Six months before (but ideally earlier)
Six months before the event - or as early as possible - is when you need to be laying out the initial groundwork for your exhibition stand.
Working out your budget - Knowing how much you have to work with at this stage is the most important step, as it will inform everything that you’ll be planning (more on budgeting later).
Deciding your goals - Before you get started, you need to be clear on exactly what your goals are by exhibiting at the event, as this will influence the design of your stand and what you’ll be using it for. Without being sure of your stand’s purpose, you have less direction, so make sure you’re certain of what you’d like to achieve. Similarly, think about who your audience is - what types of people are attending the event, and what would be the best way to reach them?
Picking your activities - Deciding on your goals will also help you to choose what you’d like to take place at your stand. For example, if your aim is to raise awareness of a new product, you might think about creating a stage area for product demos, or perhaps some interactive activities for product giveaways. Engagement activities are perfect for attracting visitors to your stand, and, more importantly, great at keeping them there. Look for experiential tech companies that offer innovative, exciting ways of engaging with attendees.
Finding your exhibition stand partner - Take the time to search for an exhibition stand company that aligns with your needs, as well as the type of stand you would prefer. Look at testimonials, reviews and case studies to see what previous clients have to say about them, and remember that many stand companies will be happy to book in a free consultation to help you decide if they are the right fit for you. Ordering early can also get you the best prices on products and services, so take advantage of early bird rates wherever you can.
Five months before
Now that you’ve picked your stand partner, aligned your goals and know your plans for the stand, it’s time to start focusing on the details.
Finalising the design - Working closely with your chosen exhibition stand company, you’ll need to make sure you’re all on the same page with how the stand looks, and how it’s going to work for your intended purpose and target audience. Please note that the company you commission a stand design from should be the ones to build it - it is poor industry practice to take designs from one company to be built by another.
Messaging and visuals - Think beyond banners and signage - consider your marketing materials, too. You’ll need to decide what you’ll need for your stand, and the visuals and messaging you’d like to be printed. Missing the print deadline is a common pitfall, but the last thing you want is a lower-quality rush job. The more time you have, the better.
Organising tech - If you need screens, sound equipment or any type of tech integration into your stand, you’ll need to source them sooner rather than later - typically through the organiser - and consider how they will work with your exhibition stand.
Furniture - If furniture isn’t included as part of your stand hire, now’s the time to arrange it. You’ll also need to consider how you are going to transport it to and from the venue.
Logistics - On a similar note, if you aren’t working with a stand company that organises the logistics for you, you will need to get these in order. You’ll need to think about how the stand, and any extras, will be transported to and from the venue, the installation and dismantling, and also the routine bits like health and safety paperwork, risk assessments and anything else the venue might expect. A project management tool like Asana or Trello can come in handy here, as you can keep track of the tasks in one place.
Sorting your power supply - Order deadlines for certain elements like power and electrics are set far in advance to meet venue requirements. You will need to decide as soon as possible if this will be something that you will handle with the appointed event electrics contractor yourself, or if you will be working with an exhibition management company like GES, which will include power and electrics as part of your modular stand design package.
Three to four months before
As the exhibition date starts to creep closer, you’ll still have some details to organise to make sure you’re show ready.
Approvals - At this stage, you’ll likely be finalising the stand design and your graphics artwork, making sure that it’s what you had in mind, and that it matches up with your specifications.
Ordering branded items - If you’re planning to give away some basic freebies to raise brand awareness, there are suppliers like 4imprint that can turn your order around in a few weeks. However, if you’re after something more unique or premium - say if you wanted products to give away in exchange for signing up for a product demo - a branded merch company like Gustaf will need more notice to create your products.
Sustainability - If sustainability is a core part of your brand ethos, consider ways to incorporate this into your planning. For example, working with a supplier that provides recyclable, PVC-free graphics, or creating digital brochures.
Marketing plans - Your audience needs to know that you’ll be at the event, so it’s time to start sharing. You could add it as an event to your website, or start to share it on social media or in newsletters. You can also create dedicated invites - either digital ones, or printed invitations for VIPs - that include details of the event. In the months running up to the event, you can include the stand number in staff email signatures, so that everyone you contact is aware of your presence at the trade show. Another great way of promoting your attendance is by creating a short script for your sales team, so that when they speak to clients or potential attendees, they can share details of the event.
Setting up your exhibitor profile - If the event website has an exhibitor zone for you to promote your stand, make sure to set this up. They will typically have an area for you to share details about your company, including your stand number, to let visitors know that you’ll be attending the event.
Think about lead capture - In order to measure the success of your exhibition stand, you’ll need to find a way to track it. Now’s the time to think about what that could look like for you. One success metric for many businesses is newly-acquired prospects, which can be ranked by hot vs cold. Re-engagement with lapsed clients, such as the number of clients that attended off the back of an invitation and booked a follow-up call is another. An additional way of measuring success is follow-ups with current clients for new products.
Two months before
With all of the major elements under control, there will still be some key details to iron out at this stage.
Confirmations - For your peace of mind, check in with your suppliers to make sure everything is on track to be delivered on time.
Arrange meetings - If you’re planning on arranging meetings in advance, make sure to get these scheduled in and provide your attendees with details on how to find your stand.
Sort your staffing - Decide who will be working at the stand and what their responsibilities will be. They will be the face of your brand at the event, so they need to be confident in their role, including what they will need to talk to attendees about, and any activities that they might be running.
One month before
The big day is rapidly approaching, but there are still things that need to be done.
- Finalising everything - You want to be confident that everything is in hand, so make sure to confirm all of the logistics for the event, such as build-up and breakdown times. Partners like GES will arrange this for you, but if you’re handling it yourself, you’ll need to be certain of when you can access the venue, as access to the loading bays is usually staggered.
- Increase your marketing - Ramp up your social media activity, add in a few more mentions in your newsletters - do what you can to stay fresh in people’s minds so that they know to seek out your stand.
- Gather the essentials - Day-to-day essentials are easily overlooked. Stationery, cleaning supplies and chargers are all necessities, but think about what else you might need on the day itself.
- Confirm timings - Run through the plan for the day(s) itself, including what time the stand staff need to arrive, to make sure that everyone knows exactly what they are doing and when.
- Post-show planning - You know how you’ll capture leads, but how will you process and convert them? Now’s the time to work out how you’ll handle the data, including drafting follow-up materials for after the show.
One week before
With just a week to go before the event, you will need to…
Check in with contacts - If you’ve booked in meetings, or know of some attendees that are planning on visiting, drop them a message to confirm they can make it on the day.
Create an itinerary - To make sure that your team is fully up to speed, you should create a dedicated itinerary for each day of the event to share with them. The itinerary should include details like which members of staff will be manning the stand at specific times, the times at which clients will be visiting the stand (including confirmed meetings), who they will be speaking to and what will need to be discussed.
Confirm deliveries - Of course, at this point you should be confident that everything is being handled by your exhibition stand partner, but it never hurts to check that everything is scheduled to arrive at the correct time and location. If you are delivering the stand yourself, you will need to make sure that you have all of the necessary paperwork and passes for your vehicle and your installation team. Deliveries and vehicles will usually need to be pre-booked via the venue’s online booking system, so make sure to check this in advance.
Days before (and on the day)
In the days before the event, you’ll need to make sure that the stand is exhibition ready.
Set up the stand - Your exhibition partner might be handling this for you - or a contractor if you have gone with a space-only stand - but you should get your stand set up as soon as the venue allows access.
Dressing the stand - If you’re bringing along additions for your stand, like printed literature or products for giveaways, you’ll need to work out how you’re getting these to the venue. Once you have arrived and your stand has been built, it’s ready for the finishing touches. Set out your printed materials, products and any decorative extras, and stash away any extra items to keep the stand uncluttered.
Check your tech - Check your lighting, sound and screens to ensure that everything is running as it should.
Rehearsals and run-throughs - If you have activities like product demonstrations planned, rehearse them with your team so that there’s still time to adapt them if necessary.
When should I order graphics, furniture, and electrics?
Graphics, furniture and electrics should be organised as soon as possible. In the run up to an event, there’s no such thing as too much notice. Once you know what success will look like for your exhibition stand, then you’ll be in a position to create a stand design that matches your goals.
‘Graphics’ is a catch-all term for the visual elements of your stand, including banners, signage and backdrops. Graphics allow you to prominently display your brand logos, colours and messaging to make your stand recognisably yours. Whether you have a shell scheme or a space only stand, you should order the graphics as soon as possible. This way, you won’t have to worry about lead time troubles or delays, and you’ll have plenty of time to get the best-quality prints.
When it comes to electrics, these will either be arranged by the show organisers or you will need to arrange it via an electrical contractor, which will be selected by the organiser. Usually, your exhibitor guide will provide an option of where to have your sockets fitted, and the number that you require. We also have an Electrical Services guide to demystify the process of ordering stand electrics.
Typically the event organiser will have a preferred furniture supplier that you can order from, which will offer a wide selection of furniture for your stand, such as tables, chairs and sofas. If so, you’ll need to order your furniture as soon as possible, as chances are that the demand from other exhibitors will be high.
What happens if I miss the exhibitor order deadlines?
Unfortunately, missing order deadlines can have a significant impact on your exhibition stand, which is why it’s important to stay on top of your planning. Missing deadlines can mean missing out on early bird or even standard pricing - which means you could end up spending a lot more than you planned - causing significant delays or even risking not being able to appear at the event.
Figure out which deadlines you have missed first, and then speak to the event organiser or supplier as soon as possible to discuss your options. There may be an alternative option available to you, even if it’s not exactly what you had in mind.
Organising an exhibition stand can feel overwhelming, so if you’re worried that you’ll struggle to keep on top of deadlines and planning, it’s best to work with an exhibition partner that can take care of all the details for you.
Global Event Specialists
We specialise in delivering extraordinary exhibition experiences across the globe, so if you have any questions about our exhibition stands and event services, get in touch with the GES team.