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Part of How to brief an exhibition stand designer: UK checklist
How to brief an exhibition stand designer: UK checklist
A practical briefing checklist for UK exhibitors: venue limits, CDM 2015 duties, drawing ownership and the budget lines to fix before design work starts.
What to take away
- A stand design brief fixes the commercial job, the venue's build limits and the approval chain before any drawing exists.
- Get the current exhibitor manual from the organiser portal, and confirm unclear figures with the venue's technical team.
- CDM 2015 puts client duties on you as the exhibitor, and a designer cannot carry them.
- Copyright in drawings, CAD files and 3D visuals stays with the designer unless the contract assigns it.
- As a planning guide, allow 12 to 16 weeks for a large space-only stand and 4 to 6 weeks for a shell scheme upgrade.
Pull the venue manual before you write the brief
Every UK venue publishes an exhibitor manual or technical pack. It sets rigging heights, floor loadings, build windows, aisle widths and the services you can order. Limits differ by hall, not only by venue.
NEC halls vary in ceiling height, floor loading and rigging provision. ExCeL sets height limits per hall. Manchester Central's listed barrel-vaulted roof shapes what can be rigged overhead.
The organiser portal normally carries the current manual for your show. The venue's technical team can confirm anything that looks out of date.
If you are still choosing where to exhibit, our guide to UK trade show venues compares hall size and access. Paste the extract into the brief.
Venue limits differ by hall
NEC
- Ceiling height
- Varies by hall
- Floor loading
- Varies by hall
- Rigging
- Check manual
ExCeL
- Ceiling height
- Set per hall
- Floor loading
- Check manual
- Rigging
- Check manual
Manchester Central
- Ceiling height
- Barrel-vaulted roof
- Floor loading
- Check manual
- Rigging
- Shaped by roof
The design brief: seven items to cover
One document, seven items.
Seven items to cover
- Stand number, hall, floor plan and dimensions in millimetres, with aisle orientation marked.
- The commercial objective, and the one action you want visitors to take.
- Product display, storage and hospitality needs, including locked storage.
- Visitor flowstaff numbers, meeting space and expected peak occupancy.
- Brand assetslogo files, colour references, fonts and brand guidelines.
- Servicespower, data, water, waste and rigging, and who orders and pays for each.
- Deadlinesdesign freeze date, build-up window and the person who signs off.
What the brief must settle before design starts
What the brief must settle
| Brief section | What to include | Sign-off owner |
|---|---|---|
| Venue data | Hall, stand number, dimensions, rigging and floor limits from the current manual | Exhibitor |
| Objectives | Target audience, products, one action for visitors | Marketing lead |
| Technical | Services schedule, storage, build method, access times | Operations lead |
| Compliance | Risk information, materials, standards the specification follows | Principal designer |
| Commercial | Budget ceiling, payment stages, variation process | Finance lead |
Design fees and build costs are quoted differently, which makes comparison hard. Shell scheme is usually sold as a rate per square metre, with walls, carpet and lighting included. A custom build is priced per square metre of floor area, with services, rigging and graphics separate.
Our guide to how much an exhibition stand costs per square metre shows how to compare quotes line by line. If you are pricing from last season's figures, adjust them with ONS inflation and price index data first.
Example: a filled brief line
Stand 42, Hall 3B, 6 m by 4 m space-only plot, 24 m², facing a 3 m aisle. One action: book a product demo. Peak occupancy 8 staff and 20 visitors. Design freeze six weeks before build-up. Variation rates agreed in writing.
That gives the designer the plot, the job and the deadline without dictating the design.
CDM 2015 duties that sit with you
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply to stand builds. HSE publishes duty holder guidance for the client, principal designer and principal contractor roles.
As client, you provide pre-construction information and allow enough time for design and build. Where more than one contractor works on the project, CDM requires a principal designer and principal contractor. These rules cover Great Britain, with separate arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Ownership, approvals and lead times
Copyright in drawings, CAD files and 3D visuals belongs to the person who created them unless a contract assigns it elsewhere. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 sets that default, so a design fee usually buys a licence rather than ownership. Agree reuse terms before work starts.
Name one person who can approve the design, and set a freeze date inside the venue's build window. Before the brief goes out, work through the questions to ask an exhibition stand contractor, so insurance, lead times and subcontractor terms sit together.
On timing, allow 12 to 16 weeks for a large space-only stand and 4 to 6 weeks for a shell scheme upgrade. Add time if the design needs a structural check or a venue site visit.
Common questions
Should the brief specify a stand type?
Yes, at least broadly. Modular, custom and hybrid systems behave differently on budget and build programme, so name the type and describe the outcome.
Do I need a principal designer for every stand build?
Not always. CDM 2015 requires one where more than one contractor works on the project. Confirm the position with the venue and your builder before build-up.
Who owns the 3D visuals if I do not place the order?
Copyright stays with the designer, and you have no automatic right to reuse the visuals in your own marketing. Ask for that right in the brief and expect it to be priced.
