What questions should you ask an exhibition stand contractor in the UK?

What to take away

Ask for the contractor's legal identity, company number and filing history before you talk about design.
Confirm who holds employer's liability and public liability cover, and at what limits in pounds.
Fix scope, programme, payment stages, cancellation terms and design ownership in a written contract.
Check competence for build and dismantle, including duties under CDM 2015 and venue rules.
Treat verbal assurances about timescales, costs and crew numbers as nothing at all.

Check the legal entity first

Before any creative discussion, verify who will sign the contract. The Companies House register lists company numbers, filing history and insolvency notices, so you can check the Companies House register entry in two minutes.

Verify the legal entity

Check Companies House register entry
Put registered company number on quote
Put registered company number on invoice
Ask why not contracted through limited company

A trading name is not a legal entity. Put the registered company number on the quote and the invoice. If the contractor trades as a sole trader, ask why the work is not contracted through a limited company.

Insurance and who carries the risk

Employer's liability cover is a legal requirement for most UK employers, so ask for the certificate rather than an assurance. Ask for the public liability limit in pounds and compare it with the minimum your venue sets.

Insurance evidence to request

Employer's liability certificate
Public liability limit in pounds
Compare limit with venue minimum
Confirm cover for venue damage
Confirm cover for hired-in equipment
Confirm cover for tools left overnight
Name rigging subcontractor's own cover

Ask whether the policy covers damage to the venue, hired-in equipment and tools left overnight. If rigging is subcontracted, confirm the subcontractor holds its own cover and name it in the contract.

Build duties, CDM and competence

Fitting out a stand on a live site counts as construction work. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 place duties on clients, principal designers and contractors, and the HSE construction guidance explains what those duties cover. Ask who acts as principal contractor and put the answer in writing.

CDM and build competence

Confirm stand fit-out counts as construction work
Ask who acts as principal contractor
Put principal contractor answer in writing
Request risk assessments before load-in
Request method statements before load-in

Request risk assessments and method statements before load-in. Venues usually ask for them, and the documents show whether the build was planned or improvised.

Vetting at a glance

Use this table to turn vague answers into evidence you can file.

Question	Evidence to request	Warning sign
Who is the legal contracting party?	Company number and registered address	Only a trading name
Who is principal contractor on site?	Named duty holder and method statement	"The venue sorts it"
What are the insurance limits?	Certificate of insurance, in pounds	Limits below the venue minimum
Who owns the stand design?	Written assignment or licence	Rights left with the builder
What is the payment schedule?	Staged invoices tied to milestones	Large deposit before drawings
What if the show is cancelled?	Force majeure and cancellation clause	No written clause

Costs, payment and design ownership

Ask whether the quoted price is fixed or carries a materials escalation clause, and get any trigger threshold written down. Space-only rates differ from custom build rates, so compare like for like.

Our guide to exhibition stand cost per square metre sets out the ranges UK exhibitors typically see, which helps you test whether a quote is plausible before you sign.

Copyright in drawings normally stays with the designer. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 requires an assignment of copyright to be in writing, so decide whether you want an assignment or a licence, and whether reuse at a later show is included.

Ask what happens to the stand after the show. Storage, refurbishment and disposal all carry a price, and the answer shows whether the contractor plans beyond load-out.

Five questions to ask in the meeting

Take these into the meeting, and write the answers into the contract rather than an email thread.

Confirm the legal entity and check its register entry.
Ask for insurance certificates and the limits in pounds.
Walk through the build programme, including load-in windows.
Agree design ownership and reuse rights in writing.
Sign a contract with staged payments and a cancellation clause.

If the format is still open, modular versus custom exhibition stands explains when a rented system beats a bespoke build on cost and lead time.

Standards, membership and venue rules

Ask whether the contractor belongs to ESSA, the Event Supplier and Services Association, and what that membership commits them to. Ask which British or European standards the structure is certified against, and request the paperwork.

Each venue adds its own rules on stand heights, rigging points, waste and load-in windows. Ask for two recent jobs at your venue, then check with the floor manager.

Common questions

Should I ask for references from a stand contractor?

Yes, and ask for two exhibitors who booked a similar stand size in the past year. Ask those referees what went wrong, because that is where the useful detail sits.

Is a deposit normal on a stand build?

Staged payments are normal, usually tied to design sign-off, production start and completion on site. A large payment before drawings are issued is a warning sign, not a discount.

What should a written contract include?

Scope, programme, payment stages, insurance limits, design ownership and cancellation. Add venue rules and any liquidated damages for late completion.

Do I need a solicitor to check the contract?

For a large custom build, yes. Individual cases vary, so take advice from a qualified adviser such as a commercial solicitor or an insurance broker before you sign.