Exhibition stand builders

A stand builder (also called a stand contractor, or an exhibit house in the US) turns your floor space into a finished stand. Most take a project from brief to breakdown: concept and 3D design, stand plans for the organiser, production in their own workshop, transport, building the stand at the venue, and dismantling and storing it after the show. Many also supply the graphics, lighting, AV, flooring and furniture, so you deal with one company.

A custom stand is built for you, often in wood, and gives the most freedom in shape and finish. Modular and system stands use reusable aluminium frames with fabric graphics or panels; they are quicker to build, cheaper to ship and can be reconfigured for different stand sizes. Many builders now combine the two, with a modular structure and custom details. If you exhibit several times a year, ask about reusing the stand and storing it between shows.

• Look at stands the builder has delivered at your show or venue, at a similar size.
• Check where it builds: a workshop near the venue cuts transport and makes last-minute fixes easier.
• Ask who will be on site during build-up and breakdown, and whether that crew is the builder's own or subcontracted.
• Check that the builder can produce the stand plans, risk assessments and method statements the organiser asks for, and that it carries liability insurance.
• Ask what happens to the stand after the show: storage, reuse or recycling.
• Compare quotes on the same brief, and check what is included (graphics, flooring, electrics, furniture, AV, transport, storage).

• Which shows and venues have you built at in the last year, and can we see photos?
• Who is our project manager, and who leads the build on site?
• What are your deadlines for our design sign-off and for our graphics files?
• Which venue services (electrics, rigging, water, internet) do we order ourselves, and which do you order?
• What is the payment schedule, and what happens if the show is postponed?

Every company here was checked on its own website and, for most, in the member directory of IFES, the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services. We record where it is based and which services it offers, with the date we last checked. Listings are free. If you run one of these companies, you can claim your listing to update it, or ask for a correction.