Last minute exhibition stands – how to manage your short turnaround time

Whilst the ideal lead time for creating an exhibition stand is 9-12 weeks, we've all had the situation where your boss announces they've just signed you up for a tradeshow weeks before it happens. Or after booking your stand space months in advance, you get distracted by other projects and suddenly you are a few weeks away from your event without an exhibition stand design!

Don't panic - As industry leaders in modular exhibition stands, see our tips to help you manage your short lead time, while still maintaining a high standard.

Create a clear exhibition stand design brief

Material Requirements

Exhibition stands are a great option to visually engage your audience in order to sell your brand. It is important to consider the materials you need to do this. With a modular exhibition stand or shell scheme stand, your stand could use various substrate options like semi-rigid graphic panels or fabric. Think about any storage, AV and furniture you also need. As these can be easily overlooked in a rush, or may be unrealistic to source in time, rental options are a perfect solution.

When working on a short lead time exhibition stand project, you'll need to design and circulate your artwork to get sign off as soon as possible. Exhibition print projects, due to their unusual size and dimensions, can demand a longer lead time for a business to process. When you are working to a tight deadline in creating your exhibition stand, your design team should use their industry knowledge to create designs that can be signed off quickly, yet still represent your brand in the best possible way.

Custom vs Modular

When your project involves a short timeline, manufacturing a custom stand is unlikely to be an option. Modular exhibition stands combine the style options of custom but with the versatility to design and build quickly, using off the shelf, quality components. A bespoke modular stand can be created to fulfil any design brief and you can still customise to ensure you stand out using lighting, wood elements or other design flourishes.



Are you considering sustainability?

Our sustainable, modular exhibition stands are great for your budget, easy to use, and lightweight for transporting. Our T3 system offers a greener and more sustainable way to create breath-taking display stands for your exhibitions. From durable material, to sustainable graphics, if you are looking for Eco friendly exhibition design, we are here to help!

Realistic exhibition installation plans

It is so important to understand the requirements of your venue. From how long your trade show or other event will run, what the set up and dismantle times are and the kind of space you have alters the design of your exhibition stand. Your design will also change depending on the power points available in your exhibition hall, including inserting flooring to allow for hidden wires for your lighting and AV equipment. It is better to know this information as soon as possible so that it can be incorporated into your design immediately.

Working with your exhibition stand design supplier will give you expert insight into transport, delivery and construction requirements, whilst taking the stress away from you. Especially with large modular stands, having your partner do everything for you from start to finish, including install and dismantle will help give you a seamless finish and make your event a success.

Working with your project management team

We are Tecna UK - Since 2007, we have become leaders in modular event, exhibition, conference, experiential and retail displays.

Providing unique solutions for our clients, you are in safe hands as we bring together design, project management, production, and installation and can do as little or as much as needed to create high quality, bespoke exhibition stands. If you are looking for a custom design with the ease of modular, we are here to help. See our advice for designing an exhibition stand.

We are able to deliver a bespoke exhibition stand in as little as a few weeks so don't panic - just get in touch today.

Find out more about our modular exhibition stands

See how we approach exhibition stand design, or take a look at our gallery!