How To Write A Great Exhibition Stand Design Brief For Your Contractor

A comprehensive brief can help you in the long run, helping save you time whilst ensuring your stand contractor has what they need to create a great exhibition stand within your timescale, budget and requirements.

If you’re about to embark on writing your next exhibition design brief and feeling a little confused about what information to include, we’re here to help. Throughout this blog, we will cover the key things to include within your brief to get the best out of your exhibition stand. Here’s what you need to know…

#1 Let’s Talk Introductions…

The first place you need to start when writing your design brief is a bit about you! Let your prospective stand contractor know a bit more about your company, why you are exhibiting and any key objectives. Without this information, it is hard for any contractor to get a real feel for who you are as a company and the key messages you would like to tell your audience.

Be sure to include:

• Company information such as your history, what you do or offer as a company, as well as your mission, values and vision.
• Key contact information such as who the main contact will be, their email address and phone number, web address, and any other key information.
• Your KPIs or strategic marketing/business objectives.
• How this exhibition is going to help you work towards the above objectives.
• Brief description of any competitors.
• A copy of your brand guidelines.

#2 Who Is Your Target Audience?

Now your prospective stand contractor knows a little bit more about your company, it is important to talk about your target audience. Note down what you know about your target audience, which can include:

• Audience demographics/buyer personas such as age, gender, class, occupation etc. (You basically need to cover the type of person that would purchase your products or services.)
• Current trends in the industry that your target audience are interested in.
• What type of people will be attending this event.

You may also want to recap on last year’s audience data to get a clearer idea of what action you want your audience to take at your stand and what you want them to know about your company.

#3 Show Time…

Adding detail about the event is also very important to an exhibition design brief as your prospective stand contractor will need to know all of the key details in order to quote accurately for your stand. Be sure that you add details about:

• Dates of the show.
• What venue the exhibition is being held at.
• Type of space you have booked, for example shell scheme, space only etc.
• What type of stand you require, for example modular or bespoke exhibition stand.
• The specification of your space including stand size (length x width x height), how many open sides it needs, exhibition hall number, stand number etc.
• The floor plan if it is available to you.
• The exhibition manual if it is available to you.  
• Build up and break down dates and times.

These are all key bits of information that are helpful in creating a really great design brief for your next exhibition.

#4 Getting Down To The Stand Itself…

When it comes to the actual stand itself, there are so many things a great exhibition stand designer can do, but it all needs to be realistic to your requirements. If you are looking for a shell scheme contractor and have a budget of £3,000, and a designer creates a bespoke exhibition stand priced at £40,000, these are two totally different results.  

In this segment of your exhibition design brief, you need to add in further detail about the requirements of your stand, such as:

• What you require from a contractor, for example do you just need someone to design your stand or are you looking for the complete solution?
• Whether you want to hire or purchase components of your stand.
• If this is an one-off project or if you require a contract for multiple shows.
• Any existing ideas that should be considered and incorporated into the design or manufacturing phase.
• Any information from previous exhibitions and any stand components you want to include in the design.
• What your budget is for your exhibition stand.

Stand Specification…

Another thing to add to this section about the stand itself is the specification of the stand. This can include:

• Flooring – Any preferences for a platform and floorcovering?
• Structure – Do you need any enclosed walled spaces for storage and/or meeting rooms?
• Rental Structure – Do you want to rig an overhead structure?
• Displays – Do you have any products you would like to display? If so, what size are they, what is their weight and is any power required?
• Decoration – Do you have any preference on the stand finishes and decoration?
• Graphics – Will you supply the design and artwork for the stand graphic?
• Rental – Do you need any furniture, AV equipment, or additional items?
• Lighting – Do you have any special lighting ideas?
• Site Services – Which site services will you need? For example, photography, water, power etc.
• Storage – Do you need someone to store the stand for you after your exhibition? If not, would you like someone to dispose of your stand components?

Your stand contractor will not expect you to know all the answers to these questions as someone who offers the complete solution (like us!) will be able to help you with these anyway. It is more the case of, having an influence on the design, materials and overall build of your stand. For example, if your company wants your stand to focus on sustainability, your stand contractor may look at sourcing more sustainable materials and design your stand with that in mind.

Need Some Help?

If you’ve got this far and included all of the above in your exhibition stand, it is time to conclude, outline what you would like to receive from your prospective stand contractors and by what date.

We have nearly 40 years in the industry as a leading bespoke exhibition stand contractor, offering design, manufacture and installation as the complete solution. We’re keen to help you with your next exhibition, so get in touch with our team today! Simply give us a call on 01270 848 650 or fill in our contact form here.