A show date does not move: how the schedule is built
Event work is a scheduling problem before it is a fabrication problem. If the opening date is fixed, everything else — sampling, production, freight, assembly — is counted backwards from it.
Event work is a scheduling problem before it is a fabrication problem. If the opening date is fixed, everything else — sampling, production, freight, assembly — is counted backwards from it.
Four things come up on almost every enquiry in this sector. None of them is solved by choosing a thicker sheet.
We work back from the opening date: production 7–15 business days, freight by destination, and a buffer for customs. If the dates do not fit, we say so at quotation stage.
Flat-pack with interleaved faces and edge protection, or assembled crates for a single large piece. The choice is made by shipping method, not by habit.
Bonded assemblies are pre-fitted and dowelled at the plant, numbered, and shipped with a one-page assembly sheet.
Lit plinths and vitrines are wired and tested at the plant before packing. A failed LED driver should be found in Shenzhen, not on the stand.
All of the below run on the same machines, in the same plant, with no operation subcontracted. Full detail sits on the Architectural & art line page.
Exhibition work is the only sector here where the deadline is immovable and known in advance. That reverses the normal planning logic: instead of asking how long production takes and setting a date, you set the date and work backwards to the last possible approval.
Take the build-up date, subtract shipping, subtract production, subtract sample approval, and what is left is the last day a drawing can be signed. On a European show that arithmetic typically allows three working days for approval and no more, which is why we ask for the show date on the first email rather than on the purchase order. A piece approved on day four of a three-day window misses the show.
Large exhibition pieces — a plinth, a display case, a reception counter — almost never ship assembled. They ship knock-down with concealed fixings, a numbered hardware bag and a one-page assembly sheet, and they go together on the stand with one hex key. That reduces volumetric freight substantially and, more importantly, allows a damaged panel to be replaced from the spare rather than scrapping the piece.
| Piece | Construction | Why for exhibition |
|---|---|---|
| Product plinth | Knock-down box, cam locks, 15 mm walls | Ships flat, assembles in minutes, re-usable next season |
| Display case | Base plus lift-off cover, rebated location | Cover travels separately; no slide damage to the exhibit |
| Reception counter | Three-piece knock-down, 20 mm front, cable route | Fits a lift; no crate over 2 m |
| Lit display wall | Modular panels, LED channel per module | A failed module is swapped, not the wall |
| Sign holder or literature stand | 3–5 mm, flat-packed | Cheap to ship and to replace on site |
Exhibition pieces are handled by contractors who have never seen them before, in a hall with forklifts. We recommend quoting one spare of each visible panel with any multi-piece build. It costs 5–8 percent and it converts a show-stopping damage into a ten-minute swap.
Exhibition work carries a schedule premium that other sectors do not, because a compressed timeline means overtime and air freight. On a typical build: sheet 20–30 percent, machining 25–35 percent, finishing 12–18 percent, knock-down hardware 8–15 percent, crating 10–15 percent. If the piece has to fly, freight can exceed the piece itself.
The lever that matters most is the number of pieces. A stand built from four knock-down boxes that share a panel size is dramatically cheaper than four bespoke shapes, both in machining and in crating, and it can be re-used. Second lever: decide the finish by viewing distance. A plinth seen from two metres does not need a diamond-polished edge; flame polish reads identically at that range and costs a third as much.
Third: book the schedule, not the price. On a show build, a supplier who is 10 percent cheaper and one week slower is not cheaper. We would rather quote a realistic date and hit it than quote a tight one and air-freight at your cost.
What we do as standard for this sector: a dimensioned packing list per crate, a numbered hardware bag per piece, an assembly sheet with one diagram, and a photographed dry-build before dispatch on any build with more than four parts.
| Item | What we need | Why it changes the price |
|---|---|---|
| Show date and build-up date | Both, on the first email | The schedule is built backwards from build-up, not forwards from the PO |
| Stand plan | Overall dimensions and height limit | Decides knock-down construction and crate count |
| Assembly resource | Who builds it on site, and with what tools | A one-hex-key design is different from a two-person build |
| Re-use plan | One show, or a season | A re-usable build justifies better hardware and a proper crate |
| Freight mode | Sea, road or air | Air freight can exceed the cost of the piece; it changes the design brief |
Send the stand plan as a PDF or a sketch with dimensions. If the show date is inside four weeks, say so in the subject line — that single fact changes what we recommend before we read the drawing.
The acceptance points below are recorded per batch, and the record travels with the packing list.
Allow 4–6 weeks from drawing sign-off for a typical stand: 3–7 business days for the sample, 7–15 business days for production, then freight. For a complex bonded vitrine with lighting, add a week. If the show is closer than that, tell us the date first — we will say immediately whether it is feasible.
Yes, if it is designed for it. Reusable pieces use mechanical fixings and numbered panels rather than permanent solvent bonds, and ship in a flight case. Tell us at drawing stage that reuse is intended; retrofitting a bonded assembly into a reusable one means remaking it.
We can ship to your freight forwarder, to your office, or to the receiving dock at the venue, and we will label the crate with the stand number and the hall if you provide them. Venue deliveries usually need a booked time slot — that is arranged by your organiser, not by us.
Yes, and we do it as standard on any build with more than four parts. The pieces are assembled on the floor, photographed, checked for fit and hardware completeness, then packed with the photo included in the crate. It catches the errors that a drawing review does not — a fixing that cannot be reached, a panel that binds, a hardware bag that is short.
Yes, and we recommend one spare of each visible panel. It costs 5 to 8 percent and it converts a show-stopping damage into a ten-minute swap, which matters when the build-up window is measured in hours. Spares ship in the same crate with the same labelling so they are not misplaced on site.