What to check in an exhibition stand contract

1–10 days

installation time, on which the delivery clause rests

Stand types

The scope annex and the approved visual

The body of a stand contract is standard wording; disputes are settled in the annexes. The scope annex is a list that marks every item from design to dismantling as included or excluded. Without it, the price is a number attached to nothing in particular.

The second annex is the approved visual. A 3D image is not marketing material but a definition of delivery. Naming it as an annex means that any change forced by production has to be notified in writing. This clause settles the most common dispute before it starts.

The third annex is the material list: which panel, which finish, which profile, which fitting. Brand names are not required, but grades are. We supply all three annexes with the quotation as part of our exhibition stand services.

Annexes can be shorter than the body of the contract; what matters is not length but a date and a signature. Every later change should be recorded as an updated version of the same annex. When a dispute arises, the document to consult is not the contract text but the last annex signed.

Schedule, payment and site

A delivery date alone is not enough; what it depends on must be written too. "If design approval is given by this date, the stand is built by that date" puts both parties’ obligations on the same line. The same clause should say what happens when approval slips.

Tie the payment schedule to stages rather than dates: signature, design approval, start of production, dispatch, completion of installation. Leaving the last instalment until after the build is what gets the snags finished.

The site clause carries two questions: who builds the stand, and if a subcontractor is used, is that stated. Using a subcontractor is not a fault and is common abroad. The fault is a subcontractor who does not appear in the contract.

The site clause should also carry a line on technical support: if something goes wrong during the show, who attends and how quickly. Abroad, that usually means a local contact and a phone number; when it is not written down, there is nobody to call on the first morning.

What happens after the show

The ownership clause is short and decisive. Does the stand stay with you, stay with the builder, or go into storage? If reuse is planned, the storage period, the monthly rate and who keeps the parts list all belong in writing.

Damage comes next. The contract should say who covers damage to the hall floor, a neighbouring stand or the stand itself during build-up and tear-down, and who takes out the policy. The liability cover the organiser requires is checked separately.

Third is intellectual property. Who owns the design, may the same concept be built for another client, can the drawings be shared? On a bespoke stand this clause defines what the design fee actually bought.

Finally, delays caused by the organiser. A hall opening late, power not connected on time, or a neighbouring build blocking access are the fault of neither party. If the contract says how such situations are handled, there is nothing left to argue about on the morning of the fair.

Should we include a penalty clause?

A late-delivery penalty does not get the stand built on time. Tying instalments to stages and holding the last one until after installation works better.

Should the number of revisions be in the contract?

Yes. Two revisions at concept stage is a common definition. A written number is both more honest and faster than a promise of unlimited revisions.