Why stands are pre-assembled in the workshop

1–10 days

the on-site build window that a dry build protects

Stand types

What the dry build reveals

A drawing is two-dimensional; a stand is not. The difference surfaces at the dry build. A hinge that is the right size but fitted the wrong way round, a joint that will not close where two panels meet, a lighting cable that does not clear the ceiling beam. None of these is wrong on the drawing; they are wrong in the build.

The second group is shortages. Fixings, feet, levelling shoes and shelf brackets usually run short, and you only see it with the stand standing. A list is drawn up, the gaps are filled, then spares are added.

The third group is appearance. Colour, surface texture and lighting are judged together, since a colour that looks right on screen can read differently under the fittings. What a visual shows and hides is covered on our design page.

The fourth group is scale. A passage that looks reasonable on the drawing can turn tight beside a body-height carcass. That is why a dry build is not something you look at, it is something you walk through.

The moment the client first sees the stand

The dry build is also the only chance the exhibitor has to see the stand before the show. That visit is a genuine inspection: does the shelf height suit the product, is the meeting table too tight, is the store door wide enough. Bringing a real sample of the product is the most useful preparation.

Changes are still possible at this point, but not free. Surface and graphic changes can usually be absorbed; changing the geometry of the structure restarts production. So the visit is run as a sign-off meeting, with a written agenda and written decisions.

Three things are settled by the end: what is approved, what will be corrected, and what will not make the show. The third list may not be empty, and when it is not, it belongs in writing.

The day of the visit matters too. Come before the stand is finished and it creates needless worry; come after the graphics are on and it is too late to change anything. The right moment is with the finishing done and the graphics not yet fitted.

From tear-down to packing

After sign-off the stand comes down. The tear-down order is recorded, because read backwards it gives the assembly order on site. Every part is numbered, and those numbers appear both on the part and on the packing list.

Packing is not ordinary wrapping. Heavy panels travel upright, glass and printed faces get protective interleaving, small parts go into labelled boxes. One crate is marked as the first to open on build day, holding feet, levellers and the basic fixings.

The packing list travels to site in two copies and is used again at tear-down. That discipline is the only thing that keeps the stand complete for the next show, and its value multiplies on reusable stand types.

What is left over at tear-down is recorded as well. How many of each screw came back, which profile was cut down. That information shortens the order list for the next fair directly.

Is every stand dry built?

On bespoke stands, yes. When a familiar system stand is rebuilt, a parts count plus a trial of the critical sections can be enough instead of a full assembly.

How many days does a dry build add?

Two to three days with assembly, checking and dismantling. That time is not stolen from the schedule; it is written into the production plan from the start.