Choosing the Designer

The designer's role is most important in contributing to the success of an exhibition project. Great care should be taken in selecting the best person for the event. Exhibition design is a specialised craft and should be carried out by a professional - not just anyone. You will have prepared a full and considered brief reflecting the needs of the people and departments who are involved, and this should now be passed to a competent exhibition designer. There are several ways of making a choice if you do not know of an appropriate designer. For example, advertising and PR agencies can usually provide names of people or design organisations they have used with success for other clients. Exhibition organisers will also be able to suggest people who have designed successful stands at their shows. For some industries, such as building and construction events, some architects will undertake exhibiting design.

The final choice of designer depends on your requirements. If you decide on a 'shell scheme' at a minor exhibition, you will probably need only to establish a simple setting by means of display panels, self-standing display pieces, graphics and interesting arrangements of your own products. A good designer can usually provide an adequate design at a realistic cost. Quite often the whole purpose of taking such a stand is to keep the cost down, often the case in a first-time exhibition. If you have booked 'space only', the whole stand has to be designed and built.

The exhibition brief you have prepared will indicate the considered views of your company. It details the stand size and position, your general and particular requirements. You may have appointed the designer before you finalised the brief and budget, in which case the design contribution will already have been made and incorporated in the brief. If not, the full value of the written brief will now become apparent. Successful designers will have several projects happening at the same time and, like all creative people, they will appreciate the requirements and details being gathered together in a logical order so that they can devote their time and talent to creative rather than administrative work.

Let us also discuss the following important aspects :

Designer's methods

Tendering

Timescale