Planning guide · Project brief
A clear exhibition stall brief makes design decisions easier.
The first brief does not need to be a polished presentation. It needs to explain the show, the people you want to meet and what your team must do inside the stall. A clear set of inputs helps the designer propose a relevant layout and the production team identify the real scope.
01
Describe the goal and the visitor
Choose the main reason for exhibiting: introducing a product, meeting distributors, demonstrating equipment, taking enquiries or hosting scheduled buyers. Explain who those visitors are and the action you want them to take. If the team has several goals, rank them. A layout designed equally around every possible activity can leave the main objective under-served.
Describe how a typical conversation works. Does a host qualify visitors before a specialist joins? Does the product need a live demonstration? Should someone leave with a sample, a quotation request or a booked meeting? These answers guide the welcome point, display positions, seating and space for the team to work.
02
Provide the physical and brand inputs
Share the organiser’s allocated floor plan rather than just the stall area. Include dimensions, open sides, stall number, show name, venue, event dates and the exhibitor manual. Mark information that is still provisional. Send a product inventory with sizes and relevant operating requirements, along with staff numbers, storage needs and any planned AV or interactive content.
Add usable logo files, brand guidelines, product images and the messages you want visitors to remember. Reference images can help explain an atmosphere or finish, but say what you like about them. Separate essential features from preferences so the design team can suggest a different solution when it better fits the footprint or budget.
- Show details, floor plan, open sides and current exhibitor manual.
- Audience, main objective, priority products and visitor action.
- Staffing, demonstrations, meetings, storage and equipment needs.
- Brand files, approved copy, references and reuse ambitions.
- Budget, deadlines, decision maker and artwork approval owner.
03
Set the budget and the approval process
State an intended budget and identify which expenses it must cover. Clarify whether it includes only design and build or also organiser services, AV, transport, installation, dismantling and storage. This gives the designer a useful constraint and makes the proposal easier to evaluate. If the budget is still being developed, ask for a clearly scoped estimate with assumptions.
Name one contact who can consolidate feedback. Confirm when layout, concept, finishes, artwork and production drawings need approval, working backwards from the event. Record decisions in one shared brief and version the changes. Late information should be assessed for its effect on cost and programme before it becomes an instruction to the production team.
Before you begin
Practical questions.
- What if the organiser has not issued the exhibitor manual?
- Send the available show and floor-plan information and mark the manual as pending. Early concepts can be explored, while technical decisions remain subject to the current event requirements.
- What is the minimum information needed to contact Lumian?
- Start with your show, dates, venue, approximate stall size and goals. Add a floor plan and budget when available so the team can recommend a practical next step.
