Why “design and build” is different to hiring a designer
Search for an exhibition stand company and you'll find two different kinds of business. One is a design studio that hands your approved drawings to a separate contractor to build — two suppliers, two contracts, two people to chase if something doesn't match. The other is a design and build company that does both under one roof.
Exhibition Vision is the second kind. The team that designs your stand manufactures it, and the team that manufactures it installs it — one point of contact, one quote, and one company carrying responsibility for the whole thing, including the RAMS, structural sign-off and vehicle scheduling your organiser will ask for.
That matters most when something goes wrong on a live build, which it occasionally does. A crew that made the stand can adapt it on the floor. A local subcontractor who received a drawing pack last week cannot.
Every stage handled in-house, from one workshop
Design, build, furniture and AV hire, installation, on-site management, dismantling and storage all run through a single workshop in Redditch, Worcestershire — not a rotating list of subcontractors picked up per job.
Panels, framework and branded surfaces are manufactured and pre-assembled in-house wherever possible, which reduces on-site risk, speeds up installation, and means the finished structure matches what you approved at the design stage — not a fabricator's interpretation of it.
It also means one invoice and one team accountable for the result, rather than responsibility spread across however many suppliers a fragmented build usually involves.
Built at the venues that matter
We build regularly at the UK's major exhibition venues, plus Ireland and Europe — each one with its own load-in rules, ceiling heights and compliance paperwork we already know.
NEC Birmingham
The UK's largest exhibition venue — eighteen interconnected halls.
ExCeL London
ESSA approved-contractor coordination and rigging sign-off handled as standard.
Olympia London
Central London's historic exhibition venue, tight load-in windows included.
Manchester Central
A converted Victorian station hall with its own structural quirks.
Coventry Building Society Arena
Purpose-built exhibition space in the Midlands.
Ireland & Europe
Dublin, Punchestown, Paris, Milan and Frankfurt, handled by the same UK team.
Compliance handled as standard
As an ESSA accredited member, every build comes with the paperwork your venue and organiser will ask for before you're allowed on the floor — risk assessments and method statements, structural sign-off for anything built above head height, and vehicle and loading-bay scheduling for build-up and breakdown.
This is handled by us as a normal part of the build, not chased from you at the last minute or left for you to arrange with a separate contractor. It's also where a fragmented design-then-build approach usually falls down — the paperwork sits with whoever actually built the structure, and if that's not the same company that designed it, gaps show up.
One quote, one team, one point of contact
A design and build company removes the coordination work a fragmented build leaves with you. One quote covers design, build, installation and dismantling — not separate estimates from separate suppliers that need reconciling against each other.
It also means the person who measured your stand and understands the brief is the same person on-site if something needs adapting on the day — not a subcontracted install crew working from a drawing pack, with the actual designer unreachable.
Ready to build with one contractor, start to finish?
Whether you need a fully custom stand or something more flexible, get a real estimate in minutes with the Instant Builder, or talk to the team directly about your next show.
FAQ
A designer creates the concept and drawings, then usually hands them to a separate contractor to actually build the stand. A design and build company like Exhibition Vision does both — the same team designs, manufactures and installs the stand, so nothing gets lost translating a drawing pack between suppliers.
No. Design, build, installation, on-site management and dismantling are all handled in-house from our workshop in Redditch, Worcestershire — not passed to a network of local subcontractors.
We build regularly at NEC Birmingham, ExCeL London, Olympia London, Manchester Central and Coventry Building Society Arena, plus venues across Ireland and Europe including Dublin, Punchestown, Paris, Milan and Frankfurt.
Yes. As an ESSA member, we handle the risk assessments, method statements, structural sign-off and vehicle scheduling your venue and organiser require as a standard part of every build.
Use the Instant Builder for an immediate estimate, or contact the team directly if you'd rather talk through a bespoke brief first.
Need an impressive, exhibition stand? Let's talk!
Expert craftsmanship underpins every exhibition stand we build — combining precision construction, premium materials, and many years of hands-on experience to deliver stands that look exceptional and perform flawlessly on site.