Start with a comparable exhibition brief
Share the event, venue, dates, floor plan, stand dimensions, open sides, required functions and target budget with every contractor. Include product sizes, meeting space, storage, screens and a gallery reference. Comparable inputs make proposals easier to assess.
Review installed stands as well as design renders
Ask for installation photographs and comparable project records. A render explains the intended layout; a photograph shows the installed finish. Confirm the event, year, dimensions and contractor responsibilities rather than inferring them from an image. Ask permission before contacting a client reference.
Check production ownership and workshop capability
Ask which elements are produced directly, which involve specialist partners and who checks the work. Arrange a workshop visit when useful. Discuss material samples, critical joinery checks, graphics proofs and the production review plan. Working with partners is not itself a quality problem; clear responsibility matters.
Compare the written quotation line by line
- Design: concepts, revisions, drawings and the final approval point.
- Fabrication: structures, counters, finishes, graphics and material specifications.
- Specialist supply: AV, furniture, lighting and hired equipment.
- Venue services: utility orders, rigging, technical reviews and who pays each charge.
- Logistics: transport, access, installation, handover, support and dismantling.
- Commercial controls: taxes, payment stages, exclusions and change approvals.
Verify venue and organiser responsibilities
Use the current exhibitor manual for DWTC, DEC or ADNEC. Agree who prepares and submits drawings, responds to review comments and orders venue-controlled services. Structural, electrical and rigging requirements depend on the event and design. A previous build does not automatically approve a new stand.
Agree production checks and a handover plan
Record artwork deadlines, material sign-off, technical review dates, production checks and the handover time. Confirm the inspection checklist, site contact, event support and dismantling responsibility. Ask how replacement parts or late changes are handled within the venue schedule, including any additional cost.
Ask about contingency before appointing a contractor
What happens if artwork is late, the allocated space changes or equipment arrives with different dimensions? Ask for a relevant example and an escalation process. A universal completion guarantee or a single attractive render is not evidence of delivery capability.
Where EGS fits in your shortlist
Exhibit Graphic Sign is a Dubai design and production company established in 2010, based in Al Qusais. Review our installed stand references, workshop information and proposed scope alongside other providers. This guide is published by EGS; it is not an independent ranking of contractors.
