Do you want your exhibition stand builders in Riyadh  to create a fantastic exhibition concept? A design perfectly tailored to your goals? Transparent and easy-to-understand cost breakdowns? Clarity about how we will work together?

Here are three helpful approaches to finding the perfect exhibition stand builders in Riyadh for your individual trade fair appearance:

1.  The exhibition stand builder only as a supplier or as a partner?

2. What is pitch etiquette? 

3. How do you write a good exhibition stand construction briefing?    

Tip 1: Supplier or partner?

First steps: I'm looking for an exhibition stand builder.

When searching for the right exhibition stand construction company, there are many aspects to consider. The issue begins with the question: Is the company perhaps not actually an exhibition stand builder, but merely an exhibition agency? Be aware that there are significant differences between these, which I would like to briefly explain here:

• Trade fair agency : A trade fair service provider whose focus is on project planning. All services are purchased in-house, and the exhibition stand is sold turnkey to the exhibitor, usually with considerable markups.

• Exhibition stand construction companies : Here, the focus is on ensuring that important aspects of exhibition stand construction are realized in-house by the exhibition stand construction company.

In this blog post, however, we will only be dealing with exhibition stand construction companies in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia. Even in the initial "getting to know you" phase between exhibition stand builders and new clients, it is important to be clear about the nature of the desired collaboration.

A fundamental question : Does the exhibitor see the exhibition stand construction company primarily as a supplier who executes a fully planned stand according to the exhibitor's clear instructions? Or is the exhibitor looking for a suitable partner with whom they can collaborate closely from the initial concept phase, developing a close relationship and incorporating marketing strategies into the concept beyond just stand construction? Every exhibition stand construction company has its own unique history and therefore its own strengths and areas of focus. But there are also certainly areas that the company may not offer at all, or may prefer not to.

But back to the question of whether you are looking for a supplier or partner in exhibition stand construction.

There are exhibition stand builders who excel at creating exclusive designs but lack flexibility in production. Others are only strong in handling stand construction: "Tell me what you want me to build, and I'll build it for you.An experienced exhibition stand builder Saudi Arabia can help businesses manage design, production and construction according to their exhibition requirements.   

Naturally, exhibitors usually have prior experience with exhibition stand construction companies. Therefore, both sides – stand builders and exhibitors – are often surprised that stand builders have completely different approaches during the inquiry/tender phase. For example:

• Tenders can be written as clearly defined briefs with submission deadlines and no prior feedback. Such companies argue that they "don't have time" for interim discussions or believe it's unfair to allow for feedback and discussion before pitches are submitted.

• Other tenders, however, explicitly include scheduled reviews. The advantage: Each review during the design and proposal phase allows the exhibitor to influence the respective concepts of the bidders to such an extent that, by the time of submission, virtually no concept can be considered flawed.

Therefore, here's my tip : Exhibitors should be clear about what they expect (or can expect) from their stand builder. But also the other way around: Is the client a good fit for the stand builder? A pitch etiquette guide could be very helpful here. With every inquiry from a new client, the stand builder's first thought should be:

• Will we be able to meet the exhibitor's wishes and expectations in the long term?

• Will the exhibitor enjoy working with us in the long term and gain added value?

Tip 2: Pitch netiquette

Good exhibition stand construction companies limit their options when deciding whether to participate in a tender. Whether an exhibitor appreciates this netiquette can significantly impact a successful and long-term business relationship.

• A personal/face-to-face meeting even in the initial stages is important: Do you like each other? How does the trade fair construction company present itself? What about its creativity?

• Does the exhibition stand builder belong to a small, select group of suppliers?

If you have already selected suppliers according to netiquette criteria in the preliminary phase of the tender, three suppliers should be sufficient.

• What's the deadline for submitting the concept? It makes sense to start sending out inquiries well in advance. A design developed under time pressure can't turn out well. The exhibitor should allow 6-8 weeks.

• Are concepts allowed to be presented in person ?

• What criteria does an exhibitor use to choose their exhibition stand builder? Is the focus on design, quality, price, or perhaps the overall communication with the stand builder? For example, a great design doesn't always guarantee good quality.

Tip 3: Exhibition stand construction briefing

Only with a truly thorough briefing from the exhibitor can the stand builder develop a perfect exhibition stand concept. Here are some points that should not be missing from a good exhibition briefing.

• Basic information : Trade fair name, location, date, hall/stand number, stand type and size, other unique information such as kitchen/storage, meeting, lobby, long-range visibility, etc.

• Objective of the trade fair appearance : The first question a good exhibition stand builder asks is about the objective of the trade fair appearance. Only with knowledge of the defined trade fair objective can the stand builder develop initial stand design concepts.

Is the focus on acquiring new customers? Which target group is being addressed? Or is the exhibition stand a meeting place for customers and exhibitors who already know each other? Is the trade fair a trade fair or a consumer fair, and are visitors primarily from the B2B or B2C sector?

Depending on the trade fair objective, the layout and design of the exhibition stand will differ significantly.

• Share the exhibitor's experience : The exhibitor should already share their experiences from past trade fair appearances: What worked well, what flopped? This information saves a tremendous amount of time during the development phase.

• Functional areas : Which areas does the exhibitor want to include at the stand? For example, various product or theme presentations, lounge or meeting areas, eye-catchers, catering, lecture islands, etc.

• Face-to-face communication : How do you want to communicate with your trade fair visitors? Are you planning discreet meeting areas or more open spaces? Lounge style, bar atmosphere, or more traditional tables and chairs? Will you provide catering? What kind of catering is appropriate?

• Multimedia : Are you planning to use multimedia? For example, monitors, touchscreens, tablets, large-format LED video walls, etc. Important: Exceptional content is required! These days, it's no longer enough to simply hang a monitor on the wall and play the company's promotional video on a loop. Emotional content is the trend.

• Purchase or rental stand? How often do you plan to use this version of the exhibition stand? 

How to find the best exhibition stand builder

• Before sending out inquiries, be clear about whether you are looking for a partner or simply a trade fair construction supplier.

• You can achieve high efficiency by writing a good briefing. If you are looking for a partner in exhibition stand construction, the briefing process itself might be the goal: a "shoulder check" and joint concept development.

• The more respectfully the stakeholders treat each other, the more long-lasting and successful the result of your trade fair appearance will be.

When choosing an exhibition stand builder, businesses can also consider whether the company provides complete design and construction services, understands the requirements of the Riyadh exhibition market, and can manage the project from concept to completion. An experienced exhibition stand contractor Riyadh can provide support throughout the exhibition process.

For companies looking for professional booth concepts, an exhibition booth design company Riyadh can also help develop a stand that reflects the brand, attracts visitors and supports the objectives of the trade fair.