Exhibition Stand Builders in the Midlands
A Midlands workshop, not a Midlands postcode on a website
We are based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, about 20 minutes from the NEC Birmingham. That is a real workshop with a permanent in-house team of carpenters, electricians and fabricators.
It matters for three reasons.
- You can visit. Midlands marketing managers can drive over, walk round the build and change their mind while it is still cheap to change their mind.
- The NEC is our home venue. Short transport runs, early access, and a team that knows the halls and the site rules.
- Problems get fixed by us. No subcontract chain. If a panel needs reworking at 6pm the night before open, the people who made it are the people who fix it.
More than 75% of our work comes from existing clients. That is the number we watch most closely, because in this trade you only get asked back if the stand went up cleanly and looked right.
Custom build only, for 20 to 100 square metres
T2 build custom stands only. Designed and made from scratch for one brand and one space, with no system limits on height, shape or finish.
We work on spaces from 20 square metres up to 100 square metres. That covers most serious exhibitor footprints at the NEC, ExCeL and Olympia.
We do not sell modular or hybrid stands as a product line. We have explored modular systems many times over the years and invested in the kit, but clients kept asking for the same things: more personalisation, greater height and shape, and a more dynamic presence on the floor. Custom build is what delivers that.
Where a system component is genuinely the right answer inside a custom build, such as a system light box, we use it. The stand is still designed and made for you.
Parker Knoll
“This experienced and talented team of craftsmen do a first class job, and I would recommend them without hesitation.”
Donna Bellingham, Parker Knoll
The three UK stand types, explained properly
Buyers are often quoted three different things under one word. They are not the same.
- Modular. Off-the-shelf systems: pole and panel, pop-ups, aluminium frames with infill panels. Pre-manufactured to standard sizes at a standard height of around 2.5m. It suits exhibitors doing five or more shows a year on a modest budget, and it can be self-built.
- Hybrid. A mixture of modular and custom build, usually system light boxes combined with purpose-built elements. Much less common now than it once was.
- Custom build. Designed and made from scratch for one brand and one space. No system limits. This is what we do.
If modular is the right answer for your programme of shows, say so and we will tell you straight. If you want height, a shape that is yours, and a stand that does not look like the three either side of it, that is a custom build.
Venues we work at across the Midlands and the UK
The NEC Birmingham is our home venue, about 20 minutes from the workshop. We also regularly work at:
- The ICC, Birmingham
- Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
- Coventry Building Society Arena
- ExCeL London
- Olympia London
- Harrogate
- International shows
Recent and long-running Midlands work includes six consecutive years designing and building Lely's key UK event stand at the NEC, and the BSA Guns stand in Hall 6 at The Great British Shooting Show, NEC Birmingham.
Clients include Soudal, Pinarello, Dentally, Journeo, Software of Excellence and Horiba Mira.
Everything from first sketch to storage after the show
It is a full service, handled by one team.
- Design and 3D visuals, free of charge for qualifying enquiries
- Build in our own workshop: carpentry, fabrication, electrics
- Graphics and print
- Transport to the venue
- Installation on site
- Breakdown and de-rig
- Storage between shows, quoted separately
We are an ESSA member, the trade association for the UK events supply chain.
You get one point of contact, one set of drawings and one team on site. Nothing falls between suppliers, because there is only one supplier.
What a Midlands custom stand actually costs
We would rather give you honest ranges now than a surprise later. A typical mid-range custom build totals 16,000 to 44,000 GBP. Here is how that splits.
- Fabrication and build: typically around half of any contract value. From 4,000 GBP at the small end, 8,000 to 20,000 GBP mid-range, up to 50,000 to 60,000 GBP on large contracts.
- Graphics and print: 3,000 to 8,000 GBP mid-range. Graphics-led builds can run 12,000 to 18,000 GBP.
- Electrics and lighting: 1,200 to 5,000 GBP, up to 6,000 GBP on larger builds.
- Transport and logistics: 600 to 2,000 GBP.
- Installation: 2,000 to 5,000 GBP depending on contract size.
- Breakdown: 1,500 to 4,000 GBP. De-rigging takes nearly as much labour as build-up, so it is never free.
- Storage: quoted separately.
Design and 3D visuals are free of charge for qualifying enquiries, so you can see the idea before you commit to the spend.
Book at least two months before your show
Timing is the single most common thing exhibitors get wrong.
Design approval and the CDM declaration can take up to six weeks. That is the venue and organiser process, not ours, and it cannot be rushed. So a stand builder should ideally be appointed at least two months before the show.
Finished artwork is needed four weeks before the show for graphics and print.
If your NEC date is closer than that, still get in touch. We will tell you honestly what is achievable in the time you have rather than promise something that will not clear approval.
Your questions, answered.
Where is T2 Display based and how close are you to the NEC?
What size exhibition stands do you build?
Do you supply modular or hybrid exhibition stands?
How much does a custom exhibition stand cost?
How far in advance should we book a stand builder?
Which venues do you work at?
Let's work together
Tell us about your show and your stand space. One project lead will work with you from the first sketch to the final dismantle, and we are always happy to sign an NDA.
In-house design & build since 2001 · ESSA member · 75% of clients come back