ExCeL London
Custom exhibition stands designed, built and installed at ExCeL London
T2 Display are a bespoke stand designer and builder working at ExCeL London, Olympia London, Harrogate and the NEC Birmingham. We handle design, 3D visuals, build, graphics, transport, installation, breakdown and storage, for spaces from 20 to 100 square metres.
What T2 Display do at ExCeL London
We design and build custom stands only. Every stand is drawn from scratch for one brand and one space, so there are no system limits on height, shape or finish.
At ExCeL London we cover the full job:
- Design concepts and free 3D visuals for qualifying enquiries
- Fabrication in our own workshop by a permanent in-house team
- Large format graphics and print
- Electrics and lighting
- Transport into the venue
- Installation, breakdown and storage
We take spaces from 20 square metres up to 100 square metres. Below 20 square metres a custom build rarely makes sense, so we would rather say so early than sell you something that does not fit.
T2 Display have been building bespoke exhibition stands since 2001 and are an ESSA member.
Based in Tamworth, working across UK venues
Our workshop is in Tamworth, Staffordshire, about 20 minutes from the NEC Birmingham. That is our home venue, and it is also the reason ExCeL works well for us.
Everything is made under one roof before it travels. Carpentry, fabrication, electrics and graphics all happen in the same building, so the stand is trial built and checked before it is loaded. Nothing arrives at Royal Victoria Dock as an unknown quantity.
Venues we work at regularly:
- ExCeL London
- Olympia London
- Harrogate
- NEC Birmingham
- The ICC and Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
- Coventry Building Society Arena
- International shows
Being outside London is not a drawback. Transport and logistics are a line on every quote, typically 600 to 2,000 GBP, and the crew that built your stand is the crew that installs it.
Lely Atlantic
“The team always delivers an excellent product with first class service and stand construction.”
Andy Stewart, Lely Atlantic
What a stand at ExCeL London costs
We would rather be straight about money than quote a single vague number.
As a rule, fabrication and build is around half of any contract value. That runs from 4,000 GBP at the small end, 8,000 to 20,000 GBP mid-range, and up to 50,000 to 60,000 GBP on large contracts.
The rest of the budget breaks down roughly like this:
- 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.
A typical mid-range custom build totals 16,000 to 44,000 GBP. Design and 3D visuals are free of charge for qualifying enquiries, so you can see the idea before you commit to the spend.
Book your stand builder at least two months before the show
ExCeL London, like other UK venues, needs paperwork before it needs pallets.
Design approval and the CDM declaration can take up to six weeks. That is the single biggest reason exhibitors run out of road. Appoint a stand builder at least two months before the show and the process is calm.
A workable timeline:
- Two months out or earlier: brief agreed, concept drawn, 3D visuals issued.
- Six weeks out: design signed off and submitted for approval, CDM declaration in progress.
- Four weeks out: finished artwork needed so graphics can be printed and mounted.
- Build week: transport, installation and a final check before the doors open.
If your show is closer than that, still get in touch. We will tell you honestly what is achievable rather than promise a date we cannot hold.
Modular, hybrid and custom: which one you actually need
These three words get mixed up constantly. They are not the same thing.
Modular stands are off-the-shelf systems: pole and panel, pop-ups, aluminium frames with infill panels. They are pre-manufactured to standard sizes at a standard height of about 2.5m. They can be self-built. Modular suits exhibitors doing five or more shows a year on a modest budget.
Hybrid stands are a mixture of modular and custom build, usually system light boxes combined with purpose-built elements. Hybrid is much less common now.
Custom build is designed and made from scratch for one brand and one space, with no system limits.
T2 build custom only. We do not sell modular or hybrid as a product line. We explored modular systems many times over the years and invested in the kit, but clients consistently wanted more personalisation, greater height and shape, and a more dynamic presence. Where a system component such as a light box is genuinely the right answer, we use it inside a custom build.
Who we build for
Clients include Soudal, Pinarello, Dentally, Journeo, Software of Excellence and Horiba Mira.
We have designed and built Lely's key UK event stand at the NEC for six consecutive years, and we built the BSA Guns stand in Hall 6 at The Great British Shooting Show, NEC Birmingham.
More than 75% of our work comes from existing clients. That number matters more than any sales pitch. Exhibitors come back when the stand went up on time, looked right and came down cleanly.
Our permanent in-house team of carpenters, electricians and fabricators is employed, not hired in per project. The people who cut and wire your stand in Tamworth are the people you meet on the floor at ExCeL.
Your questions, answered.
Do you work at ExCeL London regularly?
You are based in Staffordshire. Does that make an ExCeL build harder?
What does a custom stand at ExCeL London cost?
How far in advance should I appoint a stand builder?
What stand sizes do you take on?
Do you supply modular or hybrid stands?
Is the design work chargeable?
Exhibiting at ExCeL London? Let's talk it through.
Tell us your space size, your show date and roughly what you want the stand to do. We will come back with ideas, free 3D visuals for qualifying enquiries and a clear, itemised quote.
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