How early should you book an exhibition stand contractor?

The honest answer is earlier than you want to hear, and the reason is almost never fabrication. It is freight, venue approvals and the fact that every exhibitor at your show is competing for the same build-up slots.

Working timelines

• India, system stand — 4 to 5 weeks
• India, custom build — 6 to 8 weeks from design sign-off
• UAE — 8 to 10 weeks, including about three for sea freight
• Thailand — around 8 weeks
• Germany and the EU — 12 to 14 weeks; sea freight alone is 4 to 5

Where the time actually goes

For a typical 100 sqm custom stand in India: one week of concept and revisions, three to four weeks of production, one week for the warehouse mock-up and corrections, then freight and build-up. Design sign-off is the gate — everything downstream waits on it, and it is the stage clients most often underestimate.

German shows deserve their own warning

Hannover, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich enforce structural, electrical and fire submissions properly rather than rubber-stamping them. Drawings go in weeks ahead and come back with comments. Combined with five weeks of sea freight, booking late means paying for air freight, which can add more than the saving you were chasing.

If you are already late

It is rarely hopeless. Modular systems ship faster, some elements can be produced locally through partners, and air freight buys back three to four weeks at a price. Tell us the real date rather than a comfortable one — we can plan around a tight deadline, but not around a surprise.