Most clients see their stand twice: once as a 3D render and once on the night before opening. In between there are a few weeks of workshop work that nobody outside sees, and that is where much of the stand’s quality is decided. Here is how a stand moves through our workshop in Tehran, stage by stage, and what we need from you at each point.
Shop drawings and the parts list
A render is for approving the look. It is not something you can build from. Once the design is signed off, our technical designer turns it into dimensioned drawings: wall thicknesses, joints, cable routes, shelf sizes and the exact position of every print. The parts and materials list comes from those drawings, and board and profile orders go out the same week.
This is also where the drawings are checked against the hall plan and the organiser’s height limit. A column, a power box or a sloping floor on your plot has to be in the drawings now, not discovered during build-up. What we need from you here is the exact size of every product that will sit on a shelf or in a display case. A physical sample beats a number on a spec sheet.
Carcass and frame
Walls and counters are usually MDF or plywood. Long spans, suspended ceilings or a second storey need a steel subframe, which brings its own welding and rust-proofing and adds a day or two.
The rule we work to is simple: parts are made to be bolted together in the hall, not built there. Every part gets a number and a place on the assembly drawing. Cutting is done on our own CNC machine; we have written separately about what CNC changes in finish and timing, so we won’t repeat it here.
Paint and surface finish
This is usually the longest stage in the workshop. Polyurethane or high-gloss paint goes on in several coats, and each coat has to dry and be sanded. Cold autumn and winter weather slows that down. Ready-made surfaces such as HPL and melamine are faster, but they don’t suit every shape. A curved wall is the obvious example.
Late changes cost the most here. Changing the colour of a wall that has already been cut and painted means going back to sanding and primer. So before the main paint run we show the client a small painted sample. If your brand colour has a reference code, give it to us on day one. A colour on screen and the same colour on a painted board are rarely identical, and the sample shows the gap.
Print, signs and wiring
While paint is drying, graphics go to print. Fabric print, wall vinyl, raised letters and light boxes each have their own process and lead time. We take the size of every artwork from the shop drawings and send it to your designer, so each print matches its panel and nobody ends up trimming vinyl with a knife in the hall.
As much wiring as possible is done in the workshop too. Cables run inside the walls and come out at set points. On site, sections are simply connected to each other and to the power point the organiser supplies.
Trial assembly
Before packing, we stand the whole stand up in the workshop, or section by section for large ones. A part that won’t seat, a chipped corner or a print a few centimetres short shows up here, where tools and materials are to hand and the fix takes an hour. The same fault in the hall the night before opening can eat half the night.
At the trial assembly we check, one by one:
- the overall height against the organiser’s limit;
- that storage doors, drawers and display case doors open and close properly;
- that every light and light box works, wired the way it will be in the hall;
- that prints sit flat on their panels without gaps or creases;
- that shelves and counters stay steady with real products on them.
We ask clients to come to the workshop that day, or at least to walk through it with us on a video call. Small changes such as moving a shelf or raising a sign are still possible at this point. Once it is packed, they are not.
Packing, transport and installation
After the trial, the stand comes apart, part numbers are checked and painted surfaces are wrapped in blankets and foam. Loading order matters as well: whatever goes up first in the hall, such as flooring and platforms, goes on the truck last so it comes off first.
Installation follows the days and hours in the organiser’s technical manual. A stand that was properly trial-assembled needs mostly assembly, lighting adjustment, fitting prints and cleaning on site. The last step is handover. Before your sales team arrives we walk the stand with you and show you the switches, the storage and the locks. Dismantling after the show uses the same numbering, which makes life much easier if you want to keep the stand for another fair.
The best time to visit the workshop is before you sign off the design. You can see materials and finishes up close, which makes design decisions easier. Our services page lists what we handle from design to installation, and our projects show stands that have gone through this process. If you are exhibiting in Tehran from abroad, start with our trade fair services in Tehran.
