Planning a trade fair appearance — a backwards timeline
A backwards plan from opening day: booking, files, proof, delivery with setup, takedown and buffer, with the exact deadlines and late fees.
A trade fair appearance rarely fails because of bad design. It fails because of dates. The artwork went out two days late, the proof was approved on Friday evening, and the courier wants the booking by 15:00 the day before. That is why the plan is built backwards — from the opening day towards today. Here is how.
Why you count backwards, not forwards
Count forwards and every step eats the buffer of the next one. Count backwards and every step has a deadline that does not move. You fix the opening day and subtract from it: a setup day, the delivery booking deadline, the print production time, time to approve the proof, time for the file check, and finally the moment to book the hardware.
Three numbers hold the whole plan together and you should know them by heart:
- Standard print production: 3 working days, counted from proof approval, not from the order.
- Delivery with setup: booked by 12:00, at least 2 days in advance.
- Courier: booked by 15:00, at least 1 day in advance.
The backwards timeline from opening day
Day 0 is the opening day. Minus days come before it. Working days mean working days — weekends do not count towards production, and our hours are Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 and Sat until 13:00.
| When | What you do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| −30 days and earlier | measure the booth, check power and ceiling height | the size decides between a wall and banners |
| −28 days | book the hardware | availability is per unit and sells out in high season |
| −14 days | send the print files | leaves room for two corrections without stress |
| −13 days | receive the free file check | if there is a note, you fix it straight away |
| −12 days | approve the digital proof | this is when the 3 working days of production start |
| −7 days | last day to cancel with a 100 % refund | after that the refund drops to 50 % |
| −7 days | print is ready | 3 working days after approval, plus buffer |
| −4 days, by 12:00 | book delivery with setup for the setup day | at least 2 days in advance, by 12:00 |
| −1 day | setup day, collection from the base from 10:00 | the booth must be ready before the opening |
| Day 0 | opening | — |
| Last day + 1 | takedown and return by 18:00 | returns are accepted until 18:00 |
| Return + 1 day | buffer for inspection and preparation of the unit | we hold the unit for 1 day after return |
| Return + up to 2 working days | the deposit is released | after the check |
This plan carries about a week of slack in two places: between the finished print and the setup, and between the delivery booking and the setup itself. Those two gaps are the first to disappear when something goes wrong, which is exactly why they are there.
What to check before you book
Bookings are made per unit and per date, so you need to know what goes into the booth. Three things settle the list:
- Booth size. The width of the back wall decides whether you use a pop-up wall or line up roll-up banners. Check whether you have a corner booth with two open fronts as well — then the back wall does less work.
- Power. If there will be a screen, a laptop or lighting, power has to be ordered from the organiser. The hardware does not bring power with it.
- Ceiling height. A teardrop flag stands 320 cm with its base. In a low hall, or on a booth under a gallery, it simply will not fit. Measure before you book it.
Add access to the list: where the van can stop, whether there is a goods lift, and what hours the hall allows setup. None of this appears in any tariff, but it decides whether setup takes 40 minutes or two hours.
If you are late: the express options and what they cost
Sometimes the plan starts at −5 days instead of −30. Then you have two levers, and both cost money.
| Option | Multiplier | 510 gsm vinyl print for 85×200 | PP film |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, 3 working days | ×1.00 | €24.00 | €19.00 |
| 24 h express | ×1.35 | €32.40 | €25.65 |
| Same day | ×1.60 | €38.40 | €30.40 |
The sums: 24.00 × 1.35 = €32.40 and 24.00 × 1.60 = €38.40. On PP film, 19.00 × 1.35 = €25.65 and 19.00 × 1.60 = €30.40. So express on a single graphic costs €8.40 extra, and same day costs €14.40 extra. Across four graphics the difference is already €33.60 and €57.60.
The second lever is logistics. Same-day delivery is available in Sofia only. Outside Sofia a delivery with setup needs at least 2 days notice by 12:00, and that does not compress. So if the fair is in Plovdiv, Varna or Burgas, express printing does not help unless the logistics was booked in time.
And one warning that is not about money: express does not shorten proof approval. The proof still has to be approved by you, and printing does not start without it.
Why high season empties the shelf
Rental works per unit, not per catalogue. There is a fixed number of 3×3 pop-up walls and a fixed number of Strong 85×200 roll-ups. In fair season everyone wants the same dates at once, and every returned unit is held for 1 day for inspection and preparation before it goes out again. That single day means one wall cannot serve two fairs with touching dates.
The practical conclusion: if your dates are settled, book, even if you have not decided on the print. Hardware is booked against dates, and files can follow. The reverse does not work — a finished file with no free wall does not make a booth.
Cancellation and changes
Plans change, and that is accounted for. The refund depends on how early you call:
| When | Rental amount refunded |
|---|---|
| 7 or more days before the rental | 100 % |
| 3–6 days before the rental | 50 % |
| 0–2 days before the rental | 0 % |
The deposit is refunded in every case. Printed material, however, is not refundable once printing has started — it is a personalised production and cannot be passed on to anyone else. That is why day −7 in the plan above matters twice: it is both the last day for a full refund and usually the point at which the print has already come off the machine.
Changing dates before those deadlines takes one phone call, provided the units are free on the new dates. Inquiries are answered within 2 working hours, so do not leave the question until the evening before setup.
The conclusions in short
- Count backwards from the opening day, not forwards from today.
- Book the hardware around 4 weeks ahead — availability is per unit.
- Send the files around 14 days ahead: the check is free and production takes 3 working days after proof approval.
- Delivery with setup: by 12:00, at least 2 days ahead. Courier: by 15:00, at least 1 day ahead.
- Plan a setup day before the opening and a takedown day after the close, plus a 1 day buffer after the return.
- 24 h express is ×1.35 and same day ×1.60 — on a €24.00 graphic that is €32.40 and €38.40.
- Cancellation: 100 % at 7 or more days, 50 % at 3–6 days, 0 % at 0–2 days. The deposit always comes back.
