Exhibition designer

An Exhibition Designer is a professional who creates furnishings, fixtures and display stands for events such as large public exhibitions, conferences, trade shows and temporary displays for business, museums, libraries and galleries.

Their work can include:

*presenting their ideas as sketches, scale plans, computer-generated visuals and models
*discussing their ideas with clients
*producing final specifications
*in smaller companies, overseeing the construction of the components (usually in workshops) and assembly and installation at the exhibition *venue
*handling orders for supplies
*liaising with technical specialists such as lighting staff

An Exhibition Designer might be employed as part of a team by an independent studio. Other employers include national and local government, and large organisations such as museums with their own design departments. There is a steady demand for the services of talented and experienced professionals. The work is studio or office based, but will usually also involve visiting clients or exhibition sites.

Education & Training

Exhibition Designers may come from many different backgrounds such as Industrial Design, Architecture, Interior Design or Graphic Design. As with any reasonably specialised role there is a lot of on the job training (not necessarily formalised) required. As with most of these disciplines there is a large requirement upon the following skill sets:

* Conceptual design
* Computer Aided Design (CAD) & 3D visualisation
* Knowledge of safety, regulations and applicable standards
* Model making skills

Many different companies will have their own multi-purpose system that may be used for the construction of smaller Exhibition stands, there are several different systems available and training into the specifics of each is usually conducted on a case by case basis.

External links

* [http://www.csd.org.uk/ Chartered Society of Designers (UK)]
* [http://www.edpa.com/ Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (USA)]
* [http://www.design-council.org.uk/ Design Council]
* [http://www.britishdisplaysociety.co.uk/ British Display Society]
* [http://www.aeo.org.uk/ Association of Exhibition Organisers]