In production

Just nine months into her role as Smart Display’s junior project manager, Aimée Dunne has already delivered a diverse range of stands and is on track to be the industry’s go-to when it comes to reliable project management at exhibitions. Here she looks back over her first few months on the front line at venues such as the NEC and the ExCeL, and talks organisation, trouble-shooting and life on-site from a first-person perspective. 

Q: Can you tell us about your first few months in project management? 

A: I’ve always been to trade shows and exhibitions throughout my education and career, but I never thought project management at exhibitions was something you could work in until I came across Smart Display. It is not for the faint hearted, the industry is fast paced and every job comes with its unique designs and challenges.

Q: What’s your favourite aspect of your role as a project manager?

A: Working with the team here and clients. I love to work with people and make them happy. Collaboration has always been a favourite thing of mine; I love seeing the finished product and the glow it puts on the client.

Q: What’s life like on site?

A: Many challenges happen on site because, as we all know, exhibitions are unpredictable and we have to rely on a lot of other people outside Smart Display. Things like queues to get in the venue and electrics not being sorted until the last minute are inevitable. Sometimes we have issues such as a vinyl not applying right and needing a replacement, or the framework feels less stable due to the floor being unlevel so we have to hire some more fixings. These are things we use our very good contacts for to resolve and it’s always rectified swiftly.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing project managers at the moment?

A big one at the moment is plants; living or fake. We have run into this issue more and more as to whether we are allowed artificial plants from a fire safety point of view. This varies from show to show and organiser, and they all have a different perspective. Communications can vary in the lead up to the event compared to the reality on site, and we are sometimes assured that fake plants are fine, only to be told they are not allowed when we get to the venue. But everything has a solution on site and it’s all about working together to get them rectified – we’ve always managed to find a last-minute replacement that adheres to the rules.

Q: How are you improving the way of working at Smart Display?

Organisation is a natural thing for me but also a hobby. This doesn’t always come naturally for others, so I’ve been implementing structured ways to organise a job for maximum efficiency. Something we have collectively worked on in production is using the Monday.com system. This has helped us stay on top of deadlines and log every task we need for efficient project management at exhibitions, and to complete to get the job done right.

Q: What’s your relationship like with clients? 

I have only ever had positive responses from my customers. In many cases, it is some clients’ first time doing exhibitions or having a project manager and it really puts their minds at ease. There is also nothing better than knowing who you can speak to about everything and having one person you can rely on. It also makes things easier on our side, as you can really delve into a job and know everything about it when it’s just yours. The nicest part is after a show, or during handover, and a client is so happy that they need to express it in writing or sometimes through a hug!

Q: Can you talk us through the process of managing a project?

A: After the handover in our Monday morning meeting, we contact the client within 48 hours to ruin through all of their requirements. The first job is to run through any custom elements we need, and to liaise with our in-house workshop with a view to getting those made ahead of the deadline. We then have to access the exhibitor manual and get everything ordered, all the time keeping in touch with the client and ultimately prebuilding the whole thing on site to make sure there are no errors on the day.

Q: What are the biggest challenges of project management?

A: Logistics and timescales. A lot of the time we get jobs handed over a month or sometimes a week or two before, which puts a massive pressure on every department. Our job is then to fully analyse the job and get in touch with the client asap. We will then relay any information to our workshop that needs doing very quickly. Logistics can be very tricky as you never know if a van will breakdown, or if we have a van available to fit in a very large or custom stand. So this results in quick thinking solutions that could mean hiring vans or even a truck. We will do what it takes to get the job there.

Q: What sets Smart Display aside from its competitors?

A: The people here. Everyone is an absolute pleasure to work with and we all work towards the same goal, which is producing a stand that the client is happy with. From sales, design, sourcing, production through to installation, everyone is committed to tackle any problems that come our way and you won’t find a more well-oiled machine for project management at exhibitions. With ten years of experience there are almost no problems we haven’t already encountered; more to the point that we can extinguish the flame before it even starts. So issues are being eradicated more and more over the years. We have built a long-standing relationship with many clients, with some that have been here for most of that time! We build not only stands but strong relationships within the team and with the clients.

Q: What do clients value most in a bespoke exhibition stand?

A: That it is theirs! When we do stands with custom elements in particular, these are re-used and can be customised again to suit new branding as necessary. From the design stage we always have sustainability in mind. For example we have a lot of stock furniture or counters that we re-purpose by utilising removable graphics to change it for each job. One of the first things we look at is what we might have already that can be used on a stand, without making something new. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t look impactful; we tailor it to the client’s stand completely by painting, graphics or combining different elements.

If you would like to find out more about our fully project-managed approach to designing and installing your next exhibition stand, get in touch today and see what we can do for you #wemakevents