Where the magic happens

With hundreds of stand builds happening all over Europe from one season to the next, it’s hard to believe that every single Smart Display structure is built in-house. But keeping control of the process from concept to build is at the very core of the company’s ethos, and there’s one very dedicated team making it happen.

“We take the dreams and turn them into reality, even when there is potential for them to become nightmares,” says Alex Mcgrath, Smart Display’s installation manager and longest-serving member of the team. “When I joined in 2018, there were only two of us in the department. Almost six years on, we have grown as a business and established a full team – and it’s like having ten man-children.”

Alex’s affection for his team comes from a close-knit work ethic which sees the department travel all over Europe, sometimes for weeks at a time. With ages and skillsets ranging from fresh joinery graduates to senior stand-fitters, it’s Alex’s job to allocate each job to the right fitter quickly and efficiently. And it’s safe to say that, whatever the challenge, every stand is completed on time to the highest possible standards.

“We always get the stand over the line,” says Alex. “It means working until the job is done, and often under the scrutiny of health & safety officials or the clients themselves. But even after all these years and hundreds if not thousands of builds, we have never missed a deadline.”

With around 75 per cent of Smart Display’s rapidly expanding business being made up of returning clients, the team can rest assured that customers love what they do. But for those who have only ever seen an impressive CAD design come to life seemingly effortlessly, it’s an eye-opener to take a peek behind the scenes at what happens in the Smart Display warehouse.

“I think my proudest achievement in recent weeks has been building a bespoke counter from scratch,” says Ash Wardle, senior exhibition installer, and one of Smart Display’s four fully-qualified joiners. “When the final graphics and lights were added, it looked really good and was an integral part of the stand.”

The craftsmanship and dedication that goes into every element of every stand is one reason that Smart Display is so committed to re-using everything it can. In stark contrast to the traditional exhibition stand business model of building and disposing stands from one event to the next, Smart Display clients are encouraged to store and re-use their stands for cost-efficiency, sustainability and brand consistency.

“Re-using the stands and welcoming back the same clients does mean that we build up a real rapport with customers,” says Ash. “We can build and dismantle the Express Bifold stand ten times a year for example, so we have a really good relationship with the team there.”

For the installations team at Smart Display, life on site is a defining aspect of the role that can make or break potential new recruits.

“When I am interviewing new staff, I make it very clear that this is a lifestyle, not a job,” says Alex. “A lot of Smart Display’s success can be attributed to the partners and families of everyone who works here, and the support that they show us when we are out on-site every weekend during our busiest times.”

It’s an aspect of the job that hasn’t fazed either Josh O’Neil or Chris Dickerson, two of Smart Display’s more recent recruits who came on board as the industry started to pick up again following the Covid pandemic.

“I had studied joinery at college but essentially, I have learnt everything about stand building on the job,” says Josh who, at 29, is one of the department’s younger members. “I love the travelling but it is a young man’s game. Every day has been a learning day, and I am now at the stage where I can take a stand through to completion on my own.”

“I think we would all describe ourselves as all-rounders because we have to be,” says fellow recruit Chris Dickerson. “My background is audio visual so I did bring a slightly different skillset to the team and I probably do take care of the screens and the electrics more than most but, essentially, we all jump on whatever needs doing and, if we don’t know how to do it, we ask someone who does.”

For manager Alex, identifying each team member’s key strength and allocating job’s accordingly is one of the hardest aspect of his job. But the close-knit nature of the team harbours a nurturing rather than competitive environment.

“We help each other out because we have the same shared goal,” says Alex. “Every stand should look as good as it can, and it always does. Working and living together in such close proximity does mean that we have to become a sort of family. And spending this much time with anyone ill inevitably lead to tension but, at the end of the day, we all have to have a beer together in the evenings.”

And despite the long hours and hard work, every member of the Smart Display team has defining memories.

“I remember taking a stand out to Milan last year and driving through the Alps which was stunning,” says Ash. “Experiences like that and see the client happy with the end product is what makes all the hard work worth it.”

“It is the clients you tend to remember, more than the stands,” agrees Alex. “While the sales team, design and production create the concepts of the stand, we are the ones who are on-site and customer facing. We get involved in every aspect of making each stand come to life, and we won’t ever down tools until the job is done.”