Moving Trade Fair and Exhibition Stands in Lagos

Build-up closes at 6pm. Your stand panels are still in the warehouse in Ikeja, the printed backdrop is at the printer, and the venue loading bay already has a queue of trucks waiting for a slot. Every exhibitor has the same deadline, and the hall does not wait for anyone.

A trade fair is a short, fixed window full of bulky, easily scratched items. The move in and the move out need as much planning as the stand design.

Get the venue's logistics details first

Before you request any vehicle, collect the practical information from the organiser. Most organisers send an exhibitor manual or a logistics sheet. If they do not, ask for it.

You want to know:

• Build-up dates and hours, and the latest time you can still bring things in
• Breakdown dates and hours, and when the hall must be empty
• Where the loading bay or service entrance is, and whether vehicles get time slots
• Any height or size limits at the gate or the loading door
• Whether trolleys or pallet jacks are available, or you must bring your own
• What passes or wristbands drivers and helpers need to enter

Rules differ between venues and events. Share these details with your driver before moving day.

List everything that goes to the stand

Walk through your warehouse or office and build one list. A typical exhibition load looks like this:

1. Stand structure: wall panels, frames, poles, connectors and the base or flooring
2. Printed graphics, backdrops and roll-up banners
3. Counters, display shelves, plinths and lockable cabinets
4. Screens, speakers, lighting and extension boxes
5. Chairs, a small table and a branded fridge if you have one
6. Product stock for display and for sale on the day
7. Brochures, giveaways, packaging and a toolbox

Count every panel and every connector. You cannot pop out to buy a custom connector halfway through build-up.

Pack the stand so it comes back in one piece

Panels and display units scratch easily, and a scratched stand looks bad in front of customers.

Wrap each panel in blankets or bubble wrap and stand them on their long edge in the vehicle, packed tight so they cannot slide. Keep printed graphics rolled in tubes, never folded. Put all the small fittings in labelled bags or boxes, sorted by what they belong to.

Screens should travel in their original boxes if you still have them. If not, wrap them well and keep them upright. Our guide to moving a TV and sound system covers screens and speakers in more detail.

Label everything for the stand. "Back wall, left", "Counter top", "Display stock". At the hall, your team can carry each box straight to its spot.

Product stock: count it out and count it back

If you are selling or sampling at the fair, treat stock separately from the stand. Pack it in sealed, numbered cartons and write the count on each one. Keep a copy of the list on your phone.

When breakdown comes, count again before the cartons go back on the truck. Exhibition halls get busy and crowded at the end, and it is easy for a carton to walk off while everyone is unscrewing panels. Keep one person whose only job is watching the stock.

Ready to move?

Request a truck or van on Sphere

Choose your vehicle, propose your price, and verified drivers in Lagos accept or send a counter-offer.

Get Sphere on Android Get Sphere on iPhone Talk to our team

Time build-up and breakdown properly

The day itself is where most exhibitors lose time. A plan that works:

1. Load the vehicle the evening before, with the stand structure last in so it comes out first.
2. Leave early on build-up day. Lagos traffic is hard to predict, and the loading bay is usually busiest close to the deadline.
3. At the hall, offload the structure first, then graphics, then furniture and screens, then stock.
4. Let the driver go once everything is off, unless you have agreed a waiting time.

Breakdown is often harder than build-up: everyone leaves at once and tired people pack carelessly. Agree the return pickup time with the driver well ahead, and tell them which gate to use.

For multi-day events, send stock top-ups on separate trips. Our Lagos business moves page covers repeat jobs.

This guide is about stands and stock. For chairs, canopies and sound for weddings and parties, see event logistics in Lagos.

Truck or pickup van?

A small shell scheme stand with a few cartons of stock may fit in a pickup van. A custom stand with full wall panels, counters, screens and a lot of product usually needs a truck. When in doubt, go bigger. Panels need space to stand upright, and you do not want them stacked flat under cartons. See truck hire in Lagos for the options.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Open the Sphere app and pick a truck or pickup van based on your list.
2. Add the warehouse address and the venue, and put the loading bay, gate and time slot in the notes.
3. Describe the load: number of panels, display units, screens and cartons of stock.
4. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.
5. Propose your price. Verified drivers accept it or counter, and you choose.

Create a second request for breakdown day, with the return address and the agreed pickup time. Sphere works in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan.