Exhibition ‘Wow’ Factor Was Set in Stone

“The quality of the build and the professionalism was second to none”

Stonegate, the UK’s most trusted provider of specialist stone fabricating and cutting products, approached us to help with their first exhibition, the Natural Stone Show.

Ben Campbell, Head of Marketing & Communications emphasises the importance of getting it right: “As market-leader, all eyes were on us and there were huge expectations both internally and in the marketplace.”

From the outset, our approach to the exhibition stand development inspired the client with confidence: “Merit’s pitch captured the spirit of our business, they gave a convincing rationale but most-importantly they came to the table with a succinct and rounded set of plans.” After seeing this potential, awarding us the business was a “no-brainer”.

Ben describes seeing the stand for the first time as “a real treat.” He said: “Not only did it exactly reflect what we’d seen on the plans throughout the process, but the quality of the build and the professionalism of the builders was second to none.”

As a result, our approach ensured the stand matched the client’s expectations and “truly wowed” visitors attending the show.

Ben said: “The organisation and stress involved in managing something as big as a trade show cannot be underestimated. Merit have this at the forefront of their minds at all times, they constantly look for ways to take the pressure off and I found myself leaning on the team for their expertise throughout this project.”

In particular, Ben referenced our use of project management software, which helped him understand key milestones and actions.

He said: “I knew at every stage during the process the tasks lying with me and had a transparent view of potential pinch points which I could manage in order to keep everything moving.”

And would Stonegate recommend us to other businesses?

Stonegate – https://www.stonegatetooling.com/

A key element in our successful delivery of the solution was to build a detailed understanding of the products.

We can honestly say we’ve never hit a brick wall when asked to come up with ideas for a bespoke retail display concept. So it was appropriate that we should be offered an opportunity by Jewson’s brick team to display our creativity and practical innovation.

The building blocks of the retail display brief included:

– Consistency of presentation in 550 Jewson branches throughout the UK.

– Different brick ranges to be displayed in 20 different regions.

– Create a display stand that could hold up to 30 brick types.

– Ensure the final product could fit within limited spaces.

– Specify a solution that was robust and able to safely contain the heavy products.

A key element in our successful delivery of the solution was to build a detailed understanding of the products; one of our key USPs when approaching bespoke retail display projects. It also allowed us to exceed expectations by accommodating 40 bricks on each stand!

Hassle-free delivery

The project has now been running for more than seven months with nearly 700 retail display units being delivered.

The complete process has been managed within Merit, including liaison with brick manufacturers and ensuring correct usage of the regional brick variations. As a result, it has also been hassle-free for the Jewson team.