We are delighted to show you a project we recently won for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The tender was for a 10m x 3m space at the Southampton Boat Show 2022. One of the main requirements of the stand was for it to be as open as possible to allow for a flow of people and be inviting as possible. It also needed a lockable storage area, as well as facility to display coastguard equipment.

We contacted Ellen at Be Exhibitions, who has worked with other Signs Express franchises previously, due to their collaborative approach to bring the clients vision to life. Be Exhibition built the stand, whilst we produced over 50 foam PVC panels which were held up with magnetic tape.

The flooring requirement was unique, as the client was looking for a beach effect floor, we managed to source a sand beach like vinyl that looked extremely effective (all we were missing were pina coladas!).

We were also asked to create a display plinth to safely showcase a Ceremonial Maritime Coastguard Sword. Made from MDF and painted blue, we then added a clear acrylic box over the top where the sword was placed securely on display. To finish we hid the screws by wrapping the box and adding the MCA Coastguard Logo. The plinth stood at 1.2m tall making it the ideal height to view the sword at all angles. Ellen provided the LED lighting, seating areas and shelving for the client to display their items.

There were a few challenges we had to overcome throughout the project such as the client did not want any of the aluminium frames showing, which was easily covered by the foam PVC panels. However, the storage cupboard door provided an additional challenge which we overcame with some cleaver vinyl application allowing a seamless final image.
Possibly the biggest challenge was the deadline. We were awarded the tender on the 10^th August with a deadline of 15^th September for completion.
We used our internal processes to deliver the project on time and meet the clients expectations.

Chloé Allan who is the Sales and Project Support for Signs Express, controlled this project along with the help of the team and had this to say –

‘This is the first project that I have taken a lead on and it was very exciting to be part of a show that is so synonymous to Southampton. The stand looked really effective, and I could not have done it without our incredible team from design to production to installation. Really proud of us all and it was great to work alongside Ellen at Be Exhibition, looking forward to the next one’

Finally our client Gloria Mastromauro who is the Marketing Executive for the MCA had this to say –

“Signs Express have delivered the HM Coastguard stand for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at the International Boat Show in Southampton following the brief provided and professionally. The design process and build up went smoothly and our vision for the stand was delivered according to plans. Assistance was provided throughout the duration of the Show and communication was consistent and timely”.