How to plan a brand activation in 12 weeks

The easiest way to plan a brand activation is to start from the live date and work backwards. Three dates matter most: about 12 weeks out, when the site and the brief should be locked in; 6 weeks out, when a custom build needs to go into production; and 1 week out, when everything should be ready to load.

Why 12 weeks? A custom brand activation build typically takes us about 5 weeks. Before that, the concept has to be designed and approved by your team and by the venue or centre. After it, the kit has to be checked, packed and delivered. Twelve weeks leaves room for all of that without a rush. A simpler activation using catalogue kit can be done in less: our custom portable displays, for example, have a standard production time of 1.5 weeks once the order is placed and the artwork is print-ready.

Every venue and centre sets its own deadlines, so treat the timeline below as a planning guide and confirm the real dates with them. For a casual mall kiosk, our pop-up shop planning guide has a shorter timeline, and for trade shows, see how far in advance to plan for an exhibition.

12 weeks out: lock in the brief and the site

This is the planning stage. Decisions made now set the budget, the design and every deadline that follows.

• Set the objective and the measures. Decide what the activation is for (samples, sign-ups, sales) and how you'll count it.
• Choose and book the site. Ask the centre or venue what's available, the size of the site, the height limit and whether power is included. Our shopping centre managers directory lists who to contact. For busy retail periods, book earlier still: Stockland, for example, recommends enquiring as early as you can around key retail moments such as Back to School, Easter, Mother's Day, Black Friday and Christmas.
• Get the rules in writing. Ask for the centre's display guidelines or the venue manual, and the bump-in pack.
• Brief your build partner. Send the objective, site, dates and budget, and say whether the kit will be used once or tour. If you're working with us, your Client Services project manager is your one point of contact through to pack-down.
• Do the site inspection. Measure the space, the route from the loading dock, the power and the height before the design is drawn.

10 to 7 weeks out: design and approvals

• Review the concept. Expect 3D renders and drawings, then a round or two of changes. Agree how long each internal review takes.
• Lodge the design for approval. Centres and venues need time. Vicinity Centres' fit-out guidelines ask brands to allow at least 1 week for responses and approvals during the activation approval process, and say its premium centres may need additional levels of approval. Venue deadlines can be longer: the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre's exhibitor manual wants full design drawings for stands needing engineering approval not less than 20 business days before the commencement date. That means multi-storey stands over 2.4m high, or stands with a roof or ceiling over 18 square metres.
• Start the paperwork. Insurance, risk assessments and any permits for sampling, cooking, alcohol or competitions take time to arrange. If the activation includes a prize promotion decided by chance, check the trade promotion rules for each state it runs in or takes entries from.

6 weeks out: sign off and start production

• Sign off the build. Check the final drawings, materials, fire-rating documents and engineering, and make sure what you approve matches what the centre or venue approved. Once production starts, changes cost time and money.
• Order the build. With about 5 weeks of production, an order placed 6 weeks out finishes about a week before the live date (6 weeks less 5 weeks leaves 1 week), which is the margin you need for checks and freight.
• Book the people. Confirm the staff roster, the brand ambassadors and anyone presenting. Our guide to event staffing covers what to plan for.
• Book installation and freight. Confirm the bump-in and bump-out times with the site, then book the crew and the vehicle to match.

4 to 2 weeks out: artwork, logistics and site checks

• Finalise the artwork. Agree the artwork deadline with your build partner when you order, because late files push the whole schedule back. For catalogue displays, production time only starts once print-ready artwork is in.
• Send the documents the venue asks for. Under the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre's event safety guidelines, the Pre-Event Health and Safety Checklist for exhibitors is due no later than 21 days before the event. Under Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre's safety guidelines, activities such as amusement devices or placing heavy items need a full risk assessment, a description of the activity and public liability cover at least 14 days before.
• Visit the site again. Vicinity Centres strongly advises a site visit by your team 2 weeks before bump-in, especially if you're unfamiliar with the centre. Check that nothing has changed since your first inspection.
• Test and tag. Every electrical item should be tested and tagged before it goes to site. The display guidelines published by Cannon Hill Kmart Plaza spell out that this includes any new leads.

1 week out: ready to load

• Check the build before it leaves. Ask for it to be assembled and checked before it's packed, so any problem turns up in the workshop rather than at bump-in. We do this for every custom stand and activation build we make.
• Confirm the run sheet. Bump-in time, loading dock, security access, who arrives when, and who to call if something goes wrong.
• Brief the team. Objectives, key messages, how to record results, and the centre's rules for staff.
• Pack and label. Label every case, and keep a copy of the approvals, insurance certificate and fire-rating documents with the kit.

Activation week and after

• Bump-in: set up in the allocated window. Many centres want this done outside trading hours.
• Before opening: do a final walk-through. See our list of what to check before an event opens.
• During the activation: if something we supplied needs attention, we can help on site or after hours.
• Bump-out: pack down, remove everything and leave the site as you found it.
• Afterwards: report results against the measures you set 12 weeks earlier, and decide where the kit goes next. We can store it between uses and check it before its next outing.

Tell us your live date and site, or call 1300 240 250, and we'll map the production schedule back from there.