Service focus
Custom Exhibit Fabrication
Custom Exhibit Fabrication is one of the service lines buyers in Fort Worth and DFW use to get a show from concept to close-out. Custom fabrication in DFW means wood and metal shop work, CNC milling, paint booths, sewn graphics, and LED integration — executed to a drawing package that accounts for freight dimensions and crate reuse.
Budget, Scope, And Change Orders
Custom Exhibit Fabrication costs move on three axes: hardware or fabrication, labor hours, and show-services orders (electrical, rigging, drayage). A clean quote names each so the client can see where a late change lands on the invoice.
The most common budget leak is floor-rate utility orders — electrical ordered at the show is typically 40-60% more than the advance rate. The scope should protect that deadline aggressively.
What To Confirm Before Approval
Confirm the ship date, the pre-set window, and whether a client walkthrough will happen before crates close — late approvals during fabrication cause the most expensive rework.
Most scope problems come from late approvals on items that affect freight ship dates. The drawing set, the graphics files, and the show-services order forms usually have the tightest deadlines — everything else moves around them.
How The Work Moves On The Floor
On install day, custom exhibit fabrication runs against a sequence: crate unload, carpet down, frame up, graphics, electrical drops, AV integration, lighting focus, client walkthrough. Each step unlocks the next. Out-of-order work costs hours.
A good on-site supervisor has decision authority up to a defined dollar number, a direct cell line to the client, and a printed run-of-show on a clipboard — because Wi-Fi at the show floor is rarely reliable during install.
After The Show
A well-fabricated booth survives three to five shows if it's stored properly and refreshed between cycles, which is where rental graphics and modular substitutions keep it looking current.
Dismantle paperwork — empty labels, bill of lading, damage photos — is also the insurance-claim file. Skipping it costs money three weeks later when a cracked panel surfaces during unpack.
What Custom Exhibit Fabrication Actually Covers
Custom fabrication in DFW means wood and metal shop work, CNC milling, paint booths, sewn graphics, and LED integration — executed to a drawing package that accounts for freight dimensions and crate reuse.
The fabrication team builds in a shop, pre-sets the booth in daylight to catch alignment issues, photographs the pre-set for the client record, then crates and ships with a detailed setup plan.
Venue And Schedule Realities
Venue rules drive the operational side of custom exhibit fabrication in Fort Worth and DFW. Fort Worth Convention Center requires Edlen for electrical and Inspire Solutions for rigging; Kay Bailey Hutchison uses Freeman AV for exclusive rigging and Sodexo Live for food and beverage. Scopes that assume the wrong provider get rejected at move-in.
Dock schedules and move-in windows vary by show. A 4 a.m. Kay Bailey dock call is not the same job as a 10 a.m. Arlington Convention Center start — the labor call, the freight staging, and the on-site decision speed all change.