Five essential tips to consider when conceiving your dream exhibition trailer
July 29, 2015
At Cosby Suppliers we’ve been designing and building bespoke exhibition trailers for many years. We work with small and medium enterprises, as well as global brands and household names. As such, we’ve accumulated an unrivalled range of experience and expertise, particularly useful when helping new customers decide exactly what kind of exhibition trailer they require.
Here are five essential tips to consider when conceiving your dream exhibition trailer or specialty vehicle:
1. Size matters – Small, medium or large?
The size of your exhibition trailer will be influenced by its end use. There’s no point building a small vehicle if you want to encourage large, consistent visitor numbers and heavy footfall, or create a large, open plan mobile environment if what you really need is small, intimate spaces to fulfil your requirements. If size matters and you need a lot of space, an articulated lorry trailer with expanding side pods can provide the maximum mobile floor space you require. Take a look at these exhibition trailer examples we’ve previously built for IBM, Heidelberg, and Parker Hannifin.
If you don’t require the largest footprint then small and medium sized solutions are available. Medium sized exhibition trailer and truck solutions can utilise 7.5 tonne vehicles, such as this example for Event Marketing Solutions (EMS), and this one for First Movements. Small exhibition trailers provide a vehicle solution that requires no advanced driving qualification (large and medium options do) and so provide the added advantage of being utilised by anyone with a valid driving license. Cosby Supplier examples of this vehicle class include this exhibition trailer for Volkswagen/Skoda.
2. The generation game – Power to the people
Long gone are the days when a mobile exhibition trailer was simply a box on wheels, without the comforts of the office or retail showroom. On-board power generation is now commonplace for exhibition trailers and vehicles, providing end users with a comprehensive mains electric system which provides for lighting, electrical appliances (such as large TV screens and computers) and power points. Our generators can also power any custom equipment you wish to install, such as dehumidification equipment or ATM machines.
We have a dedicated team who are experts in sourcing and installing generators, suitable for your exacting needs, ranging from baby portable units all the way up to those generating hundreds of kVA. We have installed generators that are air cooled and water cooled, as well as integral or remote radiators.
3. Blowing hot and cold – Environmental controls
Speaking of cool air, with power generation comes the option of air conditioning. We can integrate basic roof mounted units for small vans and trailers, through inverter style split package units, all the way up to bespoke plant for the most demanding applications.
Air conditioning is critical if your exhibition trailer is showcasing heat intensive equipment, such as computer servers. Take a look at this example for ICW Power. It’s also vital for maintaining a balanced, pleasurable interior environment for visitors to your exhibition trailer.
At Cosby Suppliers acoustic treatment of sets is one of our specialities, providing both noise and vibration reduction by mounting sets within a variety of enclosures. On-going after sales practicality is at the forefront of our exhibition trailer build, incorporating side doors and slide out rails to provide optimum access for servicing and maintenance. The generator’s fuel tanks can either be built integral or remote to the enclosure.
4. Seeing the light – Glazing
No matter the size of your exhibition trailer, ultimately it is unlikely to match the footprint of your fixed premises showroom or office, or its height. This could lead to a sense of claustrophobia if your vehicle doesn’t take advantage of our expertise and insight. Utilising glass panels is a great way of enhancing your mobile space, drawing in natural daylight and creating the sense of openness necessary to maximise the appeal of your exhibition trailer. This exhibition trailer for Ducati is a great example of glazing opening up limited space.
Glazing can be combined with expanding side pods to further enhance the footprint, openness and visitor experience, and when combined with a double decker layout provide an unrivalled visitor experience, such as this example for global automotive giant, Audi.
5. From Idea to design, build to delivery – Planning is everything
We all appreciate and understand the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and this is particularly true when it comes to exhibition trailers. At Cosby Suppliers we design and build bespoke speciality vehicles – we don’t provide ‘off the shelf’ outside broadcast vehicles, medical trailers, motorsport trailers, marketing trailers or exhibition vehicles.
From your original specialty vehicle ‘dream’ to our final delivery takes time. Bespoke design and build is by its very nature subject to time, availability, resources and circumstance. That’s why it is vital for anyone requiring a exhibition trailer to plan ahead and provide sufficient time for their vehicle to be created.
Alas this is not always the case, and it has been Cosby Suppliers’ misfortune to have to turn away enquiries and requests for our services which have simply not been realistic enough in their planning and delivery expectations. Of course we will always consider all requests and do our utmost to meet expectations, but sometimes it’s impossible to accommodate unrealistic requirements.
The best way to avoid disappointment is to contact Cosby Suppliers as soon as possible, even if your speacilty vehicle idea is just an initial thought. We can talk through your ideas, explore your requirements and provide an honest, realistic assessment of what’s involved and what can be delivered within your timeframe and budget. Call us today on +44 (0) 116 286 2564 for an informal chat in complete commercial confidence. Alternatively, complete our online contact form, or email us at [email protected].
