Custom fabrication turns a design into an actual booth — sheet goods, steel or aluminum frame, lighting integration, graphics panels, crated and truckable within show freight limits. For Tampa programs, fabrication has to account for TCC's loading constraints, Florida humidity during outdoor staging, and the compressed installation windows that central Florida shows typically publish.
We run custom fabrication in-house rather than outsourcing because the feedback loop between design, shop, and field install is where quality survives. The shop's tolerances, the finisher's paint booth, the laminator's substrate stock, and the crater's experience with downtown Tampa freight all affect the final product more than the renderer.
This service covers our fabrication process, the materials we use in the Florida market, how we handle structural engineering for hanging elements and double-deck builds at TCC, and the pack-out planning that keeps a booth cost-effective across multiple shows.
Focus areasFocus areas
- In-house shop — fabrication, finishing, graphics, crating under one roof.
- Materials chosen for Florida: humidity-tolerant substrates, UV-stable finishes, lightweight aluminum frames.
- Structural engineering review on hanging signs, double-decks, and heavy scenic walls.
- Freight-ready crating designed for the booth's rolling calendar.
- Graphics production in the same building — same-day reprints on finishing issues.
- Pre-build setup at the shop before freight.
Why in-house fabrication matters
We operate our own shop — CNC router, panel saws, welding bay, paint booth, laminators, graphics print room, and crating area in the same building. Booth fabrication is a series of handoffs, and every time a handoff goes across buildings or companies, quality drops and schedule slips.
A graphic that prints a half-shade off from the approved proof is a same-afternoon reprint in our building and a three-day delay across vendors. A scenic wall that doesn't seat cleanly against the floor is a shop-floor cabinetry adjustment in our building and a logistics negotiation everywhere else.
Materials chosen for Florida and for travel
We specify materials that perform in both the Florida climate and in freight. Gulf Coast humidity and temperature swings punish cheap laminates and unsealed MDF. For exterior-visible surfaces we prefer phenolic laminates, true hardwood veneers with catalyzed finishes, or high-pressure solid-surface materials.
For frame systems, lightweight extruded aluminum with concealed connectors reduces weight and freight cost compared to welded steel, and it disassembles cleanly for reuse. We use welded steel where the design genuinely requires it — double-deck stair stringers, cantilevered hanging sign armatures, heavy kinetic elements — and we engineer those with stamped drawings.
Graphics substrates: tension fabric for large wall fields, direct-print Sintra for crisp rigid graphics, backlit fabric for illuminated hero walls, dye-sub for reusable modular graphics.
Structural engineering inside the fabrication workflow
Hanging signs, double-deck exhibits, cantilevered scenic elements, and heavy rigging all need structural engineering review before TCC will approve them. We keep a structural engineering partner on retainer so approval drawings come back inside the fabrication schedule, not after it.
Double-deck builds at TCC require stamped drawings, load calculations, stair and rail compliance, and usually an on-site engineer walk at install. With TCC's 30-foot ceilings, double-decks have good vertical clearance — but the structural engineering requirements are still rigorous.
Custom Exhibit Fabrication frequently asked questions
How long does custom exhibit fabrication take for a Tampa show?
8 to 12 weeks from design lock for a standard custom build, plus 3 to 4 weeks of overlapping graphics production. Double-deck exhibits or heavy custom scenic can push to 14–16 weeks.
Do you build double-deck exhibits for Tampa Convention Center?
Yes. TCC's 30-foot ceilings give double-decks real headroom. The builds require stamped structural drawings, load calculations, code-compliant stairs and rails, and usually an on-site engineer review at install.
Can you match a booth built by another vendor?
Often, yes — we can match finishes, graphics, and dimensional intent. We cannot guarantee exact structural integration with another shop's proprietary frame systems.
Do you build booths we can reuse for Orlando or Atlanta?
Every custom build is designed for modular reuse unless the client explicitly wants single-use scenic. We document pack-out, re-install sequence, and graphics swap points.
What materials do you avoid in Florida?
Unsealed MDF, cheap paper laminates, water-based finishes on exterior scenic, and untreated softwood structural elements. Gulf Coast humidity destroys them.
Can we visit the shop during fabrication?
Yes — we encourage a mid-fabrication walk and always invite clients to the pre-build.
How do you handle graphics changes during fabrication?
In-house graphics means same-day reprints on anything that changes after approval. We hold the final artwork release until we have pre-built structure.
Next step
Scope a Tampa custom fabrication project
Send the design, show dates, budget frame, and any existing structural elements we need to integrate with. We'll come back with a fabrication scope, material specs, and a realistic timeline within a few days.