Fleetwood Paints custom trade show stand case study at the Painting & Decorating Show, a bold UK market launch

Fleetwood Paints, Ireland’s leading paint brand, used the Painting & Decorating Show 2026 at Birmingham NEC to launch into the UK market. Motive Exhibitions designed and built the 11m x 3m custom trade show stand, with giant custom-built timber paint cans made in our Cambridgeshire workshop and a long counter with built-in storage.

Can you turn our idea into reality?

Fleetwood Paints are the market leader in Ireland and distribute around the world. But until now, they hadn’t had a presence in the UK. With a couple of great UK sales reps in place, the timing feeling right to launch into the market and the biggest industry show, the Painting & Decorating Show was the place to do it.

They’d had a smaller presence at the show the year before, but they needed to make a splash if they were going to do a launch. They came to Motive with sketches and ideas, including the giant paint cans. They thought it was going to be impossible. David Hennessy, Managing Director at Motive Exhibitions, reassured them it was absolutely possible and made some other suggestions on the space to make sure they’d measure up to their competitors. The Fleetwood Paints team were over the moon.

Giant paint cans, loud and proud

One huge cylindrical timber paint can, floor to stand height, wrapped in Fleetwood Paints Colour Perfect graphics. Designed and manufactured at Motive HQ in Cambridgeshire, graphics by our sister brand Motive Graphics, assembled on site in Birmingham. A tardis inside, perfect for the mountains of samples and giveaways. No one had to leave the trade stand for top-ups. And we didn’t stop there.

A long counter ran the length of the stand with lots more storage underneath, without the stand feeling cramped. On top sat three more large paint cans at counter height, each with artwork matching the actual cans they were giving away, alongside colour samples, brochures and Prestige Fine Paint swatches. A TV screen sat on another wall and console tables ran along the front for people to stop, sit down and chat.

The print on the wrapped cans was something the Fleetwood team specifically loved for the intensity of colour and finish.

Ireland’s number one paint brand, making their mark in the UK

“The ideas that the Fleetwood Paints team came to us with for the show were great. We can build anything here, literally anything, so I knew the paint cans were doable. But I also know the show and I could predict what the trade stand behind them might do and that we’d need to match it in stand dimension and height. That’s what we did, so Fleetwood Paints’ stand looks equal in stature, which gave them the edge to feel part of the market rather than nudging the edges. The cans and the finish look great and the colours have come out brilliantly. Sunday it was an empty space, by Monday on handover they had this.”

David Hennessy, Managing Director, Motive Exhibitions

“This is THE show to be at. It is the biggest painting and decorating show in the UK and if you want to launch your product or brand, this is the show to do it at. We feel like we’ve already achieved what we set out to do. Our stand looks as good as any competitor here, lots of comments and conversations and one of our stockists has already had a call from someone who spoke with us this morning and took a card. And that was just day one.”

UK National Sales Manager, Fleetwood Paints

What we delivered:

• Custom trade show stand design and build
• Custom-built cylindrical timber paint cans, designed and manufactured at Motive HQ
• Modular framework
• Long counter with built-in storage
• TV screen and AV
• Rental console tables
• Installation
• Dismantle
• Storage
• Logistics
• Project management

Ready to create your own showstopper?

Ready to make your next show your best one yet? Get in touch with the team at Motive Exhibitions