This checklist is for businesses preparing an exhibition, promotional or hospitality stand at the next Galway Races meeting at Ballybrit. It covers the booking enquiry, artwork, print, set-up and the weather planning that an outdoor racecourse in late July demands.

Event details change. Confirm dates, access times and exhibitor arrangements with Galway Racecourse before anything goes into production, because a banner carrying the wrong day or the wrong gate is a banner you pay for twice.

Work through it in order and you should arrive with a stand that is visible from the main visitor flow, steady in the wind, and stocked with everything your team needs to get through a seven-day festival.

When and where are the next Galway Races?

Summary: the next Galway Races Summer Festival runs Monday 26 July to Sunday 1 August 2027 at Ballybrit Racecourse, Galway, according to the official Galway Races summer festival page. That is seven consecutive days of racing, outdoors, with evening cards as well as afternoon ones.

Detail	What exhibitors need to know
Dates	Monday 26 July to Sunday 1 August 2027
Venue	Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit, Galway
Format	Seven days of racing, fully outdoors, afternoon and evening cards
Other meetings	Ballybrit also stages racing outside the summer week, so name the meeting you mean when you enquire
Exhibitor set-up and breakdown times	Not published online. Request them in writing from the racecourse

Each day of the festival has its own programme, and feature races and themed days are set edition by edition, so check the confirmed programme on the official site before you print anything day-specific. If you are planning around a different meeting rather than the summer week, say so in your first email.

Public gate times and exhibitor access are separate things, and only the first is usually published. Trade set-up and breakdown windows for Ballybrit are not listed publicly, so ask for them in writing through the racecourse contact page and keep the reply. Then follow the official website and social channels through race week for timetable and weather updates, which can shift access arrangements at short notice.

How do I book a promotional or exhibition stand at Galway Races?

Summary: there is no public trade-stand application form for Ballybrit. Commercial displays, sponsorship activations and promotional stands go through the racecourse's commercial team, whose sponsorship and advertising page covers partnerships, raceday sponsorship, hospitality and on-course advertising.

Make your first enquiry specific. A vague "we'd like a stand" email gets a slow reply; a short brief with numbers in it gets a useful one. Include:

Business name, sector and a one-line description of what you would be doing on site
Proposed stand footprint in metres, and whether the display is indoors or outdoors
Which race days you want, and whether you need the full week
Power requirements, staffing numbers and any vehicle access you need
Whether you plan product sampling, a competition or any form of trading

Expect the racecourse to ask for paperwork in return. Public liability insurance, a risk assessment, electrical certification for anything you plug in, and approval of your branding or artwork are all common requirements at Irish outdoor venues, but treat that list as a prompt for your enquiry rather than a set of confirmed rules. Ask the commercial team what they actually require and by when.

On cost: official stand rates are not published, so anyone quoting you a figure for a Ballybrit pitch is guessing. Price for a commercial presence at an event of this type generally depends on the location on the grounds, the footprint, how many days you take, the facilities provided, whether you are buying sponsorship alongside the space, and the nature of the activation. Get the number from the racecourse, not from a blog.

The milestone that matters is this one: written confirmation of the allocated space, its dimensions, any restrictions, your access route and the final fee. Until you have that, do not order event-specific signage.

What should be on my Galway Races stand checklist?

Summary: group the checklist by timing rather than by category, so nothing gets done in the wrong order. Booking first, artwork second, print third, logistics last.

Stage	What to tick off
Booking confirmed	Written confirmation of space, dimensions, days, restrictions and fee; insurance and risk assessment submitted
Stand plan	Scale layout, power and lighting positions, storage spot, staff rota drafted
Artwork approved	Sign-off internally and by the racecourse where required; final sizes locked to the confirmed pitch
Print ordered	Main sign, banners, directional and price boards, staff identification, table dressing
Delivery	Delivery address, contact name and date agreed; everything arrives before travel day, not on it
Set-up	Passes, unloading slot, toolkit, weights and fixings, stability and trip-hazard check
Event days	Daily stock count, print replenished, leads recorded, stand cleaned and reset each morning
Breakdown	All materials removed, waste taken away, damage noted, displays packed for reuse

For the stand itself, pack more than you think you need. A table or counter, chairs, lighting and the leads to power it, approved cable covers, a lockable storage box, a bin and bin bags, cloths and cleaning spray, a basic toolkit, cable ties, tape, spare fixings, weights for anything freestanding, and cover for both your stock and your staff.

On the brand side, the core set is a main stand sign that reads from a distance, banners to define your space, directional signs if visitors have to find you off the main walkway, a clear price or service board, your printed handouts and enquiry forms, a QR code that goes somewhere useful, promotional items worth keeping, and name badges so your team is identifiable at a glance.

Then the human part: a rota that accounts for long days and late finishes, an agreed dress code, three key messages everyone can deliver the same way, a lead capture method that works without signal, consent wording for anyone whose details you take, chargers, water, and a named person responsible for topping up print before it runs out. Finish with transport and parking arrangements, exhibitor passes, emergency contacts, a photographer or at least one person briefed to take pictures, and a plan for clearing the pitch completely when the meeting ends.

Which printed signs and display products will work best?

Summary: match the product to where it will stand. Ballybrit is an outdoor course in an Atlantic county, so anything exposed needs to be built for wind and rain, while sheltered hospitality areas can take lighter indoor systems.

Where it goes	What works	Why
Sheltered stand or hospitality area	Pull up banners	Up in a minute, easy to move between areas, good height for a key message
Barriers, fencing and stand fronts	PVC banners	Durable, weather-resistant, strong colour across a wide format
Exposed or elevated positions	Mesh banners	Perforated so wind passes through, which reduces load on fixings
Menus, prices, wayfinding	Printed boards	Rigid, quick to swap, readable close up
Shelter with branding	Branded gazebos	Cover for staff and stock, and a landmark people can be told to meet at
Hospitality furniture	Printed tablecloths	Turns a trestle table into a branded surface that photographs well

Handouts still matter at a racecourse, where phones and signal both struggle. Whatever you give out, keep it to one purpose: who you are, what you do, one reason to get in touch, and a phone number and website that work. Vouchers and cards carrying a QR code are worth testing, provided the destination is a mobile page that loads on a busy network and not a 12MB PDF.

Indoors, you can be subtler with type and colour. Outdoors, be blunt. Large type, high contrast, short copy, and one message per display rather than an attempt to fit your whole service list onto a single banner. If someone walking past at pace cannot work out what you sell in about three seconds, the sign is not doing its job.

Reusable displays almost always win on value across a season. A stand sign, gazebo or tablecloth carrying only your brand and offer will work at the summer week, other meetings and next year's shows. Keep the dated material small and cheap to replace: a swappable panel, a board, a stack of handouts with this edition's dates and offer terms. Lanyards and name badges sit in the same reusable category if you keep the year off them. Our printed lanyards are the sort of item worth ordering once and using for several seasons.

When should I order banners, signage and promotional materials?

Summary: work backwards from the confirmed exhibitor set-up time, not from the first race. Artwork preparation, proofing, production and delivery all need room, and so does the contingency you will be glad of if something comes back wrong.

When	What happens
Six to eight weeks out	Stand space booked and confirmed in writing; dimensions and display rules known; brief agreed internally
Three to four weeks out	Artwork finalised to the confirmed sizes, proofs approved, print ordered, delivery date and address agreed
Final week	Everything delivered and unpacked; displays test-assembled; stock counted; passes, rota and unloading slot confirmed
Set-up day	Build, secure and weight the stand; stability and sightline check; spares and tools stored on site

Do not finalise artwork before the racecourse has approved your location and told you what is permitted. Reprinting a stand sign because the pitch moved is an avoidable cost. Turnaround times vary by product and by how busy the studio is, so confirm the current production window when you place the order rather than assuming last year's.

On quantities, base the number on expected attendance across the days you are actually attending, your staffing level and what the stand is for. A two-person team taking appointments does not need the same volume as a sampling activation. Order a modest reserve of anything undated, and keep date-specific stock tight so you are not binning boxes on the Sunday night.

Before anything goes to press, check: event name spelled correctly, the correct year, offer terms and closing date, phone number, website, the QR code scanned on a real phone, bleed and trim, image resolution at final size, and the delivery address with a contact who will be there to sign for it.

How can I make my stand attract attention and generate enquiries?

Summary: pick one objective and build the stand around it. The racecourse's own marketing promotes its commercial partnerships as reaching 130,000 visitors, which sounds like an opportunity until you remember every other brand on site is chasing the same eyes.

Choose the single outcome: qualified leads, booked appointments, samples distributed, or awareness for a local service. Your main sign should communicate the value behind that outcome in a few seconds.
Keep the front of the stand open. A table across the entrance is a barrier, not a counter.
Put the strongest message at eye level, aimed at the direction most people approach from. Clutter below knee height and above head height does nothing.
Give people a reason to stop: a short demonstration, a competition with clear terms, a giveaway they would actually use, a race-week offer, or a QR code that leads somewhere worth scanning.
Collect consent properly wherever you take personal details, and say plainly what you will use them for.

Brief your team on one opening question that is not "can I help you at all", one consistent explanation of the offer, and a simple way to mark which conversations are worth following up. Assign someone to contact those leads within a few days of the meeting, while the conversation is still fresh in the visitor's mind.

Judge the week on conversations held, scans, handout uptake, qualified enquiries, appointments made and sales closed. Footfall past the stand tells you where you were standing, not how well you did.

How do I prepare an outdoor stand for Galway weather and safe operation?

Summary: plan for wind and rain in late July, because Ballybrit sits in open ground and a seven-day run will find any weakness in your set-up. Outdoor print should be weather-resistant, fixings should be rated for the job, and nothing loose should be left where it can lift.

Weight or anchor every freestanding display. Water weights, sandbags and proper ground fixings where permitted, never a chair leg and optimism.
Use mesh rather than solid banner material in exposed positions, and check tension and fixings each morning.
Store stock and paperwork in sealed boxes with lids, and keep spare cloths for wiping down surfaces between showers.
Ask the racecourse for its current rules on gazebos, banner placement, temporary structures, electrical equipment, fire safety, insurance cover and emergency access, through the official contact route, and get them in writing.
Agree in advance who decides to lower or remove a display when conditions turn, and make sure that person is on site every day.

Arrival logistics deserve the same attention. Confirm the approved entrance, exhibitor passes, your unloading slot, where vehicles go afterwards, whether trolleys can be used, and the route from the loading area to your pitch. Ground can be soft after rain, and a heavy counter on a sack truck across wet grass is a two-person job.

Once built, walk the stand and check it as a visitor would: displays stable when pushed, no cables across a walkway, no sightlines blocked for the people behind you, emergency routes clear. Repeat that check through each day as the crowd builds and the wind changes.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, and how do exhibitors get there?

The racecourse is at Ballybrit, Galway, and festival details are on the official Galway Races site. Visitor directions and exhibitor instructions are not the same thing: exhibitors need a named gate, a vehicle pass and a specific unloading time. Get those three things from the racecourse in writing before you travel.

Is Ballybrit Racecourse the same venue as Galway Racecourse?

Yes. Ballybrit Racecourse is the name many people use for Galway Racecourse, and it is the home of the Galway Races. If you are searching for "Ballybrit Racecourse Galway" or booking a delivery, either name will get you to the same place, though it is worth using the full official address on any delivery paperwork.

Where can I find Galway festival racing cards and daily race information?

For race cards, race times and results, check the racecourse's official festival pages. Timings and declarations change, sometimes on the day, so check the daily programme on site rather than reproducing provisional racing information on permanent signage. Anything printed weeks in advance should carry your message, not a race schedule.

Do I need different displays for other meetings at Ballybrit?

Not if you buy sensibly the first time. Keep the permanent displays free of dates and event names, and they will carry over to other meetings and to next summer without change. The items worth reprinting per meeting are the small ones:

Swappable panels or boards with current dates and offers
Handouts carrying this meeting's terms
Anything referencing a specific race day or promotion

Ready to print your Galway Races stand materials?

Send us the details and we will recommend displays suited to an outdoor week in late July. With over 20 years' experience in large-format print and display, we will check and proof your artwork before anything is printed.

Your confirmed stand dimensions and whether the pitch is sheltered or open
The race days you are attending and your set-up time
Quantities, artwork files and the delivery address
The date everything has to be with you

Book your space with the racecourse first, then come to us with the confirmation in hand so your artwork is built to the pitch you actually have. Request a quote or get in touch and we will come back with product recommendations, materials and a production schedule that works back from your set-up day.

Galway Races Stand Checklist: Essential Exhibition & Branding Guide for Ballybrit Racecourse