The next Wedding Show at the RDS runs on 23 and 24 January 2027, and if you are a wedding supplier planning to exhibit, the work starts long before the doors open. Two days in the Main Hall puts you in front of couples who are actively booking, alongside venues, dressmakers, photographers, florists, cake makers and entertainers doing exactly the same thing. This checklist covers the practical side of that: booking your stand, ordering printed display materials, set-up, staffing, lead capture and follow-up.

Printroom has over 20 years' experience in large-format print and display, so this checklist focuses on the practical jobs that make a stand work. Dates, hours and stand details change between editions, so confirm everything against the official Wedding Show website before you order anything.

When and where is the next Wedding Show at the RDS?

Summary: the next edition runs on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January 2027 at the RDS Main Hall in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, from 10am to 5pm on both days. The show runs twice a year, and the following edition is booked for 4 and 5 September 2027.

Detail	Information
Next edition	Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January 2027
Visitor opening hours	10am to 5pm both days
Venue	RDS Main Hall, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Following edition	4 and 5 September 2027
Exhibitor enquiries	Become an exhibitor at wed.ie

The value of the RDS show is concentration. Engaged couples come to Ballsbridge to compare suppliers in person, often with family in tow, and they arrive with questions ready. That is a very different conversation from a website enquiry form. The audience spans couples who got engaged at Christmas and are starting from scratch, and couples with a date locked in who are filling the last gaps in their supplier list.

Plan around the show's programme too. Any scheduled features or talks will move footfall around the hall in waves, so check the organiser's published programme before the show and make sure your stand is fully staffed when the busy periods come.

One point worth double-checking: the show runs twice a year, and older pages and social posts may still show past dates. Work only from the January 2027 dates and booking information on the official site.

Which exhibitor stand should I book for my wedding business?

Summary: compare the available stand sizes with the organiser's sales team, then pick the smallest stand that comfortably fits your display, your storage and the conversation you need to have.

Stands at the RDS show are offered in a set range of sizes, and each one comes with walls, carpet, lighting and a name panel as standard. Balcony options are available on some of the smaller stands.

Stand size	Typically suits	What it comfortably holds
2m x 2m	Solo suppliers: celebrants, stationers, small accessory brands	One backdrop wall, a counter, one roller banner
3m x 2m	Photographers, videographers, cake makers	Full-width backdrop, counter, seating for two
4m x 2m	Venues and suppliers who need consultation space	Backdrop, table with two chairs, sample display
3m x 4m	Bridalwear, larger venues, multi-brand groups	Walk-in layout, rails or product display, seated area

Match the stand to how you actually sell. A photographer or a venue needs somewhere a couple can sit for five minutes and look through an album or a brochure without being jostled in the aisle. A product-led business needs shelving, sample space and room to demonstrate. Those are different floor plans, and picking the wrong one is expensive.

First-time exhibitors often assume bigger is better. It is not. A tidy 2m x 2m stand with one clear message and good lighting beats a 3m x 4m stand crowded with furniture, leaflets and boxes. Our companion piece on getting big results from a small RDS stand goes through the layout side in detail.

Contact the stand sales team early through the official exhibitor page. Stands are subject to availability, so the choice of size and position is likely to narrow the closer you get to January.

What should be on my RDS stand set-up checklist?

Summary: build the checklist in two halves, the display print you order weeks ahead, and the kit box you pack the night before. Confirm the organiser's stand rules and your exact wall and name panel dimensions before any graphics go to print.

Display print to order early:

A branded backdrop. Zipper wall systems give you one continuous printed surface with no visible joins, and the graphic packs down into a bag.
Pull up banners for the flanks of the stand, readable from five metres down the aisle.
A printed tablecloth so your table reads as part of the stand rather than borrowed furniture.
A branded counter to give staff somewhere to stand, store bags and run lead capture.
Lightbox displays if your work is visual. Backlit portfolio images hold attention in a hall with mixed overhead lighting.
Printed lanyards with staff names, so couples know who they are talking to.

Take-away print matters just as much, and it comes from your usual supplier: cards, a short price or package guide, appointment cards and any show voucher you are running. Keep the copy short, the type readable at arm's length, the branding identical to the stand, and put one clear next action on every piece.

The kit box for both days:

A printed stand plan with measurements, plus a copy of your exhibitor pack
Furniture you are supplying yourself, and anything you need to cover or dress it
Extension leads and chargers, if the organiser permits them at your stand
Storage for bags, coats and spare stock, out of sight
Samples, an album or portfolio, and printed price information
Cleaning cloths, a small bin, scissors, gaffer tape, cable ties and spare batteries
Water, food and a rota so nobody eats at the stand
A repair kit: spare graphic clips, a spirit level, safety pins and a marker

To make a small stand inviting, keep the front open so people can step in, use one strong message on the backdrop instead of five competing ones, and display work vertically at eye level rather than flat on a table. Remove anything that creates a barrier between you and the aisle.

Think about where your imagery places a couple. Visitors are at very different stages, from newly engaged and still choosing a style, to eight weeks out and booking the last two suppliers. Images that show a recognisable style, plus a clear line about what you offer and who it suits, help both groups work out in three seconds whether they should stop.

How should my team run the stand and collect leads on the day?

Summary: staff the stand so somebody is always free to greet, brief the team before the doors open, and capture qualified details with explicit consent rather than a bowl of business cards.

As a rule of thumb, allow two people on a 2m x 2m or 3m x 2m stand and three on anything larger, with enough cover that breaks never leave the stand empty. Assign roles rather than letting everyone hover.

Role	Responsibility
Greeter	Faces the aisle, makes eye contact, opens conversations
Qualifier	Establishes date, venue, service needed and budget fit
Demonstrator	Shows the portfolio, samples or product in detail
Closer	Books consultations and records the agreed next step

Run a fifteen-minute briefing before opening on each day. Cover the offer, two or three conversation openers, the questions you know couples will ask, where pricing conversations stop, the terms of any competition, and the show programme so everyone knows when the rush is likely to come.

Keep the visitor journey simple. Make eye contact, ask where they are in their planning, work out quickly whether you are a fit, show the one piece of work that matches what they described, then ask permission to take their details and agree a specific next step.

On lead capture, paper forms, a tablet or a QR code all work. What matters under GDPR is that the details are collected fairly. Use a separate, unticked marketing consent statement, link or display your privacy notice at the stand, keep the paper somewhere secure rather than loose on the counter, and keep competition entry separate from marketing consent so entering the draw does not silently sign someone up to your mailing list.

Record context, not just contacts. A line noting the wedding date, the venue, the service they need and what you agreed to send is worth more than fifty names with nothing attached.

How can I avoid stand mistakes and measure whether the show was worthwhile?

Summary: most first-time problems are presentation and process failures, and both are fixable before you arrive. Decide how you will measure the show before you go, not in March.

Mistakes worth designing out:

Branding that does not say what you do, so people have to stop and read to find out
Too much text on the backdrop and not enough on the one thing you want remembered
Furniture or a table blocking the entrance to the stand
Relying on hall lighting alone for dark portfolio images
Staff eating, sitting down or on their phones in full view
No agreed lead capture process, so details end up on three different notepads
Running out of take-away print by lunchtime on Saturday
A prize draw that collects hundreds of entries without qualifying a single one

Follow up on a schedule. Send anything you promised within 24 hours while the conversation is still fresh, call your hot leads within two working days, and personalise every message using the notes you took. Warm leads can wait until the end of the week, then move into a nurture sequence. Follow up a second time, and a third if the wedding date is still distant, but space it out.

Extend the two days by booking consultations at the stand, adding leads to an email sequence with their consent, posting stand and behind-the-scenes content across the weekend, and retargeting only where you have a valid legal basis and the platform allows it.

Measure	Why it matters
Qualified leads	Separates real prospects from total footfall
Consultations booked	The strongest same-day indicator of return
Quotes issued and bookings won	The figure that decides whether you rebook
Cost per lead	Total spend divided by qualified leads
Total spend	Stand fee, print, travel, accommodation, staffing

Frequently asked questions

What are the opening, exhibitor set-up and breakdown times?

The show is open to visitors from 10am to 5pm on both 23 and 24 January 2027. Exhibitor access, build-up and breakdown times are not published on the website, so confirm them directly with the organiser and check whether separate passes or vehicle access instructions apply at the RDS.

How do I book an exhibitor stand, and when is the deadline?

Book through the exhibitor page on the official site, where you can contact the sales team directly. Have your business name, the service you offer, your preferred stand size and any position preference ready. No fixed cut-off date is published, so stands are subject to availability and the better positions go early.

How much does a stand cost, and what is included in the fee?

Prices are not published, so request a quotation from the organiser. Stands include walls, carpet, lighting and a name panel. When you get the quote, confirm:

Whether VAT is included
Exact wall dimensions and name panel size
Electricity supply and Wi-Fi
Furniture, or whether you supply your own
Number of exhibitor passes
Insurance requirements and any optional extras

How early should I order display graphics?

Allow several weeks for a full stand build so there is time for artwork, proofing and a test assembly. Next-day delivery is available on many orders, but leave yourself a buffer rather than relying on it. Confirm your stand dimensions with the organiser before you send artwork.

Can I use the same display at other wedding fairs?

Yes, if you avoid printing the dates on it. Modular fabric systems, roller banners and tablecloths all reuse across regional wedding fairs, venue open evenings and the September RDS edition. Keep the show-specific detail on the take-away print, which is cheaper to reprint.

Ready to prepare your Wedding Show RDS stand?

Summary: work through the sequence below and you will arrive at Merrion Road in January with a stand that fits, graphics that fit the walls and a team that knows what it is doing.

Confirm the January 2027 dates, hours and exhibitor access details with the organiser
Book your stand and get the exact wall and name panel measurements in writing
Decide your layout, then choose the display that suits it
Finalise artwork and proof it against those measurements
Order print early and test-assemble everything before the show
Brief your team and set up your lead capture the week before

We can handle the print side end to end, from the backdrop and banners to counters, tablecloths and lightboxes, with artwork checked before anything goes on press. Tell us your stand size and what you need it to do, and we will quote per job. Get in touch for print advice or a quotation.

The Wedding Show at the RDS Stand Checklist