Your Holiday World Show stand has to be built, dressed and ready by 10pm on Thursday 21 January 2027, because the doors open to the travel trade at 9.30am the next morning. Here's the checklist we'd give any exhibitor heading to RDS Simmonscourt: the fixed dates, what to pack, which displays suit a travel brand, the rules your signage has to meet, and how to turn a busy weekend into bookings.

Key dates and exhibitor details for Holiday World Show Dublin 2027

Holiday World Show Dublin 2027 runs from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 January 2027 at RDS Simmonscourt, Ballsbridge. The organisers describe it as "Ireland's largest and best attended annual public exhibition". Its exhibitors come from Ireland and abroad and cover every style of holiday (Holiday World Show visitor information). A separate Belfast show runs earlier in January, so make sure your delivery labels and artwork files all say Dublin.

What	Detail
Show dates	Friday 22 to Sunday 24 January 2027
Venue	RDS Simmonscourt, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 E6N6
Friday 22 January	9.30am to 12.30pm trade only, then 12.30pm to 5pm public and trade
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January	10am to 5pm, public and trade
Stand ready, all exhibits installed	By 10pm on Thursday 21 January 2027
Space-only stand designs	Approved by the organisers at least 28 days before opening
Official show guide deadline	Friday 11 December 2026 for editorial and prize submissions
Stand booking	Stand Enquiry Form on the Become an Exhibitor page

That Friday morning matters more than it looks. Your first visitors are the travel trade, so the stand has to look finished before 9.30am on day one, not still coming out of its bags. Build-up times, height limits and shell scheme sizes belong in the 2027 Exhibitor Information Manual. Check the official Holiday World Show website for it before you order anything tall.

Your Holiday World Show stand checklist

Pack against a written list, label every case with your company name and stand number, and photograph what's inside before you seal it. When something goes missing at 8pm on the Thursday, that photo settles it in seconds.

Stand confirmation, stand number and floor plan, printed and on your phone
Backdrop or fabric wall, with its carry bags and spare connectors
Pull up banners, counters and table covers
Fire certificates for every fabric graphic
Brochures and handouts, already approved by the organisers
Tablets, screens, chargers and adapters
Gaffer tape, cable ties, Velcro, scissors and spare pens
Wipes, bin bags and a compact first-aid kit
Staff lanyards, the rota, water and comfortable shoes

Keep the small essentials (tape, chargers, certificates, lead forms) in one grab bag rather than buried at the bottom of a case. Ask the organisers what's permitted on electrics before you bring your own extension leads.

What to order and when

Work back from the fixed points. The awkward part is that most of the run-up falls across Christmas, when your designers, your suppliers and probably you are off.

Now to early November 2026: book your stand and confirm its exact dimensions before you order anything sized to it.
Before Friday 11 December 2026: send any prize or editorial for the official show supplement in the Sunday Independent. The organisers warn exhibitors about scam "show guide" companies, so ignore anyone else selling a listing.
Mid-December: space-only exhibitors need design approval at least 28 days before opening, and that deadline falls on Christmas Day. We'd get drawings in well before the break.
Before Christmas: sign off artwork and place your display order. We'd much rather print it in December than on 4 January.
One to two weeks out: build the whole stand in your office or warehouse, check every graphic and replace anything damaged.
Thursday 21 January: build on site and be finished by 10pm.

Choosing a show display stand for a travel brand

For most travel exhibitors we'd go with a reusable, freestanding system rather than a one-off custom build. The 2027 Exhibitors Rules and Regulations ban nails, screws and drilling into the venue's floors, walls, doors and pillars, so everything on your stand has to stand up on its own anyway.

On a shell scheme, two or three pull up banners are the quickest win: they fit in a car boot and go up in minutes. A wide pull up banner gives you one unbroken destination image across the back wall. If you exhibit at several consumer shows a year, interchangeable pop up banners let you swap the graphic for each audience and keep the base.

For a bigger presence, portable exhibition fabric walls or curved tension fabric displays give you a seamless backdrop with no visible joins. A 2m x 3m lightbox makes a beach or a fjord glow across a busy hall. These frames last for years, so at your second show you pay for a new graphic, not a new stand. That's where reusable beats custom-built on value.

Whatever you choose, keep the copy short. One strong destination photo, a headline of five or six words and your logo will do more from four metres away than a wall of text. The rules also require all display materials to be fire-proofed and any decorative cloth to be stretched against a solid backing. Ask us for flame-retardant fabric and keep the certificates on your stand.

Signage that stops people in the aisle

Visitors scan a stand in a couple of seconds, so your signs need to give them a reason to stop. A named destination and a show-only offer beat "Welcome to our stand" every time.

Pavement signs work well indoors, but the rules say the aisle in front of your stand must be kept clear. Put your A-board signs just inside your own footprint, angled towards the flow of people. On a corner, a double sided pull up banner catches visitors coming from both directions. Feather flags or teardrop flags at the front corners mark your edges and add height without taking up floor space.

Overhead hanging banners can be seen from across the hall. Before you order one, confirm with the organisers that hanging is allowed above your stand. All printed matter also needs the organisers' approval, and you can only display or hand it out from your own stand, so nothing goes on walls elsewhere in the hall. Offer boards printed on Foamex PVC board are light enough to sit on a counter or clip to a wall panel.

Planning space, power and set-up at the RDS

Start with the stand dimensions the organisers confirm, not the ones you remember, and draw your layout to scale. Mark the counter, the screens, a space for conversations and a hidden storage corner, then check that two people can walk in side by side.

Ask what your stand package includes and what you have to order separately. Power sockets, lighting, furniture, Wi-Fi and flooring are the usual questions. Loading routes, unloading slots, parking and contractor access are set out in the 2027 Exhibitor Information Manual, so plan your delivery van around that, not last year's arrangements. Music or film on the stand needs the appropriate licence.

Clutter is what makes a compact stand feel cramped. Coats, boxes and spare stock go out of sight. A pop up counter with storage inside does that job and carries your branding on the front. For a focal point at the front of the stand, a 1m x 1m lightbox counter works as a lead desk, and branded stretch fabric table covers make hired tables look like part of the stand.

Turning conversations into leads

On a small stand, one clear focal point and an open front will bring in more people than extra furniture. Don't put a table across the entrance. Let visitors step in.

Brief your team before the doors open. Agree one opening question ("Where are you thinking of going this year?"), the show offer, two qualifying questions and exactly how contact details get recorded. Itinerary cards, a quick destination quiz or a show-only consultation give people a reason to stay. If you run a prize draw, the organisers can list it on the show website. Only take contact details with clear consent for follow-up, in line with GDPR, and get in touch within a week while the trip is still on their mind. Branded recycled rPET lanyards make your team easy to spot.

The same kit works at other RDS shows. If you're also exhibiting at the Ideal Home Show, The Wedding Show at the RDS or the Nevo Electric Vehicle Show, those checklists follow the same approach.

FAQs

Is the Holiday World Show held at the RDS in Dublin?

Yes. The Dublin show takes place at RDS Simmonscourt, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 E6N6, from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 January 2027.

What are the opening hours, and when can exhibitors get in?

On Friday 22 January the show is open to the trade only from 9.30am to 12.30pm, then to the public and trade from 12.30pm to 5pm. Saturday and Sunday run from 10am to 5pm. Exhibitor access and build times are separate and are set out in the 2027 Exhibitor Information Manual. Your stand must be complete by 10pm on Thursday 21 January.

How do I book a stand and what does it cost?

Use the Stand Enquiry Form on the official Become an Exhibitor page. Stand prices aren't published, so ask the organisers for current availability, what the package includes and a written quote.

What is the best show display stand for a small travel stand?

We'd suggest a wide pull up banner or a fabric wall at the back, a counter at the front and one flag on the corner. It all stands on its own, goes up quickly and can be reused at your next show.

How many visitors and leads should exhibitors expect?

The organisers describe it as Ireland's best attended annual public exhibition, but the number of leads you get depends far more on your offer, stand position, staff briefing and follow-up than on footfall alone.

Get your stand ready for January

Send us your stand size, your deadline and what you already have, and we'll recommend a kit that suits it. Contact us for a quote.

Holiday World Show Dublin Display Stand Checklist