Wakes week used to empty the factories. Midlands plants still feel that inherited pause, even when the calendar no longer matches every town. For the expo team, Wakes 2026 is the week the hall can be treated as a workshop again: carcasses in, old tape up, and the floor opened for a proper reset before the next public open.
Exhibitor stands are the first job. A bay that looked fine on a 2020 digital booth often needs a new fascia height, a crate drop zone, and a cable plan that does not trip a buyer. We walk each plate with the same checklist a production engineer would use on a cell changeover.
Visitor-ready floors come second, not last. Swarf from a neighbouring demo, scuffed vinyl, and loading-dock dust all read as abandoned if they sit overnight. The Wakes window is long enough to seal the gangways and still leave a day for stand graphics to go up dry.
If your firm is bringing a machine that has lived in a London satellite or a show store, tell us early. The hall reset is easier when crate sizes and power draws arrive before the feast week ends, not the morning the doors are meant to open.
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