The Game Galleon - Exhibition Stand

The Game Galleon, an exhibition stand to the likes of which no one has seen before. A Merchant ship docking into the centre of an exhibition hall, standing proud as a jewel amongst a sea of shell-scheme style exhibition stands.



The Game Galleon is a pop-up shop designed for the UK's largest and most famous Gaming Event called Insomnia, organised by Multiplay. It was unveiled at Insomnia 55, also appearing at i56, i57 and i58. It also made a special appearance at Runefest, an annual celebration of the world-renowned MMORPG game Runescape.



Concept and Product designed by Dan Dugdale and built over an 8 week period by Event Prop Hire / EPH Studios. The Game Galleon is the perfect hybrid of fun sculptural form and functional design, bringing to life the excitement and imagination of the gaming world.





The product comprised of various design and build challenges. The whole exhibition stand had to flat pack down for transport then be assembled within a short time window. The design had to meet set safety regulations, be a functional 5 person working shop, as well as a staged area for promotional announcements. We managed to build something that stayed completely true to the concept without compromising the functionality.



A structural timber floor was designed that provided the additional support required for the mast. Two storage buildings were designed, these were hidden within the sculptural form of the ship. The mast comprised of a metal structure that bolted together and hinged from a base fitted to the floor. Traditional ship rope rigging techniques were used to hoist the mast safely and with ease. The main storage building provided the required ballast weight when combined with the structural floor. The ship was sculpted from high-density foam using CAD, machinery and skilled sculptors. These parts were coated with a 2 part plastic spray and designed to hook onto the storage buildings. The sails were designed and printed with Game’s brand colours, making their brand presence central to the overall build.