Setup and dismantling
We help planners and production teams supply crew for the physical build and break. Crew come from our network of 1,000+ freelancers, and we cover all seven emirates, with most planning centred on Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Our article on setup and close-down planning covers the scheduling side.
Setup crew turn an empty hall or ballroom into the space on your plan. They unload deliveries, carry and place furniture, lay out registration areas, put up signage and dress tables. They work to your floor plan and your production manager's schedule, and they keep loading areas clear for the next delivery.
During the build, crew support your production team with general labour, such as moving staging parts and running materials to the right area. If you need a dedicated production team, see our stage and production crew.
Some events need a room turned around mid-programme, such as a conference hall reset for a dinner. A changeover crew can stay on standby and reset the space in the time you have.
Venues set their own rules for build and break, and many ask for safety shoes or hi-vis vests. We confirm the venue's requirements in the brief, and crew arrive with the safety equipment the venue expects.
Once guests have gone, crew pack down furniture, collect signage, sort items for return and load out to the venue's handover schedule. They work through your checklist so nothing is left behind and the venue gets its space back as agreed.
Setup numbers depend on how much you are moving and how long you have to do it. Some rules of thumb we start from:
Email or call with your dates and an outline of the build.
We ask for the build and break schedule, loading access, the floor plan, what is being delivered and by whom, and any venue rules on working hours or safety equipment.
We select crew for physical work and match the team to the size and length of the build. If your event also needs guest-facing staff, we plan both teams together.
Before work starts, crew are briefed on the plan, the order of work, safety points and who gives instructions.
A Crew Lab team leader runs the crew and takes direction from your production manager.
In Abu Dhabi, an exhibition build at ADNEC works differently from an outdoor site on Yas Island, with longer carries and more exposure to the weather outdoors. In Dubai, builds at large exhibition centres such as DWTC and Expo City Dubai often run on fixed contractor schedules, and city hotels often have tight loading windows. We ask about the venue's rules in the brief and pass them to crew before they arrive. Our Abu Dhabi and Dubai pages cover each city in more detail. We also staff builds in Al Ain and the other emirates.
Yes, if the schedule allows. Using the same people for both means the team already knows where everything came from.
Explore more
Start with the details
Send your build and break schedule to info@thecrewlab.ae, or call 055 116 3168 to talk through the build. The contact page works too.