Investors in People

Various shows

Case study

The stand

CUSTOM

Various sizes

Various plot sizes

Space only

The project

One brand, recognisable whether the plot is 18 square metres or 45.

Investors in People exhibits across the HR and people calendar, from CIPD Festival of Work and CIPD ACE to World of Learning and UNLEASH, and no two plots are the same. We designed a modular stand system that reshapes to fit each space, from full space only builds down to shell schemes.

The constant is the laurel. Every version is built around it, with sustainable, reusable components and a layout that puts conversation first, so delegates recognise Investors in People on sight, whatever the size of the stand.

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How we built it.

01. The brief.

No two Investors in People stands are built to the same footprint. Their stands typically range from 18 to 45 square metres, mostly bespoke space only builds with a few shell schemes thrown in. The brief was never to design one stand. It was to design a system, modular enough to fit whatever plot they’d been given and distinctive enough that a delegate would recognise the brand on sight, whatever the configuration.

02. The brand.

Investors in People has been the UK benchmark for people management since 1991, now working as a social enterprise with one purpose, making work better. Their objectives at every show blend brand awareness with lead generation. Their laurel symbol carries decades of accreditation behind it, and it needed to anchor every stand the same way it anchors the brand itself, instantly recognisable wherever it showed up.

Before · sketch

Before · 3D visuals

After · on the show floor

03. The build.

We built the stand system around the one thing that never changes, the laurel. Modular components let the team reconfigure the space for whatever footprint a show demands, from a full space only build down to a shell scheme. Sustainable material choices keep the whole programme reusable, so components are reconfigured show to show rather than rebuilt from scratch, cutting waste and rebuild time.

Light-touch digital elements and a considered layout keep the focus on conversation, not screens, and the team on the stand is briefed to put conversation quality ahead of volume. Within that system, each show gets its own moments. In 2024, a laurel seat became a signature photo spot that turned visitors into social posts without anyone having to ask. At CIPD Festival of Work 2025, the stand went bold, with balloons overhead and a counter topped in on-brand terrazzo. Thoughtful giveaways and printed collateral, chosen to be kept rather than binned at the station, round it off. Big or small, every version reads as Investors in People at a glance.

04. The results.

Investors in People keeps the detail behind the numbers close, but the pattern is consistent. Strong footfall driven by the giveaways and the stand design, steady positive social activity during and after each show, and delegate feedback that keeps landing the same way, warm, memorable and unmistakably them.

This isn’t a one-off build. It’s years of the same team learning what works, what to reuse and what to reconfigure for the next room.

“Rocket-X have been a fantastic partner for us, designing and building brilliant stands that have supported the presence and impact of our brand at key exhibitions. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the events space needing support with the design and build of stands or other event structures.”

Investors in People • Google Reviews

Even the ideas that never made it to a show floor, themed structures explored and set aside, stayed true to what the brand needed next. That’s what a real partnership looks like. Fewer surprises, better stands, every single time.

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