Major Exhibition

The Challenge

A major Australian exhibition running across four days had a brand activation planned across the primary hospitality zones. Custom-branded coffee cups were the centrepiece of the on-site consumer experience, both for functional service across multiple food and beverage vendors and as a photograph-friendly brand asset.

The activation brief was locked in late in the planning cycle. The client required 200,000 custom-printed 12oz double wall cups delivered to a Sydney staging warehouse with a four-week lead time from artwork sign-off to on-site delivery. Two prospective suppliers had already declined the timeline.

The cups needed to hold up across four days of high-volume service with variable weather, arrive in cartons that supported fast on-site distribution to multiple vendor stations, and photograph well in daylight and evening event conditions.

The Solution

Cups Galore accepted the brief and ran the job under Rush Order Service.

• Artwork finalised inside 48 hours of the initial brief through in-house design assistance
• 3D render approval completed in a single round with client marketing and event ops
• Production scheduled in parallel with existing runs, prioritised on the double wall line
• Branded cartons pre-labelled by vendor destination so the on-site logistics team could distribute stock to each hospitality zone without repacking
• Delivered to the Sydney staging warehouse three days ahead of the confirmed deadline

The Outcome

• All 200,000 cups delivered inside three weeks of artwork approval, one week ahead of the client's original timeline
• No cup performance issues reported across four days of on-site service
• On-site distribution to hospitality vendors handled inside a two-hour window on setup day
• Branded cups featured prominently in event social media coverage, extending the campaign reach beyond the on-site audience

What the client said

"We needed 200,000 branded cups for an activation with a four week lead time. Cups Galore delivered inside three."

– Brand Activation Lead

"Our event ran 40,000 cups across two days. Not one complaint on cup performance, and the branding photographed well on social."

– Events Manager

"Custom cups arrived in branded cartons, which made unpacking at the venue significantly easier for our staff."

– Venue Manager