Planning a Traveling Dinosaur Exhibition: Layout, Footprint and Flow

Design for the smallest venue, not the first one

A touring exhibition will be installed in venues of different shapes and sizes. If the layout only works in the original hall, every stop becomes a redesign. Set a minimum viable footprint and treat extra space as an upgrade, not a requirement.

Build in modules

Split the exhibition into modules that can be added, removed or reordered. A ten-piece show and a twenty-piece show should share the same entrance moment and the same exit. Modules also make storage and transport predictable between stops.

Flow is the product

Visitors remember the sequence more than any single piece. Decide the reveal order, the dwell points and the bottleneck. A large animatronic placed where people stop to photograph will cause a jam every weekend. Position the big draw after the narrow point, not inside it.

Sightlines and ceilings

Ceiling height, column spacing and door dimensions decide which pieces can enter at all. Measure them before signing a venue, and keep a document that every venue can check against. A mounted skeleton that cannot pass the loading door is a wasted stop.

Storage between stops

Touring shows live in storage as long as they live on display. Crates, climate and access need planning, and the storage plan should be part of the original design rather than an afterthought.

DinoCG designs touring exhibitions in modules with documented footprints and ceiling requirements, so the same show can be installed across different venues without redesign.

Chinese Version

按最小的场馆设计

巡展会进入形状和面积各不相同的场馆。如果布局只在最初的大厅成立，每一站都要重做设计。先确定最小可行占地，把多余空间当作升级项，而不是必需条件。

做成模块

把展览拆成可增、可减、可调序的模块。十件套和二十件套应共享同一个入口记忆点和同一个出口。模块化也让各站之间的仓储和运输变得可预期。

动线就是产品

观众记住的是顺序，而不是某一件展品。要确定揭示顺序、停留点和瓶颈位置。把大型仿真恐龙放在人们停下拍照的地方，每个周末都会堵；应该放在窄点之后，而不是窄点之中。

视线与层高

层高、柱距和门洞尺寸决定哪些展品根本进不去。签场馆之前先测量，并保留一份各场馆都能对照核验的清单。过不了卸货门的悬挂骨架，等于白跑一站。

站间仓储

巡展在仓库里的时间和在展场里一样长。木箱、温湿度和取用通道都要规划，仓储方案应当属于最初设计的一部分，而不是事后补丁。

DinoCG 以模块化方式设计巡展，附占地与层高要求文档，让同一套展览可以在不同场馆落地而无需重做设计。