Information for Exhibitors at Discover Careers

Further information for confirmed Exhibitors at Discover Careers, including logistical information and tips for the day. This page may be updated closer to the time of the event.

We’re delighted you are exhibiting at at Discover Careers at McEwan Hall.

Your confirmation email will highlight which day you are confirmed to attend: either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Please make a note of this and if in doubt contact employers@ed.ac.uk  

Map of venue location

Opening times for students: 13:00-18:00 

Event Set up access: 11:00-12:30 

Event breakdown access 18:00-19:00 


Deliveries will be accepted from 8am on the morning you are exhibiting.  You cannot send items in advance of this. The building is unattended, and no one will be available to accept deliveries. Please label deliveries: Discover Careers (DATE OF EXHIBITION – e.g. 6, 7 OR 8 October) Delivered on behalf of (YOUR COMPANY NAME - e.g NatWest) McEwan Hall Bristo Square University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH8 9AG  

Items to be picked up by a courier no later than 1 hour after the event closes to students – by 19:00.  Please ensure these are packed and labelled with your Organisation’s name, return address and courier information.   

Please note: We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage to any property brought or sent to the venue. 


We are unable to provide parking passes. There is pay and display on-street parking at George Square and Buccleuch Place, but this is limited so we would advise you don’t travel by car.  

Please see our website for full details on transport options.  

  • Edinburgh Waverley is a 15-minute walk from the venue or 5 minutes by taxi.   
  • Edinburgh Airport is around 25 minutes by taxi. 

You have access to the venue from 11:00 on the morning of the event so you can set up your stand before students arrive. A member of our team will direct you to your stand. If you are dropping off materials by car first, please note there is no vehicle access onto Bristo Square itself.  McEwan Hall does have a supplier entrance at the rear of the building via the Medical Quad. The area is accessed by car via Teviot Place, through the stone archway. You will be able to stop for a short period, where Careers Service Assistants help you with materials  

Please note: there is no parking available at McEwan Hall itself. Any cars left in the Medical Quad may be ticketed.    


The main entrance to McEwan Hall will be through the round Pavillion in Bristo Square.  Please go to reception to sign in. If you have dropped off materials first via the Medical Quad you are still required to go to the reception in the Pavillion to formally sign in. 


We know you may have a distance to travel but would ask you to stay until the end of the event.   It can be very frustrating for attendees if an exhibitor they wish to see has left early.   

Due to health and safety regulations, do not start the breakdown of your stand before the end of the event.  


You will be allocated a space measuring approximately 2.5m with a trestle table,  white tablecloth and 2 chairs.  There is no shell scheme – each exhibitor provides their own display boards/exhibition stand. You will only have access to an electricity point if you requested this on your booking form. Stands with electricity access are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.   

Any exhibitor exceeding this 2.5 m space will be asked to take a stand down in line with our health and safety policy. If the 2.5m width is an issue, please contact us in advance and we will try to find a solution. 


Delegates will have access to tea, coffee, water and light snacks throughout the afternoon but please note that lunch will not be provided.  

We recommend bringing your own reusable take-away cup if you would like to take hot drinks to your exhibition area, and your own refillable water bottle as we will not be providing bottled water or plastic cups.  

To support local businesses, increase sustainability and keep your exhibition costs highlighted below are local businesses where your delegates can purchase their own lunch if they don’t bring their own:  

  • Kauai – 2 min walk from McEwan Hall 
  • Bowls – 2 min walk from McEwan Hall 

Standard Wi-Fi is available throughout McEwan Hall via Visit-Ed. To access follow these steps: 

  • Look for 'Visit-Ed' under the available Wi-Fi networks on your device 
  • Tap Visit-Ed to connect 
  • Your device should launch the sign-in/registration page 
  • Complete the form and click Get Online 

At previous events, some students have chosen to demonstrate their disagreement with the ethics or practices of exhibiting organisations. While students have the right to protest, it is not acceptable for them to: 

  • harass exhibitors so that other students are unable to communicate with exhibitors or are put off approaching them 
  • leaflet/demonstrate to the extent that other students feel intimidated in any way. 

  

We will take action to prevent unacceptable behaviour and we ask exhibitors who think they could be the subject of any kind of protest to carry out their own risk assessment and to brief all staff attending on how best to respond. If you have any queries or concerns regarding potential student protests, or you suspect there is a chance you may be targeted by protesters, please let us know ASAP.  


Get your delegates to read through our tips to make the most of the fair. 

  Be prepared for a wide range of questions from basic to complex.  

  • International students may ask questions about Skilled Worker visa sponsorship so please be familiar with your organisation’s policy.  
  • Even if you don’t have anything to offer earlier year students, please suggest what they can do now to enhance their applications later.    
  • Be open to speaking to students from a variety of disciplines. Rather than telling a student that they are not relevant for you, advise them to keep an eye out for future opportunities at your company.   
  • Talk about opportunities in your wider business too - even if you don’t have vacancies in the student’s specific area of interest, tell them what else the company does and potential areas of work.   
  • Make it personal – share your own career path and what you are working on.  Help students get a level of insight not possible from your website.   
  • Avoid jargon or acronyms  
  • Students love to know you are interested in them – ask questions about what they study, what they’re interested in and get to know them  

If you need anything look out for staff in red or purple t-shirts. 


Please make sure that you read the sections of this page that cover material drop offs, where you can pay for parking and stand size. 

As a reminder: all organisation stands must adhere to the 2.5m stand space allocated. You will need to liaise with your clients in advance of the fair. There are lots of great cafes near McEwan Hall that we would be delighted to recommend and direct your staff to. If you would like to discuss your client(s) needs get in touch  employers@ed.ac.uk   


Following on from Discover Careers in October, our highest volume campaigns will focus on Careers in Law and Careers in Engineering, and in Semester 2 Careers in Sustainability, Careers in Social Good, Careers in Life Sciences and Creative & Cultural Careers. 

Let us know if there is another topic you’d be interested in supporting by completing  Expression of Interest Form. 

Any other questions?  please contact employers@ed.ac.uk  We will provide a contact number for on the day support closer to the time. 


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