HW Exhibits

What HW Exhibits does

HW Exhibits is a private, project-based professional services firm specializing in interpretive exhibit design for museums, visitor centers, state and national parks, historical societies, and cultural heritage institutions. Founded in 2003 as The History Workshop and renamed HW Exhibits in 2016, the company operates as the exhibit design division of Brockington and Associates, a cultural resources consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm delivers end-to-end exhibit services spanning interpretive master planning, content research and writing, graphic and industrial design, custom illustration, interactive development (touchscreen, mechanical, audio), outdoor signage, video production, and website design, with a stated emphasis on multisensory experiences grounded in historically accurate content.

The company is headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with a staff of fewer than 10 professionals including a Director with 30+ years of cultural resource management experience and a Technical Director trained in industrial design at Pratt Institute. HW Exhibits holds 8(a) certification and woman-owned small business status, positioning it for federal small business set-aside contracting. The customer base skews heavily to government agencies at federal, state, county, and municipal levels, with secondary engagements in education and corporate/enterprise segments. Geographically, project work is concentrated in the Southeast US (South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina), with occasional engagements elsewhere.

Revenue is generated through fixed-price project contracts awarded via direct engagement, RFP responses, and parent-company network referrals. The firm relies primarily on organic digital presence (website portfolio, social media) rather than paid marketing, and operates without disclosed external funding, suggesting self-funded growth within the Brockington and Associates corporate structure.

Name

HW Exhibits

Legal name

HW Exhibits

Website

https://hwexhibits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HW Exhibits is a private, Mount Pleasant, SC-based exhibit design firm (founded 2003) that provides interpretive planning, content development, and custom exhibit fabrication for museums, visitor centers, state parks, and cultural heritage institutions, primarily in the Southeast US, as a division of Brockington and Associates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exhibit Design Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Partitions, Shelvg, Lockers, & Office & Store Fixtures (2540)

akta.pro primary industry

Pavilion & Country/Group Exhibit Build-Outs (THAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Exhibit design services
• Interpretive planning
• Museum exhibit fabrication
• Visitor center design
• Cultural heritage exhibits

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Pleasant

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibit Design and Installation Services: Project-based professional services revenue from designing, fabricating, and installing custom exhibits for museums, visitor centers, state parks, and historical institutions. Services include interpretive planning, content writing, graphic design, interactive development, and full installation. Revenue is generated through fixed-price project contracts with government agencies and cultural institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HW Exhibits is a B2B exhibit design firm that plans, develops content for, designs, and installs customized interpretive exhibits for museums, visitor centers, state and national parks, libraries, historical societies, and select corporate clients. Offerings bundle interpretive master planning, content writing by historians and preservation specialists, graphic and illustrative design, interactive (touchscreen, audio, mechanical, hands-on) development, video production, outdoor signage, and full installation under fixed-price project contracts.

Product overview

HW Exhibits is a content-based, exhibit design firm offering a unified portfolio of services centered on interpretive exhibit design for museums, visitor centers, parks, and cultural heritage sites. The core offering is Exhibit Design Services, supported by specialized modules including Interactive Development (touchscreen interactives, audio-stations, hands-on experiences), Website Design, Video Production, Content Writing (research and interpretive writing by historians and museum specialists), Outdoor Signs/Panels, Educational Materials, and Interpretive Master Planning. These services work together to deliver customized exhibits combining accurate content, multisensory experiences, and visually engaging design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibit Design Services End-to-end custom exhibit design for museums, visitor centers, parks, libraries, and cultural heritage sites, covering interpretive planning, content development, graphic and illustrative design, interactive development, fabrication oversight, and full installation.
• Interactive Development Design and fabrication of touchscreen interactives, hands-on activities, audio-stations, and mechanical interactives that create dynamic, multisensory visitor experiences for museums, parks, and visitor centers.
• Interpretive Master Planning Strategic planning service that develops comprehensive interpretive master plans for visitor centers and heritage sites, including concept design packages, renderings, floorplans, and panel/interactive specifications (e.g., Sawnee Mountain Preserve 963-acre plan, 2022).
• Content Writing Research-driven interpretive content writing by historians, preservation specialists, and museum writers for use in exhibits, museums, and cultural heritage sites.
• Video Production Production of video documentaries and presentations for installation within exhibit environments at museums, parks, and visitor centers.
• Outdoor Signs and Interpretive Panels Design and specification of outdoor interpretive panels, waysides, and signage systems for parks, trails, and visitor destinations.
• Website Design Design and development of websites for parks, visitor centers, and cultural institutions as supplementary digital offerings to physical exhibits.
• Educational Materials Development of educational collateral and programs that accompany museum and heritage exhibits for public audiences and learners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully completed multiple large-scale visitor center projects including 3,400 sq ft Revolutionary War Visitor Center and 963-acre park interpretive master plan.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Honor Flight KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Important collaborator for the Kentucky's Women Veterans exhibit project. Honor Flight Kentucky is dedicated to honoring veterans with all-expenses paid trips to memorials in Washington, DC. They contributed to the exhibit focusing on approximately 26 women veterans.
• Trident Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Trident Technical College was mentioned in the context of team member Tisha Bell's educational background. Her studies in web design at Trident Technical College represent educational affiliation rather than formal partnership.
• Smithworks CreativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with Smithworks Creative for fabrication and installation of the Keith Summey North Charleston Library exhibit. Smithworks fabricated and installed the exhibit under HW Exhibits' direction.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Second Story: Creates interactive, narrative-driven exhibit and visitor experiences for museums, cultural institutions, and brand environments — competes specifically on the interactive development and multisensory offerings HW Exhibits highlights.
• C&G Partners: Designs exhibits, wayfinding, and interpretive experiences for museums, cultural institutions, and public spaces — a comparable narrative-driven, content-led design firm.
• History Factory: Builds corporate heritage exhibits, archives, and brand-history installations for enterprise and institutional clients — comparable in historical content development and the corporate memorial exhibit work HW Exhibits has delivered (e.g., Troutman Pepper).
• Haley Sharpe Design: Leisure and cultural design firm that develops museum, heritage, and visitor center exhibits including interpretive planning and interactive design — directly comparable service mix to HW Exhibits.
• Cambridge Seven: Designs museums, aquariums, visitor centers, and interpretive exhibits with a planning-to-installation model, directly competing for cultural heritage and educational institution projects similar to HW Exhibits' portfolio.
• Gallagher & Associates: Specializes in interpretive planning, exhibit design, and multimedia experiences for museums, visitor centers, and cultural heritage sites — a closely comparable full-service peer serving federal, state, and institutional clients.
• MFM Design: Boutique exhibit and interpretive design firm serving history museums, nature centers, and cultural sites — closest in size and positioning to HW Exhibits as a smaller, content-focused competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: One of the largest museum and cultural exhibit design firms in the world, with deep experience in history, science, and heritage institutions — a higher-scale incumbent competing for many of the same government and museum RFPs HW Exhibits targets.
• BRC Imagination Arts: Designs and produces large-scale visitor experiences, brand attractions, and cultural destination experiences — competes for major visitor center and cultural destination RFPs at a higher scale.

Emerging players

• Tellart: Designs interactive installations and immersive experiences for cultural institutions, museums, and visitor centers — overlaps on the touchscreen, mechanical, and digital interactive side of HW Exhibits' work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hwexhibits
• Facebookfacebook.com/hwexhibits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brand-iq-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/hwexhibits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HW Exhibits