Designer turns redundancy into award-winning success as Ships & Pigs turns 16

A Hull-based exhibition designer who set up her business the day after being made redundant during the financial crisis is celebrating 16 years of national and international success.

Ships & Pigs was founded by Rebecca Shipham in 2010, after she lost her job at a London exhibitions company during the banking and credit crunch.

Rebecca returned to Hull and launched her own business the very next day – despite having no prior experience of running a company.

She now works directly with major global brands and has won respected freelance industry awards.

“When I started, I had to learn the business side of things pretty quickly,” Rebecca said. “I knew I wanted to design, and I knew I didn’t want to give up on the industry.

“I just picked everything up as I went along – and I’m still learning now. I think you’re always learning in business.”

Rebecca has become one of the UK’s most respected specialist exhibition designers, working with high-profile clients including TikTok, Amazon, Bella+Duke, FreeAgent, The 247 Dentist, Vets Now, Sony, Langdon and the NHS, delivering bespoke exhibition stands for shows across the UK and Europe.

A key part of her success with Ships & Pigs is Rebecca’s deliberately personal approach. Clients work directly with her as the designer from the first conversation through to final delivery – providing a highly personal service with all the professionalism and expertise of a large agency.

“It’s a big selling point that clients know they’re working with me, not being passed between an account manager and a designer,” said Rebecca. “They buy into my design style and trust me to come up with something that works for their brand.

“I tried saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ at one point – like a lot of small business operators do – and the phone stopped ringing. When I switched back to being clear that it was just me, enquiries came back almost immediately.

“People want to work with an independent.”

Rebecca is one of only a small number of dedicated exhibition designers in the UK, specialising solely in exhibitions rather than treating them as an add-on to branding or marketing work.

She works closely with build teams to ensure stands not only look striking but function perfectly on the show floor.
“You have to understand how something looks but also how it stands up,” she said.

“It’s a bit like architecture meets marketing. I love working with builders because they’re very honest – they’ll tell you straight away what will and won’t work, and together we make it happen.”

Rebecca’s route into the industry began locally, studying interior design at Bishop Burton College before moving on to museum and exhibition design at the University of Lincoln – a course originally founded in Hull. That connection has helped put the city on the map within the exhibition world.

“If you speak to people in the exhibition industry and mention Hull, a lot of them know it because they trained there,” she said. “That definitely helped when I was starting out.”

Her work now spans a huge range of industries, reflecting the scale and diversity of the global exhibitions sector.
“Every industry you can think of exhibits somewhere,” Rebecca said. “Every month there’s a different show, and you’re constantly learning about new sectors.”

Among the events she regularly works on are the Dentistry Show and the London Vet Show, where she has delivered stands for clients for more than seven years.

She is also keen on expanding her presence at shows such as BETT, one of the UK’s largest education events.

“With some clients, like The 247 Dentist, we started with a small stand and grew it year on year,” she said. “That long-term relationship is really satisfying, and I’d love to replicate that with more exhibitors at the shows I already know inside out.”

Her work has also taken her into unexpected sectors, including designing two stands at Europe’s largest cannabis exhibition in Berlin, giving her insight into industries that operate legally overseas but not in the UK.

Recognition for Rebecca’s work has followed. In 2015, she won IPSE’s Freelancer of the Year, the inaugural year of the national awards celebrating independent professionals.

Most recently, in 2025, she was named Freelancer of the Year at the Exhibition News Awards – one of the industry’s highest honours.

“That was a huge moment,” she said. “It felt like real recognition from the industry I’ve grown up in.”

Today, Rebecca describes working directly with end clients as her proudest achievement.

“That was always the goal,” she said. “They know who I am, they trust me, and I get to design for a living.

“It’s everything I ever wanted it to be – it doesn’t even feel like running a business most of the time because I enjoy it so much.”

Rebecca has also noticed a growing number of women-led businesses seeking her out, in an industry that has traditionally been male-dominated – a trend she hopes will continue.

As Ships & Pigs – named in reference to Rebecca’s surname of Shipham – turns 16 in March, she remains focused on doing what has driven the business from day one – creating distinctive, practical exhibition design that helps brands stand out, while staying fiercely independent.

“It all started with a redundancy,” she said. “Now I get to work with incredible clients, travel and design things that thousands of people see globally. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Bec Park, Head of Group Marketing at Melbourne-based Langdon – one of the largest suppliers of food ingredients throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK – said: “Working with Rebecca was an exceptional experience.
“Despite collaborating across continents, the process was seamless and stress-free.

“She approached our design challenge with creativity and professionalism, delivering solutions that exceeded expectations.

“Rebecca’s flexibility, collaborative spirit and results-driven mindset make her a trusted partner for achieving outstanding outcomes.”

Cheryl Barr, Head of Content and Communications at pet food giant Bella+Duke, said: “Rebecca’s professional yet friendly and engaging approach made collaboration a breeze.

“She truly listened to our ideas and requirements, translating them into stunning designs that perfectly captured our vision.

“Her excellent design skills were evident in every detail, making our stands not only eye-catching but also functional and welcoming.

“Rebecca’s dedication and expertise shone through in every aspect of the project, and we are incredibly grateful for her hard work and creativity.”