Exhibition stand guide · Main guide
What is an exhibition stand? Types, sizes and how it is built
Lokman Türkoğlu · Founder & Head of Design · 3 min read · Last updated:
Short answer
What is an exhibition stand?
An exhibition stand is the temporary structure a company builds on the plot it rents in a fair hall, where it shows its products and meets visitors for the length of the fair. It consists of floor, walls, graphic surfaces, lighting, furniture and the product display; it goes up before the fair opens and comes down at closing. There are four main construction types: system stands (aluminium profile), custom timber, modular and portable. We start a stand from the brief, design it, produce it in our own workshop and build it in the hall with our own crew.
What a stand is made of
An exhibition stand is built in five layers and each layer is a separate decision. Floor: carpet, laminate or a raised platform; cable routing and product weight decide the floor. Walls and frame: the load-bearing structure, which draws the boundary with the neighbouring plot and carries the graphics. Graphics: the company name, the product message and the images, applied as printed panels, tension fabric or lightboxes. Lighting: the spot and LED layout that brings out the product and the message; hall lighting is never enough. Furniture and display: meeting table, counter, showcase, shelving and a hidden compartment.
Above these five layers sit the organiser’s rules: height limit, closed walls on sides facing a neighbour, declared electrical load and fire certificates. We read those rules before we design; a stand drawn without them has to be altered in the hall.
How large the stand can be is decided by the plot. The plot is the floor area rented from the organiser and is measured in square metres; 9, 12, 18, 36 and 54 square metres are the most common sizes. How many sides of the plot open onto an aisle (row, corner, peninsula, island) shapes the design as much as the size does. We compared the size and layout options on the stand types page.
Four construction types
A system stand is built on aluminium box profiles; panels and graphics attach to the profile. It builds quickly, adapts to changes in size and is finished in two or three days even on large plots. We build this type with the maxima system.
In a custom timber stand the frame is wood and the surfaces are painted MDF, laminate or veneer. The form is free: curved walls, suspended ceilings and surfaces painted in brand colours are possible in this type. It is fully assembled and checked in the workshop, then joined piece by piece in the hall; the build takes longer than a system stand.
A modular stand consists of pre-designed panels and connectors; it is chosen for short-schedule jobs on small and medium plots. A portable stand is the smallest type, carried and set up by one person from a bag; it suits congress foyers and promotional events.
Which type suits you is decided together by looking at the fair calendar, the plot size and the number of open sides. Both types can be built on the same plot; the difference is not a budget line but the balance between design freedom and build time. How we run this is described on our exhibition stand services page.
How a stand gets built
The process starts with the brief: fair, date, plot size, number of open sides, the products to be shown and the meeting space needed. From that a 3D visual and a dimensioned drawing are prepared; the quote lists its scope item by item. After approval the drawing goes to the workshop: timber parts are cut, painted and fully assembled; profiles are cut to size; graphics go to print.
In the same week as production the paperwork goes to the organiser: stand approval drawing, declared electrical load and, where needed, a rigging application. The freight plan follows the order of parts; the piece that comes off first in the hall is loaded last. The build takes place on the days set by the organiser and the stand is handed over at least a day before opening with power and screens working.
Throughout the fair a named contact with a phone number is available; at closing the same crew dismantles the stand and leaves the plot as it was found. How these steps run day by day is written in detail on our design page and the production page.
Is “stand” the same as “booth”?
Yes. “Booth” is the usual word in North America, “stand” in Europe and the UK; organisers’ manuals use both. They describe the same temporary structure.
How long does an exhibition stand take?
From brief to handover, six weeks for a domestic fair and eight for one abroad is a comfortable schedule. The on-site build takes one to five days depending on the type; the one step that cannot be shortened is the organiser’s approval period.
What is the smallest exhibition stand?
Organisers mostly start at 9 square metres; some fairs also offer 6-square-metre packages. On a small plot the design works with fewer elements, not more: one message, one product, one meeting point.