Exhibition stand design cost: what sets the price

Exhibition stand design cost comes down to three things: the floor space you have booked, what the stand is built from, and how many shows it has to do. Anyone who gives you a figure before they know your stand size, the hall's rules and whether you want to keep the stand afterwards is guessing.

The expensive surprises rarely come with the quote. They come in build-up week. It is four o'clock on the day before the doors open, the stand is half up, and the hall's electrician wants to know who ordered the power. Nobody did. Every quote in your folder assumed somebody else had, so you order it on the spot, at the late rate, with no time to shop around.

What drives the number

Floor space. The price per square metre falls as a stand gets bigger, because the fixed costs of design time, project management and one-off making spread over more floor. A 36m² stand costs more in total than a 9m² one, but rarely four times as much.

Structure. A stand built on a demountable aluminium system costs less than a custom-built timber or steel one, because the system already exists and the labour is assembly. On a custom-built stand, the graphics, lighting and flooring are usually a smaller share of the total than first-time exhibitors expect.

Reuse. A stand designed to be rebuilt for several shows spreads its build cost over every outing. One built for a single event carries the whole cost once. If you exhibit more than twice a year, ask for both prices before you choose. The guide to custom vs modular exhibition stands shows the sum to do per outing.

How the stand type changes the brief

The hall plan tells you more than most buyers realise. The same space can sit in four different positions, and each one changes what the stand has to do.

Linear. One open side, with a neighbour on either hand. Visitors only approach from the front, so everything has to work from one direction.
Corner. Two open sides. A visitor sees the stand from two aisles, so you get two faces to design and a view from further away.
Peninsula. Three open sides, with only the back against a neighbour. It is visible down several aisles, and the organiser's height rules are usually stricter for it.
Island. Open on all four sides, with an aisle all the way round. It gives the most freedom, and it asks for a structure that looks finished from every angle, including the top.

Then there is the question of what you are given. A shell scheme is a ready-made stand supplied by the organiser, usually walls, a name board and basic lighting and power. You pay for the package and dress it. A space-only plot is bare floor: you, or your stand builder, design and build everything, and the organiser approves the drawings first. Most of the cost questions in this guide are really space-only questions.

What a design fee covers

"Exhibition stand design" gets used loosely, so separate the fee from the build before you put two quotes side by side.

A design fee usually covers concept visuals, a floor plan, the drawings the organiser needs before it will approve a space-only stand, and a materials specification.
Build, installation, storage between shows and graphics production may sit inside the same number or come as separate lines. Ask which.
Space rental, electrics, rigging and exhibitor passes are usually billed by the organiser or the venue's appointed contractors, outside the stand price altogether. A quote that looks unusually low has often left them out without saying so.

Putting two quotes side by side

Quotes arrive in different shapes, which is how a cheap one and an expensive one end up costing the same. Copy every line into one table before you compare.

Line	Often inside the stand price	Often billed separately
Concept design and drawings	Yes, as the design fee	Sometimes, if drawings are charged after approval
Construction and finishing	Yes	Rarely
Graphics and print	Sometimes	Often, once the design is signed off
Flooring and furniture	Sometimes	Often, as hire
Lighting and AV	Sometimes	Often, as hire or a supplier line
Electrics and rigging	Rarely	Usually, by the venue's contractors
Installation and dismantle	Often	Sometimes, by the day
Storage between shows	Rarely	Usually
Changes after sign-off	Rarely	Usually

Where a quote says nothing about a line, it has not included it. Ask for each blank to be filled with "included" or "not included".

From brief to build-up day

Most stand projects follow the same path, and the dates are set by the show rather than by the designer.

Plot confirmed. You know the show, the position and the size of the space.
Brief. What you must show, how many people staff it, whether you need a meeting area or storage, and the budget you can spend.
Concept. Visuals and a plan you can react to, before anything is drawn in detail.
Organiser's manual. Every show publishes rules on height, structure, electrics and deadlines. They decide what the design can do.
Technical drawings. The set the organiser approves, and the set the stand is built from. Anything above a single storey usually needs more proof that it is safe.
Production. The stand is made and checked before it travels.
Build-up. A fixed window at the venue, often only a day or two, with loading times set by the organiser.
The show. Someone should be on hand to fix what a hall does to a stand.
Dismantle and storage. A reusable stand is taken down carefully and kept for next time. A single-use one is cleared out.

Move any of the first six later and the cost of what follows climbs, because the same work has to fit into fewer days.

Four questions to ask before you sign

1. Who answers for the stand on build-up day? One company from the first drawing to the doors opening, or a chain of them passing it along. Both are common. The answer tells you who picks up the phone when the floor plan and the floor disagree.

2. What happens to the stand after the show? If you will exhibit again, ask now about storage, refurbishment and reworking it for a different plot. Reworking a stand usually costs less than building a new one, but only if it was designed to be reworked.

3. What is left out of the number in front of you? Ask for the exclusions in writing, beside the price. Look for electrics, flooring, AV, storage, insurance and changes made on site during build-up.

4. When does a change start costing money? A structural change a fortnight before the show costs far more than the same change at concept stage, because by then the materials may already be cut. Ask for the date after which changes are charged.

Getting a real number

Stillroom designs exhibition stands and builds them, and prices each one on its own, with the exclusions written beside the number. Send the show, the stand size and the build-up dates, and a sketch if you have one, to info@stillroomcreative.com. If your number is already fixed, read small budget exhibition stand before you cut anything, or see a stand to scale beside a live budget in the Stand Room.

Then the first morning of the show goes on your visitors, and nothing on the final bill is news to you.

FAQ

Does a bigger stand always cost more overall, even if it's cheaper per square metre?

Yes. The rate per square metre falls as the stand grows, but the total still rises with size. A 36m² stand costs more than a 9m² one; it just does not cost four times as much.

Is a modular stand always cheaper than a custom-built one?

For a single show, usually. Over several shows the gap narrows, and a custom-built stand designed for reuse can cost less per outing than hiring a modular system again and again, because the hire charge comes round every time. The custom vs modular guide sets the two side by side.

Does the design fee include the graphics?

Not always. Some quotes include print-ready graphics in the design fee; others price them as a separate line once the design is signed off. Ask before you compare.

How far in advance should design start before a show?

For a custom-built stand, as early as you can. The organiser sets a deadline for stand plans and structural approval, often weeks before build-up, and the design has to be finished before it. A modular stand can be turned round in weeks.

What is the difference between a shell scheme and a space-only stand?

A shell scheme is a ready-made stand supplied by the organiser, usually with walls, a name board and basic lighting and power, which you dress with your own graphics and furniture. A space-only stand is an empty plot on which you build whatever the organiser's rules allow, and the organiser approves your drawings first.

Which stand position gets the most visitors: linear, corner, peninsula or island?

The more open sides a stand has, the more aisles it can be seen from, so an island is the most visible and a linear stand the least. Visibility is not the same as footfall: a well-placed corner can outperform a poor island, so look at the hall plan before you pay for position.

Who is responsible for a stand's safety at the show?

In general the exhibitor, and the contractors the exhibitor appoints, under the organiser's rules for the show. Check the exhibitor manual for what must be submitted and approved before build-up, because a stand that fails inspection can be stopped from opening.

How long does it take to build a stand at the venue?

The organiser sets a build-up window, often a day or two for a standard stand and longer for a large or double-storey one. A stand designed to be assembled in sections, and tested before it travels, fits that window far more comfortably than one made up on the day.

Can I reuse my stand at a different show?

Often, if it was designed for it. A new plot may have a different shape, a different number of open sides and different height limits, so a reusable stand is built from parts that can be rearranged rather than as one fixed shape.

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