A first-timer's checklist before booking floor space

Before you sign anything: what most first-time exhibitors miss

Booking floor space at your first trade show is exciting, and that excitement is exactly why exhibitors sign organiser contracts without asking the questions that determine whether the exhibition stall design they're imagining is even possible on that floor. As an exhibition stall fabrication company that has built for hundreds of first-time and repeat exhibitors, these are the five questions we tell every client to ask before signing.

1. What is the maximum permitted stall height?

Every hall and every organiser has a different height cap, and it changes what's structurally possible — a double-deck stall, a tall feature wall, or hanging signage may simply not be allowed. Get this number in writing before your exhibition stall design process starts, not after.

2. How many sides of your stall are actually open?

A corner stall, an island stall with 4 sides open, and a standard in-line stall with one open side all need completely different design approaches. This single detail changes your layout, your signage strategy and your fabrication cost more than almost any other factor.

3. What are the load-in and load-out windows?

Organisers give exhibition stall fabrication crews a fixed window to build and a fixed window to dismantle. If your stall design is more complex than the venue's install window allows, you either pay overtime labour charges or you simplify the design. Ask for these timings early.

4. What's included in your floor space rental, and what isn't?

Power connections, internet, water points and even basic carpeting are sometimes extra. Get the inclusions list before budgeting your stall fabrication, so there are no surprise costs during install week.

5. What are the venue's fire and material safety requirements?

Fire-retardant certification for fabrics, wood treatment standards, and weight limits on hanging structures vary by venue and by country. A stall design that passed at one venue can fail compliance at another — always confirm before fabrication begins.

The one thing that makes this easier

Bring your exhibition stall fabrication partner into the conversation before you sign the floor space contract, not after. We regularly review organiser contracts for clients during the planning stage, at no extra cost, specifically to catch these five issues early.