The participation price is not a price per metre
Exhibitors compare shows by the rate per square metre and draw the wrong conclusion. The real budget has six lines:
- Space and its position on the floor plan.
- Build: shell scheme, modular custom structure or bespoke architecture.
- Utilities: 220/380 V power, lighting, screens, furniture, internet.
- Advertising: fascia board, entrance banners, catalogue listing, hall navigation.
- People: hostesses, interpreting, materials, cloakroom.
- Logistics: shipping the sample, unloading, installation, dismantle, waste disposal.
In Central Asia it is usually cheaper to buy the full package from the venue operator: one contract, one deadline, and no risk of discovering at build-up that the power socket had to be ordered two weeks earlier.
When 9 m² is enough
A standard 9 m² stand works when you have:
- a catalogue plus samples in a showcase (food, chemicals, packaging);
- two meeting seats and a laptop with a deck (services, IT, logistics);
- the goal of collecting contacts rather than demonstrating equipment.
Nine square metres take a table, two chairs, a showcase, light structures and samples you can handle. Anything that has to move — a running mechanism, a flow, sound — will not read on this area.
When you need 18 m²
A premium stand pays off when the product must run live: a coffee machine, a high-pressure unit, a facade fragment, a technology you can try. The second reason is position — near the entrance, near the stage, at a crossing. The difference between a stand by the entrance and one in the far corner of the same hall is the number of stops: aisles and the stage area get noticed, so agree the location before you sign, not after.
When to take raw space
From 36 m² up — for machinery, interactive zones and brands that need architecture rather than partitions. This is where a separate build budget, venue engineering approval (loads, height, fire rules) and the biggest effect for a major campaign appear: product launch, market entry, dealer conference.
Checklist before you apply
- state the goal as a number: 30 contacts, five dealers, one chain contract;
- mark three preferred spots on the floor plan before the call;
- request the previous audience profile — who actually came, not who was invited;
- confirm what the rate includes: power, furniture, badges, parking, catalogue;
- budget one build-up day and half a dismantle day for your team;
- agree what happens to leads afterwards: report, contacts, statistics.
