Exhibition Industry Glossary
The exhibition industry uses a lot of shorthand, and most of it is never explained to first-time exhibitors. These are the terms you will actually meet in an exhibitor manual or a contractor's quote.
Space and stand types
- Shell scheme
- A basic booth supplied by the organiser - walls, usually a name board, sometimes lighting and carpet. You brand the inside.
- Space only
- Bare floor. Everything above it is yours to design, build and get approved by the organiser.
- Island stand
- A stand with aisles on all four sides. The most visible position, and usually the most expensive.
- Peninsula stand
- Open on three sides, backing onto another stand.
- Inline stand
- Open on one side only, in a row of stands. The most common and cheapest layout.
- Double-deck
- A two-storey stand. Doubles usable space on the same footprint and requires structural approval.
Build and logistics
- Build-up
- The period before the show opens when stands are constructed. Scheduled and policed by the organiser.
- Breakdown
- Dismantle after the show closes. Usually tighter than build-up and often overnight.
- Tenancy
- The total period you have access to the space, covering build-up, the open days and breakdown.
- Rigging
- Anything suspended from the venue roof - banners, lighting, structures. Nearly always booked through the venue and subject to separate approval.
- Carnet (ATA Carnet)
- A customs document allowing exhibition goods to enter a country temporarily without paying duty. Needed for many overseas shows.
- Turnkey
- A package where the contractor handles everything and you turn up to a finished stand.
Compliance and paperwork
- RAMS
- Risk Assessment and Method Statement. The health and safety documentation submitted to the organiser before build-up, describing the risks of your build and how they are controlled.
- CDM
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. UK legislation that applies to exhibition builds, setting duties on the people who commission, design and carry out the work.
- Structural calculations
- Engineering sign-off required for complex or two-storey structures, submitted to the organiser ahead of a deadline.
- Exhibitor manual
- The document the organiser issues containing every rule, deadline and order form for that specific show. The single most important thing to read early.
Design and graphics
- Large format print
- Wide-format printing for stand graphics, panels and banners.
- Lightbox
- A backlit graphic panel. Expensive per square metre, and the single most effective way to make a stand read from across a hall.
- Visual / render
- A 3D image of the proposed stand, produced before manufacture so you can see it and change it while changes are still cheap.
- Bleed
- Extra printed area beyond the trim line so there is no white edge when a graphic is cut or wrapped.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between shell scheme and space only?
Shell scheme is a booth the organiser builds for you, which you then brand. Space only is empty floor where you design and build everything yourself, subject to the organiser's approval. Space only costs more and takes longer to arrange, but it is the only route to a genuinely distinctive stand.
What does RAMS mean in exhibitions?
Risk Assessment and Method Statement - the health and safety paperwork submitted to the show organiser before build-up. It sets out the risks involved in constructing your stand and how they will be controlled. Your contractor normally produces it.
What is an exhibitor manual?
The document the organiser issues for a specific show, containing the rules, build schedule, height limits, submission deadlines and order forms for services. It is show-specific, which is why last year's rules cannot be assumed to still apply.
Talk to us about your stand
Tell us the show you are booked into and the space you have taken, and we will come back with what is possible within your budget and the show regulations.