When you reserve exhibition space, the organizer provides you with two things and you cannot see the difference without referring to the form.
One is less expensive and it has a structure. The other is more expensive and includes a blank square of floor. The majority of first time exhibitors select the less expensive one as it appears to be the less risky choice, and it is in many cases, but not because of the reason they believe.
It is the decision which limits all other decisions that follow and is made before you have talked to a designer or a contractor. This is what each of the options is.
The first real question any first time exhibitor has to answer is should I book shell scheme or space only and is asked prior to anyone seeing a design.
A shell scheme is a scheme that is provided by the organiser with your space. All the exhibitors in the row receive the same thing.
Usually it is an aluminium frame with white infill panels as the walls, a fascia board over the front with your company name on it, one or two spotlights and occasionally with carpet. Dimensions Shell schemes are different depending on the organiser but the frame typically measures about 2.4 to 2.5 metres with the panels measuring approximately a metre.
What is not included: branding other than your name on the fascia, a counter, storage, furniture, power other than the lights, graphics. All that is individual orders, and here first-time exhibitors are caught out - the shell scheme price is the building, not the booth.
Drilling, painting or fixing into the panels are also not possible. Anything that you stick on has to be attached to a frame or to the surface of a panel, which is a real limitation to what a designer can get away with it.
What is space only exhibition stand is a less complex answer than it may appear: bare floor. A conspicuous rectangle, power supply point ordered by you should you want one, and nothing more.
Space: Only stand meaning practice is that you have everything vertical. Wall, ceiling (where applicable), flooring, lighting, graphics, building. Unless you make it, none is there.
This is more expensive than shell scheme since you are not getting a structure on the price per square metre, and even more on the top since you have to construct one. The more costly way in all is that of space alone.
Freedom you purchase with that. There is no frame that determines its geometry, there is no height limit except that of the hall, there are no panels that you cannot touch. All those custom stands that you have envisioned at an exhibition were nothing but space.
Space only vs shell scheme cost not a close call during the first show. Shell scheme price and space only wins everything. Which of those you need depends on the question.
In the case of a first-time exhibitor with 9 or 12 square metres, the answer is often yes - and it is where the money goes, rather than the amount of the money that goes.
The structure consumes a huge portion of a space-only budget at this size with virtually no work to ensure that the stand is distinguished by the aisle. Walls are walls. What actually draws the eye is graphics, lighting and a counter well placed - and a shell scheme lets the whole budget go towards just those three items.
A shell scheme upgrade price is small compared to a complete build and the difference is noticeable. Paintings instead of a name on a fascia on the panels. Track lights rather than two points. A branded counter. Flooring. Well done, an upgraded shell scheme at 9 sqm appears better than a thin space-only at the same total cost.
The sincere caveat: it will not appear to be unique. It will be attractive and it will appear as a well-done shell scheme. In case your competitors have constructed custom in the same row, you can see the difference.
The practical benefit of first time exhibitor shell scheme decisions is also a practical good that has little or nothing to do with money: it is extremely difficult to do in a bad way. No building to be put down, no builder to check and no construction to be a disaster.
Exhibits Expo is a unified business enterprise that deals with designing, manufacturing and installing custom and modular exhibition stands, retail stores and display solutions. Our experience and knowledge of architectural and modular design, trade shows, exhibitions, conferences and event experience assist brands to realise their vision on a national and international level. Our team collaborates with clients to know their corporate identity, campaign goals, and exhibition goals and then creates the appropriate solution. We also offer convenient storage and logistics services to assist brands to cope with their exhibition needs effectively in the various markets with the help of a network of global partners.
The time when advice is most cheap and most needed, and hardly anybody seeks it, is when it comes to booking exhibition space the first time.
The first exhibition stand advice that can be of the most help to anyone is to have these questions answered before you sign and not after. The integrity of the organiser form appears to be that the options of booking an exhibition space can be interchanged.
First display, 9 to 12 sqm, no plans beyond that: book shell scheme and use the rest to the graphics, lighting and a counter. You will receive greater noticeable stand for the cash and can never go it extremely wrong.
First display but flagship one, or 18 sqm and more or a launch: only take space. The frame is then a real constraint at that size and stakes.
Second or third performance, and it was successful: take space and create something of your own. Ask about modular in case you are doing three or more a year.
This advice we give prior to quoting, and it may occasionally consist of advising the route which will bring us less. A shell scheme upgrade is a less significant task than a custom build, and it is often the correct solution.
Conclusion
Shell scheme or space only is not really a question of which is the better of these two, it is a question of which one fits your show, and your size, and your plans more than your size. Shell scheme is the clear winner when it comes to most first-time exhibitors of between 9 to 12 sqm because it makes your entire budget expenditure on what visitors can see. However, it is only when the stakes, the size or the repeat exhibitions are altered that space begins to gain some sense. The correct call is the call that fits where you are to be, and not where the form of the organiser tempts you to be.
Tell us the show, your stand size and how many sides are open. We come back with a rendered concept and an honest cost band — before you have committed to anything.
