Guides / Exhibition Stands & Activations
Planning an exhibition stand in Dubai: design, build and approvals
A stand is a temporary building with a hard deadline. The doors open whether it is finished or not. This guide explains the choices you make at the start, the approvals a stand needs, and how to get more from the show than three days of footfall.
Space-only or shell scheme
Organisers usually sell floor space in two forms. A shell scheme is a ready-made booth with walls, a fascia board, basic lighting and carpet, which you then dress with graphics and furniture. Space-only is bare floor, and you bring a custom-built stand.
Shell scheme suits small spaces and first-time exhibitors. Space-only gives you the freedom to design something distinctive, but it brings structural rules, an approval process and a larger build budget.
What the stand has to achieve
Decide what a successful show looks like before the design begins: booked meetings, product demonstrations, lead capture, press attention or simply being seen by the right visitors. A stand built for private meetings looks nothing like one built to pull a crowd from the aisle.
What to put in the brief
A stand designer needs:
- The show, the venue and your stand number and dimensions
- Which sides are open to the aisle
- The organiser’s exhibitor manual
- Products or screens to display, with sizes and power needs
- Meeting space, storage and hospitality requirements
- Brand guidelines and any existing stand assets
- A budget range and who signs off the design
Organiser rules and approvals
Every exhibition publishes an exhibitor manual, and it overrides everyone’s preferences. It sets the maximum height, rules for walls next to neighbours, rigging, flooring, electrical work, and the deadline for submitting stand drawings.
Custom stands normally need the design approved by the organiser or venue before building starts, and contractors are asked for documents such as structural drawings, a risk assessment, a method statement and insurance. Limits differ from show to show, even in the same venue, so always work from the manual for your event.
Work backwards from build-up day
The fixed points are the organiser’s design submission deadline and the build-up days before the show opens. Count back from those: design and revisions, approval, fabrication, graphics printing, AV testing, then installation. Late changes to the design are the main reason stands go over budget.
Make the stand produce content
The stand costs the same whether or not anyone films it. Plan photography and video for the show days: a walkthrough of the stand, product demonstrations, short interviews with your team and visitors, and daily clips for social media. That content keeps working for months after the stand is dismantled.
Common questions
What is the difference between a shell scheme and a space-only stand?
A shell scheme is a standard booth supplied by the organiser with walls, a name board, lighting and carpet. Space-only is empty floor space where you build a custom stand, subject to the organiser’s design rules and approval.
Who approves an exhibition stand design in Dubai?
The event organiser, often together with the venue or its appointed contractor, reviews custom stand drawings against the exhibitor manual. The manual for your specific show states the rules, documents and deadlines.
How early should I start planning an exhibition stand?
As soon as you have booked the space. Design, approval and fabrication all have to finish before the build-up days, and the organiser’s drawing deadline usually falls weeks before the show.