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Exhibition stand sizes and shell schemes explained

You have booked a stand. The organiser has sent you a floor plan, a stand number and a size in metres, and now you have to work out what actually goes in it.

This guide joins the two halves together: the size you have been given, and what physically fits inside it once the shell scheme structure is accounted for. Every measurement below is a real size we make.

The one number worth memorising: 2.25 metres

Almost every portable display wall we sell is 2.25m high. That is not an accident. It is sized to stand inside a standard shell scheme without fouling the fascia board above your stand.

If a venue applies a lower height limit, which is common in shopping centres, there is a 1.5m version of the SuperWall built for exactly that. Confirm the limit with your organiser before you order anything, because a wall you cannot use is an expensive lesson.

The stand sizes you will be offered

In Australia the common shell scheme sizes are 2x2m, 2x3m, 3x3m and 3x6m. The size on your floor plan is the floor you have paid for, not the space you can fill. Walls, corner posts and the fascia all take a bite out of it, and an open side changes where you can put anything tall.

We have covered how to read a floor plan and convert it for artwork in a separate guide to the standard stand sizes.

What fits in a 2x2m stand

Two metres of back wall. That is a single 2.4m wall trimmed by the structure, or two pull-up banners side by side, plus one small table or plinth. There is no room for a counter and a seating area, so choose one.

At this size the honest advice is to keep it to a strong back wall and one clear thing for visitors to walk up to.

What fits in a 2x3m stand

Three metres of back wall along the long side, which is where a 3m SuperWall or a 2.7m pop-up stand sits neatly. That leaves the two-metre depth for a table, a plinth and room for two people to stand without blocking each other.

This is the smallest size where a stand starts to feel like a stand rather than a table with a banner behind it.

What fits in a 3x3m stand

The most common size, and the one most of our portable exhibition kits are built around. A 3m wall fills the back exactly. Add a counter, a plinth or a branded table, and you still have floor left for visitors to stand in.

Three 3m walls can also be combined to enclose the whole booth on three sides if you want a room rather than a backdrop.

A practical note on weight: a 3m SuperWall is about 12kg in its bag and one person can stand it up in around five minutes. You do not need a crew or an on-site contractor for a stand this size.

What fits in a 3x6m and larger

Six metres of back wall is available as one piece, which matters because a join down the middle of a graphic is the first thing people notice. The SuperWall runs to 6.1m in a single wall, and hire walls go up to 9m in one piece.

Above this, or where you want a roof, a locking store cupboard or a curved section, you are into Brandframe territory. It is modular aluminium, made to whatever size the space needs, and sections can be added or removed to suit a different stand next time.

Choosing the wall itself

  • SuperWall - fabric stretched over a snap-lock aluminium frame, zipped closed at the side. Straight or curved, 2.4m, 3m or 6.1m wide, 2.25m high, with a 1.5m height for shopping centres. From $1,467. The lightest and quickest of the three.
  • Executive pop-up - the traditional stand with roll-up panels held on by magnets, in a hard-shell wheeled case. 2.25m high; curved frames at 1.85m, 2.5m or 3.2m wide, straight frames at 2m, 2.7m, 3.4m or 4.2m. From $3,276. The case converts to a sales counter with a graphic wrap, and two spotlights are included.
  • Big Mural - a pop-up mural wall at 2.259m high in widths of 790mm, 1520mm, 2260mm, 2995mm and 3730mm. From $1,869. A 3m one weighs about 13kg complete with frame, mural and spotlights.
  • Brandframe - made to size, modular, and able to carry lighting, shelving, signage and doors. This is the one for stands that need to be different each time.

What a shell scheme gives you, and what it does not

A shell scheme usually covers the walls, a fascia board with your company name, carpet and basic lighting. It does not usually cover furniture, extra power, internet, graphics beyond the fascia, screens or storage. There is a fuller breakdown of shell scheme inclusions here.

That gap is the reason the kits below exist. Rather than pricing a wall, a table and a banner separately, each kit is one price for a co-ordinated set that travels in bags and cases you can carry.

Ready-made kits, and what is in them

  • Kit 1, $848 - two 850mm Promo pull-up banners and a 400mm square portable plinth. Suits a 2x2m stand or a conference table.
  • Kit 3, $1,050 - a 2.5m Blade-2-Go flag, a Superlight 800 branded table and an 850mm Premier pull-up.
  • Kit 5, $1,872 - a straight 2.4m SuperWall and a stretch cloth for a 1.8m trestle. The trestle is not included, because most venues supply one.
  • Kit 6, $2,680 - a 2.4m SuperWall, a Super Compact Plinth and two 850mm x 2.1m Premier banners. A complete 3x3m stand.
  • Kit 9, $3,380 - a curved 2.4m SuperWall, two double-sided Icon stands with shelves and a triangular counter. The one to look at if you are demonstrating product.
  • Kit 11, $2,940 - a 3m straight Big Mural, a Presenter 800 table with header board and a folding A4 brochure rack.

There are twelve kits in all, and any of them can be mixed and matched. If one is close but not right, tell us what to swap.

If you exhibit once

Walls, flooring, counters and shelving can all be hired. Hire kits are bundled for 3x3m and 3x4m booths, and there is a 6x6m kit set up for food and beverage sampling. For a single show, hire usually costs less than owning something that then lives in a cupboard for a year.

Small details that catch people out

  • Raised flooring is 32mm high with an angled ramp edge. It hides power and data cables, which is the real reason to use it, and it gives the stand a defined edge.
  • Check which sides of your stand are open before you plan the layout. An open side cannot usually carry storage or tall structure without the organiser's approval.
  • Order artwork against the wall you bought, not the one you had last time. Wrong-size artwork is the most common cause of a reprint.
  • Lights are extra on some kits. Check the kit list rather than assuming.

A quick reference

  • 2x2m stand: two pull-up banners and a plinth.
  • 2x3m stand: a 3m wall and a branded table.
  • 3x3m stand: a 3m wall, a counter and a plinth - or three walls to enclose it.
  • 3x6m and up: a 6.1m one-piece wall, or Brandframe made to size.
  • Shopping centre with a height limit: the 1.5m SuperWall.
  • Exhibiting once: hire the kit.

Send us your floor plan with the open sides marked, and we can tell you what fits before you order anything.

Real people. Straight answers. No runaround.

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Displays 2 Go