When Should the Design of a Custom-Built Stand Be Locked?

Six weeks before the fair starts, the organiser asks the exhibitor for the stand project image, the marked overall external dimensions, an image of the general layout of the stand and the electrical power requested. The organiser sets the final upload date and announces it to the exhibitor; Inside makes the upload on the exhibitor’s behalf. The lock date is found with two calculations: the organiser’s deadline for submitting plans, and the count back from set-up for production, graphics and shipping. Whichever is earlier is the lock date.

What the organiser’s deadlines are

Organisers set a plan submission deadline for the structures they require approval for; the deadline and the approval threshold differ from venue to venue. The following are examples according to their sources, not a complete list. At Messe Frankfurt, according to its portal, the structures that need approval include stands over 100 m², two-storey stands and special structures; the plans must reach the organiser no later than six weeks before set-up begins, and construction may not start before the plans are stamped (Messe Frankfurt stand builder portal ↗). At Messe Düsseldorf, single-storey stands that follow the regulations need no drawings; mobile stands, special structures and other structures need approval, and the final date for submitting drawings is six weeks before construction begins (Messe Düsseldorf Technical Guidelines, 2026, section 4.2 ↗). At Koelnmesse, single-storey stands that follow the Technical Guidelines need no approval; other structures, mobile stands and special structures do. The approval list includes special structures, two-storey structures, cinemas or auditoriums, structures in the outdoor area and activity areas; the request goes through the Delegatis platform at least six weeks before construction work starts (Koelnmesse Technical Guidelines, section 4.2 ↗). At Hannover, areas of 100 m² and above, multi-storey structures and exhibits higher than 6.5 m need approval; that page gives no deadline for submitting plans (Deutsche Messe, stand construction approval ↗).

The regulations also vary by event. Messe Frankfurt provides separate technical guidelines for certain events; Koelnmesse provides different procedures for guest events, and questions go to that event’s organiser. The exhibitor guide of Beautyworld Middle East in Dubai asks for the final stand design four weeks before the event (Beautyworld Middle East exhibitor guide ↗).

How the lock date is found

The first date is the organiser’s final deadline for plans. The second is the date left when shipping, production and graphics times are subtracted back from the start of set-up; these vary by project, material and destination country. The earlier of the two is the lock date. Six weeks is the period the organiser asks for, not an Inside rule; the organiser sets the final date and announces it. Because the opening time does not move, a change after the lock date can affect both the plan submission and the production, graphics and shipping schedule.

When the venue’s technical rules are read

Height, suspended elements, electrical connections, fire safety and installation hours all limit the design; the regulations are read before the design is finalised. If a detail that has already entered production must change at the venue, the cost and time of that change arise separately.