Stand types
Getting more from an in-line stand
Lokman Türkoğlu · Founder & Head of Design · 2 min read · Last updated:
Short answer
How do you use the space on an in-line stand?
On an in-line stand everything is solved on the back wall. Split it into three layers: a brand band at the top that reads from a distance, product and message at eye level in the middle, and storage and services at the bottom. Keep the floor as clear as possible; leave at least a metre and a half of opening for visitors to step in. Set the counter perpendicular to the aisle or to one side rather than parallel to it, because a parallel counter closes the stand off. Boxes and samples belong in the lower layer of the wall, not on the floor.
Layering the wall
On an in-line stand the back wall is frontage, storage and display surface at once. Those three jobs should be spread into horizontal layers rather than stacked on top of one another.
The top layer runs from about two metres twenty to the top of the wall. Only the company name and a short descriptor go there; it is the one thing read from across the aisle. The middle layer is eye level: product shelves, a technical image, short text. The bottom layer, below sixty centimetres, takes lockable cupboards and cases.
Drawn separately, each layer does its own job. Mixed together, you get neither a message that reads at distance nor an orderly display. Our stand design page shows how the layering is set up at drawing stage.
Keeping the floor clear
On a nine-square-metre stand a single table, two chairs and a stack of boxes take half the floor. In the other half a visitor and a member of staff cannot stand at the same time, so the visitor looks in from the aisle and walks on.
The rule is simple: leave at least a metre and a half of clear entry from the aisle into the stand. That gap is where the visitor steps, and without it the conversation happens in the aisle. Conversations in the aisle are short.
On small stands that still need storage, the answer is found in height. Lockable cupboards in the lower wall layer, plus the hidden volume under the counter, hold the catalogues and samples most companies actually get through. A separate store room does not fit into nine square metres.
The difference lighting makes
The cheapest improvement to a small stand is lighting. Hall lighting is uniform and high up, and a stand lit the same as its neighbours does not stand out. A correctly angled wash on the back wall turns it into a bright surface when seen from the aisle.
Three lights are usually enough: a row of spots washing the wall, one focused spot separating the product, and a low pendant over the counter. Keep the colour temperature identical across all three; a mismatch shows immediately on a small stand.
Include all three when you declare the electrical load to the organiser. The most common site problem on small stands is an ordered supply that cannot carry lighting and equipment together.
Does a meeting table fit in nine square metres?
A seated table closes the space. A high poseur table with two stools does the same job, takes less floor and keeps conversations short.
Which type suits an in-line stand?
On a small footprint a modular system or a portable set-up is usually enough. Custom timber only earns its place when the exhibit needs a bespoke unit.