Messe Düsseldorf and large-hall logistics

1–10 days

build time, near the upper end on large stands

Stand types

Heavy exhibits go in first

For exhibitors showing machinery, generators or cutting equipment, the build sequence reverses. The exhibit goes into position first and the stand is built around it. That order binds the design as well: the structure is drawn to leave the opening the machine passes through, and the platform is calculated to carry its weight.

Floor loading conditions vary by venue and by hall and are published in the technical manual. The placement decision for a heavy exhibit is made against that document, and where load spreading is needed, plates or reinforcement are designed in.

These conditions also narrow the choice of stand type. With heavy display, platform height and the ramp solution have to be planned from the start. The route into the plot goes onto the drawing too: which door, which aisle, and which opening in the structure the machine passes through. That route cannot be found later, because the neighbouring stands are building the same day and aisles cannot serve as temporary storage.

Equipment and the hourly plan

Large stands need forklifts, scissor lifts and sometimes cranes. At most venues these come from the approved supplier, are charged by the hour and must be ordered in advance. A forklift decided on during the build means both waiting and a surcharge.

The planning method is simple: divide the build sequence into hours, write which equipment each hour needs, and order against that. Which gate the equipment enters by and where it waits belong in the plan too.

The same approach applies to tear-down, where it matters more. The hour the hall must be clear is fixed, so the equipment has to be booked for that night as well. We run this planning as a separate step within our service scope. Certification for whoever operates the equipment may be requested in advance as well; someone without an operator’s licence cannot take over a machine on site. Surfacing that detail halfway through the build turns into an hourly delay and shifts the rest of the chain with it.

Aisles during a simultaneous build

In a large hall, dozens of stands go up at the same time. Aisles cannot be used as temporary storage; material waits inside your own plot. That is part of the floor plan: decide in advance which part of the stand serves as the material area on the first day.

An order has to be agreed with neighbouring stands too. Tall structures go up first, because a tall structure raised later can damage a neighbour’s finished surface. Having that conversation in the first hour of the build beats having it on the third day.

Waste is a simultaneous matter as well. Packaging and offcuts are governed by their own rules at every venue, with collection points and times set out in the manual. Where the packaging sits during the show is settled in advance too; on a reusable system the crates are needed on tear-down night and storing them can be chargeable. If they will not fit in the stand’s own store, the venue’s crate storage service is ordered beforehand.

When is heavy exhibit placement decided?

While the floor plan is drawn. Weight, dimensions and the direction of entry are inputs to the design; moving it later means redrawing the structure.

Can we bring our own forklift?

At most European venues no; the service is ordered from the approved supplier. Conditions vary by venue and are stated in the manual.