Planning a 36 sqm island stand

6 × 6 m

The most common shape of a 36 sqm island

Stand types

4 open sides

Defines an island plot: there is no back wall

Stand types

The core layout: storage goes to the middle

By definition an island plot has no back wall. The luxury of burying storage at the back, available on a row or corner stand, does not exist here; storage, the electrical panel and technical volume gather in the middle of the stand as a core. The ring of circulation around it belongs to the visitor.

That core is also the vertical element of the stand: a mass rising above it, a sign suspended from the ceiling, or a brand surface readable from all four directions goes here. What makes an island stand visible from a distance is not its frontage but this central mass.

The size of the core determines everything else. At 36 sqm a core of roughly 6–8 sqm leaves a comfortable 1.5–2 metres of circulation on all four sides. Grow the core and circulation tightens and the stand feels crowded; shrink it and storage runs out, so items spill into the visible area.

Four sides, four different first impressions

The point most often missed about an island stand is this: the visitor can see it from four directions, and each one is a first impression. Designing a single “front” and leaving the other three blank means showing the back of the stand to three quarters of your visitors.

That does not mean repeating the same graphic four times. Each side can have its own job: one brand surface, one product display, one welcome point, one meeting area. But all four have to look finished. Cables, access hatches, the storage door and technical equipment are concealed from every direction.

We look at the hall plan to work out which side faces the main flow; that side takes the welcome point and the quietest side takes the meeting area. This decision comes after the plot number is confirmed, not before the drawing.

Height, rigging and regulations

Thirty-six square metres is where the conversation about a double-decker stand or rigging usually starts. Both need separate permission: a two-storey structure needs an engineer-approved structural calculation and an extra fee in most halls; rigging is not granted everywhere and its deadline closes early.

Height limits differ from hall to hall too. On an island plot height matters more than on a row plot: whether the stand is visible from a distance depends on it — and your neighbours have the same right. We decide by looking at who is around you on the hall plan.

We follow all of these permits and handle the correspondence with the organiser. All we ask of the exhibitor is to move early on the decisions that need making. How the process runs day by day is set out on our service page.

Where does storage go on a 36 sqm island stand?

In the middle. With no back wall on an island plot, storage and technical volume gather as a core at the centre and the space around it is left for circulation. Putting storage at the edge means closing off one of the four sides.

Can a 36 sqm stand carry a second storey?

If the ceiling height and the regulations allow, yes — but it needs separate permission, an engineer-approved structural calculation in most halls, and an additional fee. The decision has to come early; the application starts before the drawing.

Is an island plot always better?

Not always. Four open sides increase visibility but also the cost of the design: all four have to look finished and storage is hard to hide. For a layout that wants to greet visitors at a single point, a corner plot can be more efficient.