Power layout and load calculation

1–10 days

build time, with power pulled on the first day

Stand types

From list to total

The arithmetic is easy; making the list complete is not. On lighting, count spots, sources inside tensioned surfaces and case lighting separately. On screens, add monitors, media players, audio and the router. On machinery, the running power of an exhibit differs from its starting power, and for motorised products the starting figure governs.

Catering is where people go furthest wrong. Kettles, espresso machines, fridges and hot plates generate heat and can draw close to the entire lighting load between them. Because the stand kitchen is small, the load is assumed to be small.

Add a reserve to the total. A visitor’s phone, the team’s laptops and an extra fitting added on the last day are not on the list but are on the socket. Which part of the stand needs how much power should be settled during the design stage.

Keep the list as a table and update it through the show. Every device added on site goes onto the same table, so next year’s declaration rests on last year’s real consumption rather than a guess.

Separating the circuits

A stand fed from one circuit goes completely dark on a single fault. The right layout splits the load across at least three: lighting, screens and IT, and catering. When the coffee machine trips a breaker, the wall lighting and the screens keep working.

The second benefit is the overnight arrangement. When the show closes, general hall power is switched off, though some venues offer a twenty-four hour supply. Fridges and anything that needs charging go on that line; lighting does not.

The panel goes somewhere out of sight, preferably inside the store, and nothing is stacked in front of it. Residual current protection, earthing and labelling are finished on the first build day. Whether cables run under the floor or in trunking is decided on the drawing, because lifting a floor afterwards costs a day.

Socket count belongs to the circuit plan as well. No socket goes on a face the visitor sees; the ones the team uses sit under the counter and on the store wall, and there is always one more than the plan called for.

Declaring it to the organiser

The supply is bought from the organiser, usually at a discount for early orders. Leaving it to the last day is both dearer and not always possible. If the declared load turns out to be short, an increase is requested on site, and at some venues that request cannot be met during the build.

The declaration also states whether single or three-phase supply is needed. Companies exhibiting motorised machinery need three-phase. You will also be asked which corner of the stand the connection should arrive at, and that answer goes on the drawing because it sets the cable route.

At fairs abroad, check socket type and mains voltage separately. Rather than assuming a device brought from home will run, plan the adaptors and converters. Our exhibition stand services page sets out who is responsible for these items.

When should the power order be placed?

In the week the stand drawing is fixed. The load comes out of the drawing, and the order still falls inside the early-order window, which wins twice.

Can we use a generator or extension leads?

Generators are prohibited in enclosed halls. Extension leads are a stopgap, and taking power from a neighbouring stand is explicitly banned in most manuals.