Exhibitor guide
For the first-time exhibitor and the exporter who visits ten fairs a year alike: state support, organisers, budget, stand production, freight and customs, build-up, dismantling and what comes after the fair. Every section rests on an official source and carries a date.
A trade fair is where a company meets more customers face to face in a few days than anywhere else; it is also the marketing job with the most paperwork, the most rules and the most calendar pressure. Most exhibitors go through their first fair with gaps in their knowledge: the support application deadline is missed, the plot is chosen late and a row stand remains instead of a corner, a truck waits at customs over a single missing note on an invoice. This guide was written to close those gaps.
We are a company that designs, produces and builds exhibition stands; we run every step described here for our own clients every month. But the information is independent of who builds your stand. Wherever we give an official source, a date and an article number, you can open it and check for yourself.
01
How to read the guide
We suggest three paths for three readers.
- If this is your first fair, start with "How to exhibit at a trade fair"; the twelve-month countdown there shows in which month each later section comes into play. Then move on to cost items and stand design and production.
- If you are going abroad, the sections on state support for fairs abroad, freight, customs and the ATA Carnet and venue rules were written for you. The technical manuals of German venues follow a different logic from Turkish ones; the differences are there.
- If you are preparing a support file, the document lists and deadlines in the fairs abroad and domestic fairs sections are taken from the Ministry of Trade circular with article numbers. Remember that the DYS application must be filed within three months of the end of the fair.
Each section ends with frequently asked questions and a source list. When a term is unclear, check the trade fair glossary.
- 289 fairs
- fairs licensed in Türkiye in the TOBB 2026 calendar; 96 of them international
- 1,853 fairs
- fairs abroad with supported individual participation in 2026 (list dated 25.09.2026)
- 3 months
- window after the fair to file the support application in DYS (Circular art. 7 and 26)
Source: TOBB 2026 fair calendar
Source: Ministry of Trade, 2026 individual participation list
Source: Circular on fair supports
02
The fair year: a twelve-month countdown
- 01
12–9 months out: fair and plot
The fair is chosen by target market and sector, its presence on the support list is checked, the contract with the organiser is signed and the deposit paid. Plot order follows application order.
- 02
9–6 months out: budget and brief
The total budget is split into items, the stand brief is written and the stand builder is approached for a concept. For a fair abroad, visas and accommodation are arranged now.
- 03
6–3 months out: design and approvals
The concept is approved, the technical drawing is made, the stand project is submitted to the organiser, power and rigging orders are opened. Graphic content is written in this period.
- 04
3–1 months out: production and freight
The stand is produced and checked in the workshop, products are handed to the forwarder, the ATA Carnet and customs declaration are prepared for abroad. Stand staff are assigned.
- 05
Fair week: build, fair, dismantling
The stand is built and handed over in the build window, visitor data is collected throughout the fair, dismantling takes place on closing night and products are reloaded.
- 06
3 months after: follow-up and support file
Visitors are called, quotes are sent, invoices and payment records are collected, the DYS application is completed before the three-month window closes.
Still have a question?
Whatever stage you are at, we can point you in the right direction in ten minutes by phone or WhatsApp. You do not have to ask for a quote; answering a first-time exhibitor's question is part of our job too.
03
Frequently asked questions
- How current are the figures in the guide?
Every figure carries its source document and date. Support ceilings are updated by the Ministry of Trade at the start of each year; the 2026 ceilings come from the document dated 9 January 2026. Fair lists change during the year; the latest list dates are given in the relevant section.
- Do I have to work with you to receive state support?
No. The support is a process between the Ministry of Trade and the exhibiting company; the stand builder is only responsible for issuing its documents correctly. Whichever builder you work with, ask for an itemised invoice paid through a bank.
- We have never exhibited; where do we start?
Start with the twelve-month countdown in "How to exhibit at a trade fair"; the first three steps (choosing the fair, checking the support list, signing the plot contract) set the direction of the whole process. Then print the trade fair checklist and keep it on your desk.
- Can a foreign company use this guide for a fair in Türkiye?
Yes. The sections on venue rules, freight and the ATA Carnet, build-up and dismantling apply to a foreign exhibitor coming to Türkiye as well. The support sections concern only companies established in Türkiye.
Main sources behind the guide
- Fair supports under Decision 5973 — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- TOBB Fairs Directorate and fair calendars — TOBB
- ATA Carnet — TOBB
- Global Exhibition Industry Statistics 2025 — UFI
Guide sections
- 01How to exhibit at a trade fairThe whole of participation, from choosing the fair and signing the plot contract to the stand brief and post-fair follow-up: who does what when, which document goes where, and where the most common mistakes appear.
- 02Turkish state support for fairs abroadThe Turkish Ministry of Trade supports exporters established in Türkiye at fairs abroad under Decision No. 5973. Who qualifies, how the support is calculated, the 2026 ceilings, which documents are required and the deadlines, with article numbers from the circular.
- 03State support for domestic fairs in TürkiyeThe Turkish Ministry of Trade covers half of the space rental and stand expense, within a ceiling, for exporters' association members exhibiting at domestic fairs on the supported list. Conditions, 2026 ceilings, documents, KOSGEB's separate programme and the most common mistakes.
- 04Fair organisers and calendarsIn Türkiye the licence to organise a fair comes from TOBB, and national pavilions abroad are run by organisers appointed by the Ministry of Trade. Where the official calendars and lists are, how to read them, and what to ask an organiser.
- 05Trade fair budget and cost itemsThe budget of a fair participation has nine items; most companies plan only two of them (space rental and the stand). We explain what varies in each item, which extra fees the organiser charges and which items state support covers. No figures, because every fair differs; a method instead.
- 06Stand design and productionHow a stand comes into being, from the brief to the workshop check: which facts the drawing cannot start without, how the concept is approved, what the technical drawing contains, when system, modular or custom timber is chosen, and why production ends weeks before the fair.
- 07Venue rules and stand approvalEvery venue has technical regulations, and a stand that does not comply does not enter the hall. Tüyap's stand rules in force since 1 March 2026, height and deck approvals, power and fire requirements, and how German venues differ.
- 08Freight, customs and the ATA CarnetHow the stand and products reach the hall: domestic freight, truck, container and air cargo for abroad, the temporary export declaration, the ATA Carnet, the fair forwarder and insurance. How freight specifications work in a national pavilion, and why a truck waits at customs.
- 09Build-up and dismantlingHow the build window opens, how vehicles and staff are registered, how the stand's power is switched on, what the handover record says and what happens on dismantling night. Venue rules, penalties and what the exhibitor has to do.
- 10After the fair and storageThree jobs remain once the fair closes: following up visitors, closing the support file, and keeping products and materials in the right place until the next fair. What to know about empties, samples, graphic panels and forwarders' warehouses, and a programme plan for companies attending several fairs a year.
- 11Stand staff and lead managementWho runs the stand, how and in how many shifts; the first thirty seconds with a visitor; a visitor record form that complies with data protection law; consent for commercial messages; data ready for post-fair follow-up. It is not the crowded stand but the well-spoken one that brings business.
- 12Trade fair glossaryFrom plot to island stand, from DYS to ATA Carnet, from shell scheme to rigging: short, accurate definitions of the terms found in fair contracts, technical regulations and Turkish support regulations.
If your fair date is set, the countdown has started
The stand calendar starts the day the plot contract is signed. Send the fair name, date and plot size; within two business days we come back with a concept visual and an itemised quote. Asking for a quote commits you to nothing.