Material Fire Reaction
This is the requirement that delays the most stands during the approval phase. Materials used for walls, coverings, curtains, and carpets must have documented fire reaction classification (in Europe according to EN 13501-1), and the documentation must be available at the venue, not just in your office.
- Material certificates or declarations, associated with the batch used.
- Fire-retardant treatments with proper application declarations, when required.
- Copy of documentation in the stand's dossier, accessible during inspections.
Venue Technical Regulations
Maximum heights, distances from stand boundaries, enclosed surfaces, loads suspended from pavilion structures, assigned electrical power: these are all parameters set by the individual venue and vary significantly between Milan, Bologna, Frankfurt, and Paris.
In Germany, technical regulations are particularly prescriptive regarding structural stability and escape routes; in France, fire safety regulations for materials are paramount. Designing a structure from the outset to be compliant in multiple venues allows it to be reused without rebuilding.
On-Site Safety at the Exhibition
Installation is effectively a temporary construction site: it requires worker documentation, PPE, operational plans, coordination with the venue, and named passes. Double-decker stands also require signed structural calculations and load verifications.
Documentation to be Provided to the Exhibitor
At the end of installation, the exhibitor should receive a complete dossier. If the stand builder does not provide it spontaneously, it should be requested during contract negotiations.
- Certificate of conformity for the electrical system.
- Material fire reaction certifications.
- As-built drawings of the stand.
- Any structural calculations and verifications.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is responsible for stand compliance?
- The exhibitor is responsible to the venue, but in practice, the stand builder produces and signs the technical documentation. This should be explicitly stated in the contract.
- Do regulations change annually?
- Venues periodically update their technical regulations: they should be downloaded for each edition, especially regarding electrical power and suspended loads.
Translated from the Italian original. Contact us for the official version.