Electrical Systems in Stands and Retail: Regulatory Requirements

Start with Actual Loads

Sizing begins with an honest inventory: lighting, screens, coffee machines, refrigerators, ovens, utility sockets, and charging points. Each load must be declared with its power rating and estimated simultaneity factor, because contractual power for trade fairs is requested in advance, and increasing it during installation is costly, if not impossible.

Distribution Boards, Protection, and Continuity

A well-designed system features an accessible distribution board that is not visible to the public, selective residual current devices (RCDs) to prevent a single fault from shutting down the entire space, and separate circuits for decorative lighting, utility sockets, and critical equipment.

For retail outlets and stands with refrigerated equipment, we always recommend a dedicated circuit, so that intervention on another load does not compromise the merchandise.

Lighting: Performance and Consumption

In retail, colour rendering is as important as lux levels: light sources with high CRI enhance materials and products, whereas flat lighting diminishes the entire fit-out investment. In exhibition settings, lighting is what makes the stand visible from the aisle: the lighting budget is not an area that can be compromised.

Safety and Documentation

Emergency lighting, escape route signage, and declarations of conformity are mandatory and subject to inspection. The handover must include as-built drawings updated to reflect any site modifications: a dossier that does not correspond to the actual installation is useless for the first maintenance task.