Shell Scheme Graphics & Exhibition Panels

A shell scheme is the ready-built stand that UK organisers sell as a package with the floor space. Their appointed contractor erects an aluminium framework with infill panels on the closed sides, fits a fascia board carrying your company name, and usually lays carpet. You rent it rather than own it, which is the single most important thing to understand: the structure is not yours to alter, drill or repaint, and it is dismantled the moment the show closes.

Because 3m x 2m describes the floor space you booked, not the panels you are covering. The infill panels sit inside the aluminium uprights, so the printable area is always smaller than the nominal stand size, and the usable height stops below the fascia rather than at the top of the frame. Panel systems also differ between organisers and between contractors at the same venue. Measure the actual panel opening on site or ask the contractor for a panel drawing, and never assume this year's stand at Olympia London matches the one you had last year.

Rigid boards give a crisp, perfectly flat face and suit a stand you will only build once. The trade-offs are bulk and fragility: corners chip, surfaces scuff in the van, and a full set is awkward to store, so most exhibitors quietly bin them afterwards. Fabric panels attached with hook-and-loop fold into a bag, weigh very little, will not crack, and can be washed and used again. Whichever you pick, confirm with the contractor what fixings are permitted, because adhesive tapes are commonly banned and charged for as damage.

The fascia comes with your company name applied in the contractor's standard typeface, at their standard size, which is rarely your brand. Some organisers allow you to over-board or wrap the fascia with your own printed panel and some do not, so check before designing anything for it. Where it is allowed, keep the fascia simple: it is read at a glance from a distance down the aisle, so a logo and a few words work and a paragraph does not.

Rarely. On an inline stand, one wall usually ends up behind a counter or a screen, and a corner stand loses a wall completely. Stand in the aisle on the plan and work out which surface a visitor sees first as they approach from the busier end of the hall, then put your budget there. Full seamless coverage is worth it when the whole stand is visible and you want an uninterrupted image; panel-by-panel graphics are the sensible choice when only part of the wall is ever seen.

Only if the panels match, and often they will not. A different organiser, a different contractor or even a different hall can mean different panel dimensions, which is exactly why rigid boards so often become single-use. If you exhibit more than once a year, choose fabric, keep a written record of the panel measurements each graphic was cut for, and check the new show's panel sizes before you assume the old set will fit.

Not with screws. The panels belong to the contractor and drilling them will earn you a damage charge. Shell scheme systems have their own approved fittings, shelf brackets and hanging hardware that clip into the aluminium uprights, and these are ordered from the contractor alongside the stand. There are weight limits, so ask before you plan on hanging anything substantial, and tell us early if you need graphics cut around a bracket position rather than covering it.

Work to the panel dimensions we confirm with you, add bleed on every edge, and design each panel as its own composition. The uprights between panels are visible metal, so a logo or a face straddling a join will be sliced in two, and text that runs across a gap becomes unreadable. Keep important content clear of the top edge, where the fascia overhangs, and of the bottom, where the panel meets the floor track. Free artwork assistance is included, so email support@backdropsource.co.uk or call +44 1628 904 188 with your measurements and we will lay it out for you.

Usually not for the infill panels, which are yours to dress for the duration of the show — but always for the fascia, and always for the fixing method. Adhesive tape is the common sticking point: many contractors ban it outright and charge for residue as damage. One email to the contractor before you order settles both questions.

Allow two weeks from artwork approval for a standard size, and longer if the panel drawing still has to be chased from the contractor. The bottleneck is almost never printing — it is getting confirmed panel dimensions out of the organiser. Start that conversation as soon as you have your stand number.

Sized panel sets on this collection run from £316 for a 3m x 2m booth to £485 for a 6m x 3m booth, with full-coverage seamless graphics starting at £289. If your stand falls between those sizes, or the contractor's panels are non-standard, send us the panel drawing and we will quote to your measurements.