48 m² Modular Exhibition Stands
Forty-eight square metres is usually an island, and an island has no back wall — every surface is a front, storage has to live inside a structure, and four approaches can each be given their own reason to exist. Built on a reusable aluminium system from our Frankfurt workshop.
Designs we build at 48 m²
Open any design to see every angle, choose a configuration and add-ons, and send it to us as an enquiry. Each design is a starting point — layout, counter, storage and branding are adjusted to your products and your stand number before fabrication.
What a 48 m² modular stand costs
European market rates put a full 48 m² modular build at roughly €7,900 to €16,800, which is about €165 to €350 per square metre. At this footprint the rate has settled to the level large modular builds hold across the range — freight and crew are now a small share of the total rather than the driver. The spread is wide because the structure is only part of the cost. Height drives it first: a stand with a three-metre fascia and a suspended lighting rig sits near the top of the range, while a two-and-a-half-metre wall system with structure-mounted lighting sits near the bottom.
Graphics are the second variable. Printed panels are inexpensive; backlit lightboxes cost several times more per square metre and change how the stand reads from the aisle in a way that photographs never quite capture. Furniture is the third — catalogue pieces are included in the figures above, bespoke joinery is not.
What the range does not include is the floor itself. Space rental at a major German show runs somewhere between €180 and €400 per square metre before the stand exists, and organiser fees for power, waste and passes are charged separately again. We quote the build; the venue quotes the rest, and we will tell you what to budget for both.
One thing worth weighing at this size: the system is an asset, not a consumable. Spread across three appearances the per-show cost falls to a fraction of the first build, since only graphics and crew recur. If your calendar has one show in it, say so and we will price the alternatives honestly — a bespoke build sometimes makes more sense for a single flagship appearance.
Designing for 48 square metres
What 48 m² actually gives you
An island that behaves like one. Forty-eight square metres is the first footprint where four approaches can each have their own reason to exist rather than being four ways into the same single space.
Four approaches means no back
Every surface is a front. Graphics have to read from all sides, the counter cannot hide against anything, and storage has to be built into a structure rather than tucked behind one — usually inside the meeting room or under a raised deck.
Build time at this size
A day and a half for structure, plus a full day for graphics, lighting, rigging and dressing. This is where build-up scheduling starts to matter: a late graphics delivery can no longer be absorbed.
From brief to handover
Brief
Send the show, hall, stand number and open sides. We confirm height limits and rigging rules before anything is drawn.
3D design
A 3D concept within 48 hours, worked to your products and brand rather than dropped onto a template.
Quotation
An itemised quote against the approved design — structure, graphics, lighting, furniture, transport and crew, priced separately.
Production
Built and test-assembled in our Frankfurt workshop, so faults surface on our floor and not in the hall.
Delivery & installation
We ship, build inside the organiser’s window with a project manager present, and dismantle afterwards.
Modular stands from 9 to 80 m²
Every size has its own designs and price range. If your allocation changes, the same system regroups to fit.
9 m²9 m²One message, welcome counter
18 m²18 m²Storage and seating
20 m²20 m²Corner-friendly
24 m²24 m²Meeting table and storeroom
27 m²27 m²Demo counter plus seating
28 m²28 m²Split display and meeting
30 m²30 m²Product wall and hospitality
45 m²45 m²Separate meeting area48 m²48 m²You are here
50 m²50 m²Zoned circulation
54 m²54 m²Closed meeting room
60 m²60 m²Multiple zones
80 m²80 m²Full island48 m² modular stands — common questions
How much does a 48 m² modular stand cost?
Roughly €7,900–€16,800 for a full 48 m² build, about €165–€350 per square metre. Rigging is the biggest single variable: suspended branding and a lighting rig push a project towards the top of the range, while a floor-supported structure with mounted lighting sits near the bottom. Structure, graphics, lighting, catalogue furniture, installation and dismantling are included.
Is 48 m² always an island plot?
Not always, but usually — and the design changes completely if it is not. An island has four approaches and no back wall; a 48 m² inline has one approach and a twelve-metre rear surface to work with. Send the stand number, because the two briefs share nothing but the area.
Where does storage go on an island?
Inside something. With no back wall, the three to four square metres has to be built into the meeting room, under a raised deck, or into a structure that also carries branding. It has to be in the first drawing — added later it reads as an afterthought from at least one aisle.
Do I need rigging permission?
For suspended branding, yes, and it is hall-specific rather than venue-specific. Some halls permit it freely, some charge per suspension point, some prohibit it entirely. We confirm with the organiser before the design commits, because swapping a suspended element for a floor-supported one changes the silhouette of the whole stand.
How many visitors does it hold?
Twenty to thirty at once across the four zones before circulation degrades, which is roughly double what a 30 m² stand absorbs. The four approaches are what make that possible — the same number of people on a single-entrance stand would be queueing.
How long does it take to build?
A day and a half for structure and a full day for graphics, lighting, rigging and dressing. This is the size at which build-up scheduling stops being automatic: a graphics delivery that slips by a day can no longer be absorbed inside the window.
Can this system be used at smaller shows?
Yes, and it is the main argument for buying at this size. The parts regroup into 24 or 30 m² configurations for regional events. The island character does not survive the reduction — the smaller build is an inline or corner stand made from the same profiles.
What is not included in the price?
Floor rental, venue power and organiser fees. The two that matter most at this size are rigging point charges, billed by the venue per suspension and priced very differently between halls, and forklift or crane access if the structure needs it during build-up. AV hire, staff, catering and storage are separate.
Tell us the show and the stand number
We will come back with a 3D concept for your 48 m² space and an itemised quote, usually within 48 hours.
