For exhibitors • first-timers • last-minuters
Shell scheme graphics, sorted.
You’ve booked a stand and been handed three white walls and a name board. Here’s what fits, what sticks, what the organiser will bill you for, and what to order so it’s on your stand tomorrow.
- Posts
- About every 1m
- Panel height
- 2.3 to 2.4m
- Fix with
- Velcro, not screws
- First job
- Read the manual
Walls • posts • a name board
What you’ve actually been given.
- Aluminium posts about every metre, with rails top and bottom. They stay visible whatever you do, unless you cover them.
- Infill panels between the posts: white laminate, or a fuzzy nylon that Velcro grips directly.
- A name board across the front with your company name and stand number. The organiser prints that, not you.
- Carpet, and usually a spotlight and one socket. Check: power is often an extra.
The number that matters is the visible panel size: the bit of panel you can see between the posts and rails. It’s usually around 950mm × 2.3 to 2.4m, but contractors use different systems and the difference is enough to ruin a board.
It’s in your exhibitor manual, normally under “shell scheme specification”. Two minutes of reading saves a reprint. If you can’t find it, email the organiser and ask for exactly that phrase.
Boards • seamless • freestanding
Three ways to dress it.
They’re not equally easy. If this is your first show, or the manual is vague, go freestanding.
Panel boards
One printed board per panel, Velcro’d on. The posts show between them, so design each panel to stand alone.
5mm foamboard for a single show. 4mm Foamex if you’ll reuse them. We cut to your panel size.
Seamless graphics
One continuous print across the whole wall, covering the posts. Looks the most finished, needs exact measurements and careful fitting on the day.
Send us the specification page from your manual and we’ll tell you what’s possible in the time you have.
Freestanding kit
A fabric wall and a roller banner or two, standing in front of the panels. Fixed to nothing, so there’s nothing to measure and nothing to be billed for.
Packs into bags, goes to the next show. For a 3m stand, order the 2.4m wall.
Count before you order
How many panels?
| Stand | In-line panels | Corner panels |
|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2m | 6 | 4 |
| 3 × 2m | 7 | 5 |
| 3 × 3m | 9 | 6 |
| 4 × 3m | 10 | 7 |
| 6 × 3m | 12 | 9 |
In-line stands sit in a row with neighbours both sides: a back wall and two side walls. Corner stands lose one side wall and gain an open edge.
You don’t have to cover them all. Do the back wall properly before you spend anything on the sides. Side walls are seen at an angle, by people who are already walking past.
Boards are priced per board on the foam boards page. For panel-sized boards, email hello@rapidprintpro.com with the visible panel size and the number you need.
What sticks • what gets you billed
Fixing things to the walls.
We can’t tell you what your contractor allows. We can tell you what they usually say.
Hook-and-loop
Velcro is the standard. On nylon-covered panels the hook side grips the wall by itself. On laminate, use both halves. Light boards hold all week; heavy ones want more strips, or to rest on the bottom rail.
Pads and tapes
Some contractors allow specific removable pads. Many ban anything that can leave residue. It’s in the manual, usually in bold.
Nails, screws, staples
Or drilling, or glue. Panels are hired, and damage is charged per panel at the end of the show. It’s never cheap.
From booking to build-up
What to order, and when.
The day you book: get the numbers
Visible panel size, build-up times, and whether deliveries to the stand are allowed.
A week out: artwork
Logos at eye level, nothing important in the bottom 400mm. Artwork specs and templates are free.
The day before build-up: order
By 3pm for boards, banners and print. By 11am for fabric walls, flags and table cloths.
Build-up day: delivery
To your office, your hotel or the stand. Venue guides: ExCeL, Olympia, BDC.
Show day: something’s wrong
It happens. Order by 3pm and a courier has it to a London venue in about 90 minutes. Same day printing.
Same order • one delivery
The shell scheme kit list.
Foam boards
Foamboard, Foamex, Correx, honeycomb. Cut to size.
Foam boards →
Stretch walls
The 2.4m fits a 3m stand. Frame and bag included.
Stretch walls →
Roller banners
An 85cm covers one panel, post to post.
Roller banners →
Flyers & leaflets
Running out on day two is normal. We top up overnight.
Flyers →Also for the stand: printed table cloths, LED light boxes, flags for outside the hall, business cards and strut cards for the counter.
Everything people ask
Shell scheme FAQs.
What size is a shell scheme panel?
There’s no single size, which is the whole problem. Most UK systems put a post every metre, leaving a visible panel of roughly 950mm wide by 2.3 to 2.4m tall. But contractors use different systems, and 20mm either way is the difference between a board that fits and one that doesn’t.
Your exhibitor manual lists the exact “visible panel size”. Get that number before anyone opens InDesign.
What’s the best material for shell scheme graphics?
For one show, 5mm foamboard: light enough for Velcro to hold all week, sharp print, lowest cost. If you’ll reuse the panels, 4mm solid core (Foamex) survives being transported and stored. Both are on the foam boards page, and both can be cut to your panel size.
Can I stick things to shell scheme walls?
Usually with hook-and-loop (Velcro), and nothing else. Nails, screws, staples and anything that leaves residue will get you billed per damaged panel. Some contractors allow specific removable pads. The manual will say, and it’s worth the two minutes.
Will a 3m stretch wall fit inside a 3m shell scheme?
No. A “3m” stand is measured to the outside of the posts, so the space inside is a few centimetres short of 3m, and a 3m wall is 3m. Order the 2.4m and you’ll have room either side for a roller banner or a literature stand.
What’s the difference between shell scheme and space only?
Shell scheme is a ready-built booth: walls, a name board, carpet and usually a light and a socket. You add graphics. Space only is bare floor, and you bring the whole stand. If you’re reading this guide, you almost certainly have shell scheme.
Can you deliver straight to my stand?
Yes, and we do it most weeks. We need the event name, hall, stand number, a contact name and a mobile that will be answered on site. Venues only accept deliveries during build-up windows, so tell us yours. There are separate guides for ExCeL, Olympia and the Business Design Centre.
How late can I order?
Boards, roller banners, flyers and cards: 3pm for same day in London or next day anywhere in the UK. Fabric walls, flags and table cloths: 11am. If the show opens tomorrow and something’s gone wrong, email hello@rapidprintpro.com with the stand number and what you need.
Do I have to cover every panel?
No, and most exhibitors shouldn’t. A strong back wall does the work; side walls are seen at an angle by people already walking past. If the budget is tight, do the back wall properly and put a roller banner at the front corner.
Keep reading
More for exhibitors.
- Event printing LondonEverything we print for events and exhibitions.
- Delivered to ExCeL LondonAccess, timings and what we need from you.
- Delivered to Olympia LondonTighter access, and how to plan around it.
- Delivered to the Business Design CentreOur closest venue, and the fastest to reach.
- Media walls and step and repeatFabric backdrops, and how to lay out a logo repeat.
- The roller banner guideSizes, names and artwork rules.
- Next day printing UKWhat ships tomorrow and what it costs.
Order by 3pm • 11am for fabric
Show this week? Let’s get it built.
Send us the visible panel size and the date, or pick a product for a live price. A person checks every file before it prints.