Exhibition Stand Builder in Switzerland

Exhibiting in Switzerland: venues, fairs and stand rules

Short answer: Major Swiss exhibition venues include Messe Basel, Palexpo in Geneva, Messe Zürich and BERNEXPO in Bern, and each publishes its own stand rules: fire classes (VKF-based; Palexpo also refers to EN 13501-1), ceiling suspension ordered through or approved by the venue, fair-specific height limits and plan-approval deadlines. Switzerland is outside the EU customs territory, so exhibits and stand material enter on an ATA Carnet or a Swiss temporary-admission declaration, with duty charged on gross weight. Palexpo's regulations also require non-EU and non-EFTA nationals doing stand assembly to hold a permit from the first day. VAV Grup designs and builds custom stands in Istanbul.

Main exhibition venues in Switzerland

International B2B trade fairs in Switzerland (next editions)

Dates as published by the organisers, checked 29 September 2026. Always confirm on the official show website before booking.

Venue rules that shape your stand design in Switzerland

Custom stands fail approval most often on height, fire class of materials, rigging and electrics. These are the rules the venues publish:

Palexpo (Geneva) – General Regulations, version September 2026

• Stands must be self-supporting: no holes in the floor and nothing attached to floors, partitions, walls, ceilings or structural elements. Rigging is only from points set by Palexpo's Operations Department, on a plan giving each point's distance from the stand edge, height and weight; lifting devices are supplied and rented only by Palexpo.
• Halls 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6: rigged loads up to an average of 30 kg/m², maximum 1,000 kg per rigging point without an engineering study and 2,000 kg with one; maximum rigging height 11.70 m in Halls 1–2 and 17.70 m in Halls 4–6. Structures overhanging aisles must stay at least 3.20 m above the floor over aisles to logistics doors and 2.50 m over other aisles.
• Stand plans go to Palexpo at least 6 weeks (general plan), 4 weeks (general technical plans) and 2 weeks (specific technical plans with the last changes) before opening; multi-storey and complex structures need an approval file with engineering calculations at least two months before opening. Materials must be classified under the Swiss or European EN 13501-1 standard, and the cantonal fire authority can demand certificates and order dismantling.

Source: Palexpo – General Regulations for the users of the Palexpo site (version September 2026; the French text is authentic), sections 2, 3 and Fire prevention 2.2

BERNEXPO (Bern) – Technical guidelines, 10 March 2026

• Multi-storey stands need the landlord's prior written approval, and upper floors over 50 m² need suitable escape stairs; stands in the sprinklered halls (buildings 1–3) must be open at the top, and open suspended ceilings are allowed only if non-combustible with at least 70% open area.
• Ceiling suspensions need prior written approval, with detailed plans stating the load per hanging point submitted by the deadline for technical orders; the hall-plan figures for floor load, maximum build height, ceiling suspension and hall height are binding, and nothing may be fixed to the building fabric.
• As a rule only materials of at least combustibility grade RF2 per the VKF standard may be used, and built-in items must keep at least 30 cm horizontally and 50 cm vertically from sprinkler nozzles.

Source: BERNEXPO AG – Technische Richtlinien (10.03.2026), sections 5.1–5.16, listed on the BERNEXPO downloads page

Messe Basel (MCH) – Stand construction guidelines (previous editions, check the current ones)

• Load-bearing stand parts (columns, supports, floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, balustrades) must be RF2 per VKF and non-load-bearing parts (cladding, furniture) RF3; free-standing and hanging decorations only flame-retardant or treated materials; plastic cable ties may not fasten load-bearing parts.
• Anything suspended directly from the hall ceiling (beams, clamps, steel rope) must be ordered from MCH; exhibitors may hang stand parts on those points themselves, with steel ropes secured by three rope clamps. Roofs must be designed to withstand spot loads of 200 kg, and where a stand uses the maximum height a closed roof must allow inspection of the media installations above it.
• Plans at 1:50 (plus a statics certificate for multi-storey stands) go to the show management; maximum heights and the submission deadline are set in each fair's own guidelines, for example Ilmac 2025: Hall 1.0 maximum 9 m (6 m in the edge zones, 4 m in the central hall area), stands of 9 m² or more, deadline Friday 20 June 2025.

Source: MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) – Stand Construction Guidelines (status June 2015), with the Ilmac 2025 specific stand design guidelines (status February 2025)

Messe Zürich (MCH) – stand guidelines used for ineltec 2026 (fair-specific, check your fair's edition)

• Maximum stand heights: Halls 1 and 2 6.50 m (lower part 3.5/3 m), Halls 3–6 5.50 m, Hall 7 4.50 m or on request; the limits sit below the clear hall height to leave room for smoke extraction, sprinklers, lighting and ventilation, and multi-storey stands are not authorised.
• Construction material must reach at least fire index BKZ 5.2 (VKF), interior fittings BKZ 4.2, and cladding and decorations only combustibility grade 5 or flame-retardant treated material; deviations need the express consent of the fire police.
• Suspensions connected directly to the hall ceiling may be ordered only from MCH Exhibitions, and drilling into hall walls, columns or ceilings is forbidden. Individual stands from 20 m² need a stand construction permit (plans, sections, elevations and a material list, submitted digitally by the fair's deadline: 12 June 2026 for ineltec 2026).

Source: MCH Exhibitions & Events GmbH – Standbau- und Gestaltungsrichtlinien ineltec 2026 (status September 2025), sections 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 3.1, 6 and 7

Rules can differ per show: the organiser's exhibitor manual for your fair always takes precedence. We read that manual before the first design sketch, not after.

Shipping a stand from Istanbul to Switzerland

Customs framework: ICC lists Switzerland under other European countries, not with the EU. Swiss customs (BAZG) provides temporary admission for foreign goods used in Switzerland for a limited period, names exhibitions as a common purpose and offers two documents: a customs declaration for temporary admission (ZAVV) or an ATA Carnet, which is obtained from a chamber of commerce, backed by a security paid to the issuing body and valid for one year; BAZG adds that temporary admission is often more time-consuming and costly than permanent importation. In Türkiye, Carnets are issued through chambers authorised by TOBB (İstanbul Ticaret Odası is among them) against security equal to half of the value of the goods; Switzerland's guaranteeing body is the Alliance des Chambres de Commerce Suisses. Palexpo's regulations treat stand equipment such as partitions, showcases, shelves, furniture and carpets as eligible for temporary importation on a Carnet or a temporary-admission declaration, note that Swiss duty is charged on gross weight, and point to the customs office on the Palexpo site; Messe Basel likewise has an integrated Swiss border customs office on its grounds. Trade in industrial products under the modernised EFTA–Türkiye free trade agreement has applied since 1 October 2021. (BAZG – Temporary importation (CDTA + ATA Carnet); BAZG – ATA Carnet: international customs document for goods; ICC – ATA Carnet in your country (Switzerland and Türkiye entries); TOBB – Chambers authorised to issue ATA Carnets; TOBB – How to obtain an ATA Carnet (security); EFTA – Türkiye free trade agreement; Palexpo – General Regulations, Customs (section 5); Messe Basel – Exhibitors: customs clearance and customs office)

Exhibits that go back home: A Carnet is valid for one year and can be used for several border crossings; the holder may bring all or only some of the goods into Switzerland or back abroad (BAZG), and temporary-admission goods must be re-exported unaltered. Palexpo gives the maximum validity as the Carnet's own validity period, 24 months for a temporary-admission declaration and 6 months for an exhibition declaration, requires a surety for import duties until the goods leave Switzerland, and does not allow goods admitted temporarily to leave the exhibition premises without the Palexpo customs office's authorisation; products resulting from demonstrations must be re-exported, destroyed under customs supervision or cleared, and consumables such as nails, paints or wallpaper can be duty-free only in quantities appropriate to the stand. Goods let out on a rental agreement to a party resident in Switzerland must use the temporary-admission declaration rather than the Carnet. TOBB adds that a Carnet cannot be extended (a replacement Carnet works only where the destination accepts it) and that Carnet goods cannot be rented out or used to earn income. (BAZG – ATA Carnet: international customs document for goods; BAZG – Temporary importation (CDTA + ATA Carnet); Palexpo – General Regulations, Customs (sections 5.2–5.4); TOBB – ATA Carnet FAQ)

Planning timeline for a custom stand in Switzerland

1. 20–16 weeks before: book space, send us the floor plan and stand number; we propose a design and budget.
2. 16–12 weeks before: final design, structural details, material list with fire certificates; check the show manual for contractor registration and labour rules.
3. Drawing deadline (set by the venue/organiser – see the rules above): submit stand drawings; order electricity, rigging and other venue-reserved services through the appointed contractors.
4. 12–10 weeks before: production and pre-assembly in Istanbul.
5. 10–4 weeks before: sea or air freight with the customs documents; the shipping date is fixed first because ocean transit takes several weeks.
6. Build-up days: installation with the venue-appointed partners, final check with you before opening.
7. After the show: dismantling and return shipment of carnet goods before the carnet expires.

How VAV Grup delivers stands here

We are an independent stand contractor, not an official venue supplier. Your stand is designed in Istanbul, built in Istanbul and shipped to Switzerland; on site, installation is coordinated with the services the venue reserves for itself (mains electricity, rigging, sometimes floor plans). One project lead keeps the drawings, material certificates, transport and build-up schedule in one plan. Send the fair name, hall and stand number, stand size and deadline and we reply with a project-specific scope and quotation.

Facts on this page were checked against the official venue, organiser and government sources linked above on 29 September 2026. Figures are the venues' own; we do not claim past projects at every venue listed.