THE ART OF EXHIBITION STAND DESIGN: HOW TO STAND OUT AT TODAY’S TRADE FAIRS
An interview with Mateusz Kanikowski, Owner of Eweld Expo Solutions
The trade fair industry is a fascinating world of constant change, logistical precision and an ongoing drive to stand out from the competition. Although its demise has been predicted time and again — first with the rise of the internet, then during the pandemic, and more recently with the advent of artificial intelligence — reality shows that the need for face-to-face business interaction remains irreplaceable. We discuss the inner workings of the industry, the evolution of modular exhibition stands, the synergy between sustainability and cost efficiency, and how Polish companies have become European leaders in exhibition stand construction with Mateusz Kanikowski, Owner of Eweld Expo Solutions.
A FAMILY LEGACY AND TOP-TIER CRAFTSMANSHIP
Interviewer: Eweld Expo Solutions is an established brand, but its roots go back much further than its current name. How did your journey into the trade fair industry begin?
Mateusz Kanikowski: Our family has been involved in this industry for 40 years, and we have been operating under our current brand for around 30 years. It all began in 1986, roughly around the time I was born. That was when my father started working in the exhibition industry, gaining his first experience during Poland’s communist era. He quickly became passionate about the business — or, as we like to say in our industry, “caught the bug”. This is not a job for entirely normal people, given its unique challenges and relentless pace.
Following Poland’s political and economic transition, my father smoothly moved into running his own business. As a result, I grew up around exhibition halls, which always fascinated me and represented a world of dynamism, creativity and inspiring encounters.
Today, as the second generation, I run the company independently, although we remain a family business. Several members of my family have worked with us for many years, both in administration and in our design studio.
Interviewer: What kind of operational structure does a modern exhibition company need to compete effectively in the market? You often emphasise your comprehensive approach to projects. What does that mean in practice?
M.K.: We employ almost 30 people directly, and our network of regular B2B subcontractors — some of whom work with us exclusively — effectively doubles that number.
We see three main types of businesses in our industry. First, there are agencies that essentially operate with little more than laptops and outsource all production. Second, there are specialist construction companies that serve as excellent subcontractors for other agencies. And finally, there are businesses I would describe as being in the “premier league”.
That is where we position ourselves. We bring a design studio and comprehensive in-house production capabilities together under one roof. We have our own joinery workshop, paint shop and spray-painting facilities. This allows us to control quality at every stage and carry out most processes in-house.
For us, a comprehensive approach also means never telling a client “no” when their request relates to exhibiting at a trade fair. We help with exhibit logistics, buy groceries for clients who arrive at the airport at the last minute, and arrange hostesses, interpreters and catering. In short, we take care of virtually everything a client might need.
SEASONALITY, CRISES AND A RETURN TO EQUILIBRIUM
Interviewer: Maintaining such an extensive technical infrastructure must involve considerable responsibility. Where do the biggest business risks lie in your industry?
M.K.: The main challenge is high operational risk. We have substantial fixed costs associated with maintaining our joinery workshop, paint shop and design studio, while the industry itself is highly seasonal.
Trade fairs follow specific cycles, with major peaks in autumn and spring. Winter can also be busy, whereas the summer months tend to bring significantly fewer projects.
On top of that, we have geopolitical factors and global crises to contend with. The pandemic was a perfect example: it hit us unexpectedly, bringing the entire industry to a standstill in just two months, right in the middle of its stride.
Interviewer: How did you manage to survive a period when trade fairs came to a complete standstill almost overnight?
M.K.: The key was retaining the core of our team and managing our finances carefully. Government support programmes helped, as did temporarily diversifying our activities.
Crucially, we did not sell off our profitable assets, such as machinery and vehicles. We knew that retaining our resources and people would give us a significant competitive advantage once the market recovered.
And that is exactly what happened. After the pandemic, there was an unprecedented appetite for face-to-face meetings. For a year and a half to two years, demand exceeded supply. Clients and organisers were eager to make up for lost time, while changes in supply chains made in-person business discussions and negotiations increasingly important.
Today, the market is returning to normal — to a kind of equilibrium. Some sectors are experiencing declines, while others are growing. We have to remain flexible and respond to these changing trends.
Interviewer: The world is currently facing further instability, including armed conflicts. How does this affect exhibitors?
M.K.: Wars and instability affect the industry in two ways. We are seeing difficulties for exhibitors and visitors from the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Israel, in travelling to European trade fairs. Travel restrictions and rising costs make participation more difficult.
At the same time, the broader industrial downturn is causing some trade fairs to shrink. On the other hand, we are seeing strong growth in sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals and gaming.
MODERN EXHIBITION STANDS: MODULAR INNOVATION AND THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN SUSTAINABILITY AND COST EFFICIENCY
Interviewer: For years, modular exhibition stands were associated with repetitive, unattractive aluminium structures. What does the technology look like today?
M.K.: It is true that, in my father’s day, modular stands were associated with simple aluminium systems, such as those commonly seen at book fairs or job fairs, where every exhibitor’s stand looked more or less the same.
Today, modern modular systems, which we began investing in even before the pandemic, have undergone a complete transformation. For the average visitor — and even for many exhibitors — a contemporary modular stand is virtually indistinguishable from a fully bespoke, made-to-order timber stand.
Interviewer: What has driven this change, and why is modularity becoming the industry standard?
M.K.: It is a response to the need to optimise costs and to the powerful sustainability trend, which in our industry is no longer just a passing fashion but an established standard.
The trade fair industry generates enormous amounts of waste. Few people realise that a traditional stand is often built for just two or three days, after which as much as 70% of its components end up in landfill.
The thoughtful use of modular systems can reverse these proportions. Only up to 30% of the components need to be disposed of, while we reuse the rest of the structure.
As a company, we maximise the reuse of our standardised, concealed structural components. This allows us to work faster, reduce costs and operate more sustainably.
We also design exhibition stands with long-term client agreements in mind, enabling us to adapt and reuse the same components across different floor plans and at different events.
Personally, I believe sustainability makes the most sense when it goes hand in hand with cost efficiency, delivering tangible savings for exhibitors.
Some organisers are also introducing rigorous environmental audits. At one recent event, we received the highest ratings available — silver and gold — for keeping waste levels low. These ratings translate into tangible benefits for exhibitors in the following year, including discounts or additional funding towards exhibition space rental.
WHY AI WILL NOT REPLACE TRADE FAIRS
Interviewer: Let’s turn to digital technology. Back in the 1990s, people claimed that the internet would kill trade fairs. Today, we hear that artificial intelligence (AI) or virtual reality (VR) will do the same. What is your take on these predictions?
M.K.: VR and augmented reality (AR) have been part of exhibition stands for years. A decade ago, I was already building stands with dedicated VR zones, where visitors could take virtual tours of factories or play games related to a product.
However, the idea of recreating traditional trade fairs in a one-to-one virtual environment proved to be a complete failure. Why? Because it lacked the most important element: face-to-face interaction.
As for AI, I believe it will paradoxically make trade fairs even more important.
In a world increasingly dominated by algorithm-generated emails, offers and customer service hotlines, we can never be entirely certain whether there is a human being or a machine on the other side of the screen.
Trade fairs remain a unique environment where we can be absolutely certain that a real person is there to help us solve a problem. Business is built on long-term, trusted relationships, and those relationships are founded on meeting in person and shaking hands.
TIME PRESSURE, OPTIMISATION AND LAST-MINUTE EMERGENCIES
Interviewer: Exhibition stand installation is associated with enormous time pressure. How do you manage the stress?
M.K.: Time pressure in our industry is immense. Professionals joining us from traditional construction or interior finishing often have to learn an entirely new way of working.
A trade fair will not be postponed because we are running late.
Transport and logistical complications are our biggest headache. Our guiding principle is simple: “Keeping calm is the only way through.” We cannot allow pressure to paralyse us.
Training a new employee to the point where they can work completely independently takes between three months — for people with experience in our industry or the events sector — and as long as a year.
Fortunately, our employees tend to stay with us for a long time. Many have been part of the team for more than ten years.
Interviewer: Working with Eweld also involves technical consultancy, which can generate substantial savings. Could you share an example of this kind of optimisation?
M.K.: Of course. Impressive exhibition stands often require heavy structures to be suspended above them, which involves fees charged by the venue operator for using the hall’s rigging infrastructure.
On one occasion, we designed a complex overhead rigging arrangement for a client involving 20–25 suspension points. The quotation from the organiser came to an eye-watering €25,000–€30,000.
The client understood that the project required this type of installation and was ready to sign off on the work and pay the bill.
However, our designer spent half a day technically optimising the layout of the suspension points. The visual appearance of the structure remained unchanged, but by intelligently rearranging the rigging points, we saved the client as much as €10,000.
Without our technical expertise and direct involvement, the client would not have been able to make this adjustment independently.
Interviewer: What happens in a crisis when something goes wrong just before a trade fair opens?
M.K.: Solidarity and relationships in this industry are exceptional. Although we compete fiercely in tenders, I have the phone numbers of most of our competitors in my notebook.
If a company in Spain or Germany encounters a transport problem or runs short of materials, we help one another without hesitation.
We also had an incident involving a client’s exhibit. Four or five days before a trade fair, the logistics company responsible for unloading dropped a pallet carrying a critical piece of machinery from a forklift. The machine contained complex hydraulic and electronic systems.
The situation was dramatic, and our installation team was already working at full capacity on the stand itself.
At the client’s request, I personally took on the task of salvaging the machine. We unpacked it, dismantled the casing and diagnosed the damage together with the client’s engineers. I sourced replacement parts from local specialist shops, while the remaining components were delivered from the factory.
Working together, we repaired the machine on-site and got everything ready before the exhibition opened.
STAND OUT OR DISAPPEAR: POLAND’S DOMINANCE IN EUROPE
Interviewer: What characterises today’s trade fair clients and visitors?
M.K.: Today’s clients are exceptionally goal-oriented. Twenty years ago, when I asked exhibitors why they were attending a trade fair, I would often hear answers such as, “Because my boss told me to” or “Because we come here every year.”
Today, their objectives are clearly defined: brand image, sales, new product promotion or building B2B relationships.
An exhibition stand has become a marketing tool and, in some cases, a venue for exclusive events, such as evening receptions held after the exhibition closes to visitors.
Exhibitors operate by a simple, uncompromising rule: “Stand out or disappear.”
However, it is important to understand visitor psychology. Visitors return to their offices with their minds overflowing with thousands of impressions and images. Our job is to ensure that the stand we create captures their attention and leaves a lasting impression.
The time a passer-by spends looking at a stand is barely longer than the time a driver has to glance at a billboard on a motorway. That is why the visual message must be clear and concise, never overloaded with information.
We are also moving away from cheap, environmentally unfriendly promotional giveaways and piles of printed materials. Today, QR codes, digital catalogues and relationship-building through social media are taking centre stage, complementing the physical trade fair experience.
Interviewer: Finally, let’s discuss something we can be proud of as a country. How does Poland’s exhibition industry compare with the rest of Europe?
M.K.: We are an absolute leader in Europe, although few people in Poland realise it.
Just as Polish companies have established a dominant position in road transport, they have also come to dominate the European exhibition stand construction market.
There is an anecdote circulating in the industry that when someone sets up a trade fair marketing agency in Western Europe, their first business trip is to Poland to find a subcontractor.
At every major trade fair in Europe, you will find a Polish installation crew.
Clients from across the continent value us not only for our competitive pricing but, above all, for our exceptionally high standards of workmanship, flexibility and excellent reputation.
Although trade fairs held in Poland itself are on a more modest scale, with Germany, France and Italy among the leading exhibition markets, Polish craftsmanship and engineering expertise are behind stands that impress audiences around the world.
Interviewer: Thank you for giving us an insight into the inner workings of this incredibly dynamic industry. It turns out that there is much more behind an impressive exhibition stand than meets the eye — from technology and logistics to relationships, which continue to play a vital role in business.
Thank you for the conversation.
M.K.: Thank you as well. I would also like to invite everyone who wants to stand out effectively on Europe’s exhibition stage to get in touch.