Exhibition Stand Builders for MACH Birmingham

Technology zones and visitor profile

For MACH 2026 the organiser arranged the halls into technology zones, which included:

• Machine tools, including metal cutting and forming
• Cutting tools and tooling
• Metrology and inspection
• Additive manufacturing and 3D printing
• Automation and robotics
• Specialist manufacturing software and smart-industry solutions
• An education and development zone aimed at young people entering engineering

The organiser describes its audience as engineers, production managers, buyers, specifiers and designers from manufacturing companies. Zone names and hall layouts for 2028 may differ, so check the floorplan on the official website.

Floor loading and machine positioning

Start with the footprint, weight and service connections of every machine. Point loads, levelling feet and access panels decide where a machine can sit, how a raised floor or platform is built around it and whether visitors can walk round it. Give your builder machine drawings early so the layout respects both the exhibit and the hall floor.

Lifting and rigging

According to the MACH 2026 exhibitor manual, the organiser appointed International Lifting & Shipping (ILS) as the sole lifting contractor in the halls, and the first lift of machinery onto and off the stand was included in the stand price — second lifts, repositioning and late-order charges were not. Sequence the build so that machines go in before walls, platforms and graphics close off access.

Power, compressed air and extraction

Running machines need three-phase supplies, compressed air and sometimes coolant handling or fume and dust extraction. Combine the machine specifications into one services schedule and agree with your builder who orders the connections through the organiser and venue, because these are usually separate from the stand quote.

Live demonstrations, noise and safety zones

Live cutting draws crowds, but it also brings guarding, swarf, noise and visitor safety into the design. Plan viewing positions behind guards, an operator area, screens that show close-ups of the process and a quieter meeting space away from the machines so sales conversations are not drowned out.

Height limits and stand types

The MACH 2026 stand build regulations set a maximum height of 4 m for space-only stands, including any platform, and 3 m for shell scheme and other stands. Space-only exhibitors had to build rear and dividing walls on sides not facing an open aisle, supply their own floor covering and submit stand plans on a compulsory form. Confirm the 2028 figures before design work starts.

Shell scheme versus space only

According to the organiser, a basic shell scheme at MACH 2026 included back and side walls, a ceiling grid, floor covering, basic electrics and name boards within the stand rental. Exhibitors on space-only sites could choose their own stand contractor. Smaller tooling or software exhibitors often dress a shell; machine builders more often need a custom stand designed around the exhibits.

Technical content and follow-up

Engineering visitors want specifications, cycle times and sample parts. Display machined components in cases or on benches, keep data sheets or QR codes at hand and plan a desk where applications engineers can talk through a specific job with a visitor.

• Hall, stand number, dimensions and open sides; shell scheme or space only
• List of machines with footprints, weights, heights and drawings
• Which machines will run live and what guarding, extraction or coolant they need
• Electrical (including three-phase) and compressed-air requirements per machine
• Lifting plan and the order in which exhibits must arrive
• Platforms, raised floors or cable routing needed
• Meeting areas, demo screens, sample-part displays and storage
• Graphics, lighting and brand guidelines
• Budget range and key deadlines for plan submission and build-up

Selection criteria

• Previous stands at the NEC Birmingham and familiarity with the venue's rules for build-up and breakdown
• Experience with industrial or machine-tool exhibitors and with coordinating machinery lifts
• In-house production of platforms, structures and graphics, or reliable subcontractors
• Knowledge of the organiser's stand build regulations, including height limits and plan submission
• Ability to provide the health and safety documents the organiser and the venue require, such as method statements where construction work is involved
• Capacity to coordinate with your service engineers during installation

What is included — and what is not

Check each proposal for:

• Design and 3D visuals
• Construction, walls and flooring or platforms
• Graphics and signage
• AV and LED screens for process close-ups
• Electrical distribution and lighting on the stand
• Furniture hire for meeting areas
• Transport of stand materials and build-up and breakdown labour
• Machinery lifting, ordered through the organiser's appointed lifting contractor
• Venue services ordered separately, such as power and compressed-air connections, rigging and cleaning