We open the books on a recent build to show what 600 € per square metre actually pays for — design, fabrication, raise-day crew and finish.
Published2026 · 05 · 28
AuthorJ. Marchand
SectionProcess
Reading6 min read
When clients see 600 € per square metre on our rate card, the first question is usually the same. What is actually in there? Fair question. The number reads simple, but it bundles design, structure, finish, transport between our workshop and the venue, the raise-day crew, and the strike at the end. Below we walk through one recent build and break the price open.
The stand was a 12 m² island for a regional banking client at a summit in Dakar. Two-week brief-to-raise window. One pair of writers on the brief, three of us on the build, one local lead on site. Total billed: XOF 4,723,000 (7,200 € TTC). That is the headline. Here is the breakdown.
Where the money goes
Of every 100 € you spend on a stand of this size, roughly 22 € pays for design and engineering — the work that happens before a single board is cut. 46 € goes into the build itself: timber, paint, hardware, the time of the carpenters and finishers in the workshop. 14 € covers the raise-day crew and on-site supervision. 10 € handles graphic finishing — print, vinyl, signage application. The remaining 8 € covers the strike, repack and material recovery at the end of the show.
The rate is the same in Dakar, Lagos or Ouagadougou. What changes between cities is the share of materials sourced locally — not the price the client pays.
— J. Marchand, Project Direction
The line items
Here is the same project as it appeared on the invoice, rounded for readability.
№
Line
What it covers
XOF
01
Design & engineering
Drawings, 3D, materials list, structural review
1,040,000
02
Custom carpentry
Timber, panels, paint, workshop labour
2,170,000
03
Graphic finishing
Print, vinyl, signage application on site
470,000
04
Raise-day crew
Install lead, two carpenters, day-of supervision
660,000
05
Strike & repack
Dismantle, sort, repack for re-use or recycling
383,000
Total · TTC
4,723,000
What the number does not cover
The figure above assumes a single-storey build, a standard finish level, and the client's brief delivered with enough time to plan properly. It does not include:
Stand-only services from the venue — power connection, rigging permits, internet drops, cleaning
LED screens, digital signage hardware or interactive demos — we sub-contract and re-invoice at cost +10 %
Travel and accommodation if the show is more than 200 km from the local workshop
Rush work — anything signed within 12 days of raise-day carries a 15 % surcharge
Why this number, and not another
We landed on the 600 €/m² baseline three years ago and have not moved it since. There are two reasons. The first is honest: most clients want a number they can plan against, not a moving target. The second is operational. We deliver about three stands a month, and the planning gets easier when our pricing is consistent across the calendar.
If you would like to test it against your own project, the quick estimate tool on the home page gives you a live figure with country, size and add-ons. The real quote, with your brief, comes back within 48 hours.