Big 5 Global at Dubai World Trade Centre and ADIPEC at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi both land in November, which means every exhibiting company in the UAE is competing for the same print capacity in the same four weeks. The practical answer: book your back wall and counter three to four weeks before the show, and your catalogues five weeks before that. A reusable 3 m fabric back wall is AED 1,690, a heavy-duty metal-framed backdrop AED 2,250, a full 3 × 2 m universal stand AED 3,885, and a branded counter AED 950. Here is the full checklist, in the order it needs to be ordered.
The booking calendar: work backwards from your show date
Nothing on an exhibition stand fails because of print quality. It fails because of sequence. Work back from the first day of build-up, not the first day of the show:
- 8–10 weeks out — catalogues and company profiles. These are the longest lead item on the list, because they are offset-printed and bound. A 1,000-run catalogue is not a three-day job, and it is the one item you cannot reprint on the Wednesday of the show.
- 5–6 weeks out — stand graphics specified. Not printed; specified. For space-only stands, organisers at both shows typically require stand design submission and approval before build, and your graphic sizes depend on the approved build.
- 3–4 weeks out — back wall, counter, standees ordered. Production on stand hardware runs a few business days from final artwork approval, but November is the month every printer in the UAE is at capacity. Three weeks out is comfortable. Ten days out is a gamble.
- 2 weeks out — brochures, spec sheets, business cards, lanyards. Short-lead items. This is also the deadline for anything that needs to be shipped to Abu Dhabi rather than delivered in Dubai.
- Final week — nothing new. Reserve this week for the reprint you did not plan for: the corrected price list, the extra 500 business cards, the one standee with the wrong product photo.
Shell scheme or space only? It changes everything you print
A shell scheme stand comes with walls. You are printing graphics to fit panels, or free-standing items to sit in front of them — and because you cannot usually drill or permanently fix anything to shell panels, free-standing wins. A fabric pop-up wall, two roll-ups and a counter will fill a 3 × 3 m shell completely.
A space-only stand means you build. Your print is then a component of a structure, and the sizes come from the approved stand drawing. The formats in the backdrops and exhibition range that suit space-only builds are the universal stands and metal-framed backdrops, because they stand without leaning on anything.
Get this decision confirmed with your organiser before you order a single graphic. Buying a 4 × 3 m pop-up for a 3 × 2 m shell is the most expensive mistake available on this list.
The back wall: five ways to fill three metres
Your back wall is 60–70% of what a visitor sees from the aisle. Five real options, in ascending order of permanence:
- Fabric pop-up, straight 3×3 — AED 1,690. Aluminium frame, wheeled trolley bag, 288 × 225 cm print area with a 225 × 225 cm view area, 12 kg. Seamless printed fabric, which photographs better than any panel system. Curved AED 2,150.
- Velcro pop-up backdrop 3×3 — AED 2,370 (4×3 m AED 2,680; fabric velcro type 3×4 m AED 3,465). Fastest setup on the list — graphic panels press onto the frame, no tools, no sliders.
- Heavy-duty backdrop with metal stand, 2.5 × 2.5 m — AED 2,250 (4 × 3 m AED 2,550). A proper weighted metal frame rather than a tensioned pop-up. Choose this if your stand is in a high-traffic aisle where a pop-up gets knocked.
- Backlit fabric pop-up — AED 3,450 straight / AED 3,950 curved. Illuminated from within. On a hall floor under flat white lighting, this is the single biggest visual difference money buys, and it is why premium stands at both shows use backlit fabric almost exclusively.
- Universal stand 3 × 2 m — AED 3,885 (6 × 2.2 m AED 5,350; 6 × 3 m AED 5,800). Tool-free modular system with a printed banner, built for repeated use across a show season. If you exhibit three or more times a year, the per-show cost drops below every option above it.
Also worth knowing: a metal backdrop 400 × 230 cm with fabric printing is AED 3,700, and a hardcase curved pop-up 4 × 3 m AED 3,800 — the hard travel case matters if the same wall is going to ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi and then on to a show abroad.
Counters, standees and the demo zone
The back wall gets you noticed. The counter is where the conversation happens, and it is the item visitors stand at for ten minutes.
The Pop-Up Display Counter at AED 2,040 is the exhibition-grade choice — 200 × 95 cm print area, 120 × 95 cm view area, 8 kg, collapses flat for transport between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Promotion Counter at AED 950 is the budget alternative: aluminium frame with MDF panels, wheels, carry bag, printed on front (50 × 87 cm), both sides (24 × 87 cm) and top (66 × 25 cm).
For product and sector messaging alongside the wall:
- Roll-up banners — 85 × 200 cm AED 190, 150 × 200 cm AED 950, 200 × 200 cm AED 1,550, 300 × 200 cm AED 1,680. The AED 190 unit is the most cost-efficient vertical in the catalogue and includes stand and bag.
- Banner stand — AED 3,000 for a large-format, heavy-duty display.
- Backlit standees — Forex frame AED 1,850, iron frame AED 3,650, wooden frame AED 4,850. Backlit standees do the work of a lightbox without a stand build.
- Foam / Forex boards from AED 245 — rigid boards for technical specs, certifications and project photography. For a construction or energy audience, a wall of legible project boards outperforms a mood image.
- Hashtag cutout AED 450 and social media frame AED 165 from the exhibition and events range, plus a branded spinning wheel at AED 725 if your stand runs a data-capture game.
The print you hand over — and the part most companies get wrong
At Big 5 and ADIPEC the visitor is frequently an engineer, a procurement manager or a consultant who will not buy anything at the stand. They take something away and read it on a flight. That document is the highest-ROI print on your stand, and it is also the item most often left to the last week.
From the booklets and catalogues range:
- 1,000 catalogues, 300 GSM cover, open A4 / closed A5 — AED 3,260; the larger open A3 / closed A4 format is AED 5,680.
- 1,000 booklets, 300 GSM, open A4 / closed A5 — AED 2,890.
- 500 booklets A5, 16 pages, 170 GSM — AED 3,000.
- 50 catalogues A4 landscape, 170 GSM — AED 1,420, and a single A4 12-page booklet at AED 150. Short digital runs exist precisely so you can print 50 premium profiles for decision-makers instead of 1,000 for everyone.
That last point is the real strategy. Print 50–100 heavyweight company profiles for qualified visitors, and 1,000 A4 brochures at AED 610 (2,000 at AED 750) or 1,000 A5 flyers at AED 270 for the rest. Handing an AED 3.26 catalogue to every passer-by is how exhibition print budgets disappear.
And order 1,000 business cards at AED 119 (350 GSM matt laminated) per person on the stand, not per company. Four staff on a four-day show will get through more cards than you expect.
Staff kit: the AED 5 detail that makes a stand look professional
Visitors decide who to approach based on who looks like staff. From the lanyard and ID range: Ultra ID cards from AED 0.63, double-hook cord lanyards from AED 1.05, lanyards with logo and epoxy doming from AED 1.05, lanyards with hook, safety lock and buckle (20 mm) from AED 2.45, and lanyard with reel badge and safety lock from AED 3.50. Printed ID on a branded lanyard costs under AED 5 per person and is the cheapest item on this entire page. Our lanyard and ID card guide covers widths and attachments in detail.
Real prices: the exhibition print checklist
| Item | Spec | Qty | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric Pop-Up (Straight) | 3×3, print 288 × 225 cm, trolley bag | 1 unit | 1,690 |
| Fabric Pop-Up (Curved) | 3×3, aluminium frame | 1 unit | 2,150 |
| Velcro Pop-Up Backdrop | 3 × 3 m, tool-free panels | 1 unit | 2,370 |
| Velcro Pop-Up Backdrop | 4 × 3 m | 1 unit | 2,680 |
| Heavy Duty Backdrop + Metal Stand | 2.5 × 2.5 m | 1 unit | 2,250 |
| Heavy Duty Backdrop + Metal Stand | 4 × 3 m | 1 unit | 2,550 |
| Metal Backdrop, Fabric Print | 400 × 230 cm | 1 unit | 3,700 |
| Backlit Fabric Pop-Up (Straight) | Illuminated fabric face | 1 unit | 3,450 |
| Hardcase Pop-Up (Curved) | 4 × 3 m, hard travel case | 1 unit | 3,800 |
| Universal Stand | 3 × 2 m, tool-free modular | 1 unit | 3,885 |
| Universal Stand | 6 × 3 m | 1 unit | 5,800 |
| Pop-Up Display Counter | Print 200 × 95 cm, 8 kg | 1 unit | 2,040 |
| Promotion Counter | Aluminium + MDF, wheels, carry bag | 1 unit | 950 |
| Roll-Up Banner | 85 × 200 cm, stand + bag | 1 unit | 190 |
| Roll-Up Banner | 300 × 200 cm | 1 unit | 1,680 |
| Forex Frame Backlit Standee | Illuminated rigid standee | 1 unit | 1,850 |
| Foam / Forex Boards | Rigid spec & project boards | from | 245 |
| Catalogues | 300 GSM cover, open A4 / closed A5 | 1,000 pcs | 3,260 |
| Catalogues A4 Landscape | 170 GSM, short digital run | 50 pcs | 1,420 |
| Brochure A4 | 170 GSM glossy | 1,000 pcs | 610 |
| Flyers A5 | 170 GSM glossy, 2 sides | 1,000 pcs | 270 |
| Business Cards | 350 GSM matt laminated | 1,000 pcs | 119 |
| Lanyard with Reel Badge & Safety Lock | Printed, with ID attachment | per pc from | 3.50 |
| Ultra ID Cards | Printed staff ID | per pc from | 0.63 |
| Outdoor Tent 6 × 3 m | Anodised aluminium hex frame | 1 unit | 6,950 |
Three stand budgets that hold up
Shell scheme 3 × 3 m — about AED 3,350. Fabric pop-up wall (1,690), promotion counter (950), two roll-ups (380), Forex spec boards (245) and staff lanyards with ID (around AED 90 for 20 sets). Covers a first-time exhibitor completely.
Mid-tier with presence — about AED 7,700. Backlit fabric pop-up (3,450), pop-up display counter (2,040), 300 × 200 cm roll-up (1,680), Forex boards (245) and staff kit. This is where a stand stops looking like a shell and starts looking like a brand.
Space-only anchor — about AED 13,400. Universal stand 6 × 3 m (5,800), metal backdrop with fabric print (3,700), two counters (2,990) and backlit standee (1,850), reused across a full year of shows.
ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi: two things that differ
First, logistics. Everything above is produced in Dubai and delivered to Abu Dhabi as a standard inter-emirate leg — add a day to the production time, and tell us the build-up date and hall access slot when you order rather than after. Items that travel in a hard case or trolley bag (hardcase pop-ups, display counters, universal stands) survive the round trip and the following show; tensioned fabric in a soft bag does too, but check it on arrival rather than on stand.
Second, audience. An energy-sector visitor wants certifications, technical specifications and project references on the wall, not lifestyle imagery. That is an argument for rigid Forex boards at AED 245 each and a heavyweight short-run profile at AED 1,420 for 50 — and against printing a thousand glossy brochures that no procurement engineer will read. Our general exhibition printing checklist and the GITEX season guide cover the same logic for tech and consumer shows.
Artwork specs that stop reprints
- Download the guideline template per item. Every pop-up, counter and backdrop has its own template. The print area is always larger than the view area — on a 3×3 fabric pop-up that is 288 × 225 cm printed versus 225 × 225 cm visible. Anything important that sits in that 63 cm difference disappears around the curve of the frame.
- Keep the bottom 40 cm empty. On a crowded hall floor, the lower third of your back wall is behind people. Logos and key messages belong between 120 cm and 200 cm from the ground.
- CMYK, 300 dpi at final size for print items; large-format graphics can be supplied at scale. Outline fonts, 3 mm bleed.
- Proof the Arabic separately. Arabic that has lost its letter joins during PDF export is the most common single error on bilingual exhibition graphics, and it is invisible to anyone proofing in English.
- Approve fast. Production clocks start at final artwork approval, not at order. In November that difference is the whole margin.
Frequently asked questions
When should I book exhibition printing for a November show?
Catalogues and company profiles 8–10 weeks out, stand graphics and hardware 3–4 weeks out, brochures and business cards 2 weeks out. November is peak season for every printer in the UAE, so earlier is cheaper in stress if not in price.
What is the cheapest back wall that still looks professional?
The 3×3 straight fabric pop-up at AED 1,690. Aluminium frame, seamless printed fabric, 288 × 225 cm print area, trolley bag included, and reprintable for the next show. Below that price you are into roll-up banners placed side by side, which reads as banners rather than as a wall.
Can I reuse the stand for both Big 5 and ADIPEC?
Yes — that is the point of buying hardware rather than renting graphics. Pop-up frames, universal stands, counters and roll-up cassettes are all reusable, and only the printed face changes between shows or campaigns. Choose a hardcase or trolley-bag version if the stand travels to Abu Dhabi and back.
How many catalogues should I print for a four-day exhibition?
Split the run. Print 50–100 premium profiles (50 A4 landscape catalogues are AED 1,420) for qualified visitors who ask for detail, and 1,000 A4 brochures at AED 610 or 1,000 A5 flyers at AED 270 for general traffic. A 1,000-run premium catalogue at AED 3,260 handed out indiscriminately is the most common exhibition print waste.
Do you deliver to ADNEC in Abu Dhabi and DWTC in Dubai?
Yes, UAE-wide delivery including both venues. Give us the build-up date, hall and stand number, and the access slot when you order — venue deliveries during build-up are time-windowed, so the slot matters more than the address.
Are the prices VAT inclusive?
Yes. Every price shown online and in this article is final and VAT inclusive, with a tax invoice supplied on delivery.
Book your stand print now
Start with the backdrops and exhibition collection for walls, counters and standees, add pop-ups and roll-ups for verticals, and finish with catalogues and booklets for the hand-over.
Fastest route: send your show, hall and stand size on WhatsApp to +971 52 210 0909 — or call 052 210 0909. You will get a build list, a price and a production slot against your build-up date in the same conversation.
