An exhibition stand for BILEN AIR SERVICE — Bilen Havacılık Ltd. Şti. — at EBACE, Palexpo Geneva, 23–25 May 2023. It was delivered by the team that now designs and fabricates under the Echo Expo name.
The project
The European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition is the business aviation industry’s annual meeting point in Europe. The 2023 edition drew 305 exhibitors and more than 10,500 visitors from 111 countries, and it runs across two locations at once: the exhibition halls at Palexpo and a static aircraft display at Geneva International Airport next door.
A show where the aircraft is somewhere else
That split changes what the hall stand is for. At most industrial shows the stand exists to hold the product. At EBACE the aircraft is parked on the apron, and the hall stand is where the conversations happen — charter, management, maintenance, crewing, ground handling and fuel are all sold face to face, to a small and well-informed audience who already know the names.
So the brief is not display. It is seated meeting capacity, a clear identity from down the aisle, and somewhere to put coats, bags and paperwork out of sight. A stand that is mostly graphics and no chairs fails at this show.
What was built
- Two illuminated portal frames, one to each open aisle, each carrying the company name and lit from above — so the stand reads as branded from both approach directions rather than only from the front
- A black and orange exterior against a timber-lined interior, so the outside reads as a single solid shape and the inside reads as a room
- A backlit wall panel in the meeting area, providing light at face height without a spotlight glaring across the table
- A branded reception counter at the corner, positioned to meet visitors before they enter the seating
- An enclosed storage room built into the structure
- Meeting seating set back from the aisle, with a literature stand at the entrance
Why a dark stand, in a hall full of white ones
Most stands at an aviation show are white, grey and blue. A predominantly dark stand with a single warm accent colour is a deliberate contrast decision: in a bright hall, the dark mass is what the eye stops on, and the illuminated fascia and portal edges do the work that a large graphic would otherwise have to do.
It also flatters the interior. Against black, the timber lining and the backlit panel read as warm and finished — the effect of a private lounge rather than a booth, which is the right register for the business aviation audience.
Why it matters
This project puts business aviation into our record, alongside our commercial aircraft interiors work at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. The two sit at opposite ends of the same industry and are bought by completely different people.
It is also our fourth project at Palexpo Geneva, after the nonwovens stand at INDEX, the humanitarian aid stand at AIDEX and a coffee stand at the World of Coffee. Four stands in one venue, across four unrelated industries, is a useful thing for an exhibitor in Geneva to know.
Services delivered
- Stand design and 3D visualisation
- Fabrication of the structure, portal frames and counter
- Illuminated fascia and backlit panelling
- Timber wall lining and interior finishes
- Enclosed storage
- Furniture, carpet and dressing
- Installation and dismantling
Frequently asked questions
Do you build at EBACE and at Palexpo Geneva?
Yes. This is one of four stands we have delivered at Palexpo. Tell us your hall and stand number and the design is checked against the venue’s technical regulations before production begins.
We need meeting space more than display space. Can you design for that?
Yes, and it is a different plan from a product stand. Tell us how many simultaneous meetings you need to host and whether any of them must be private, and the layout is built backwards from that number.
Can you match our brand colours exactly?
Yes. Send the references from your brand guidelines and paint, print and vinyl are specified to them rather than approximated on site.
Exhibiting at EBACE or another aviation show?
Tell us the venue, the dates and the stand size, and we will come back with a design and a build plan. Talk to us about your stand, or see our Aircraft Interiors Expo stand in Hamburg and our team’s experience.