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OFEC Casablanca Stand Builder
Exhibition Stands Designed, Built and Installed at the Casablanca Fairground
OFEC is Casablanca’s fairground, and for most international exhibitors it is their first Moroccan build. It sits on Rue Tiznit, in the centre of the city, facing the Hassan II Mosque.
Echo Expo builds here from our own workshop in Casablanca. Components are finished before they reach the hall, delivered in build order, and assembled rather than manufactured on site. No cross-border freight for the stand structure, and no customs window sitting on your critical path.
The Hall, And What It Means For Your Design
The main covered hall is 20,000 square metres — roughly 200 metres long by 91 metres wide, under a vault reaching 17 metres. Critically for a stand designer, it is column-free. There are no supporting pillars inside the span.
That matters more than it sounds. In a hall with columns, a large stand has to be drawn around whatever the building puts in the middle of your space. At OFEC it does not. Sightlines run clean across a pavilion, and a long run of stands can be laid out on a true grid rather than bent around structure.
There is also a 16,000 square metre esplanade outside the hall, used for marquees, vehicle displays and temporary structures where an exhibit will not fit indoors or needs to be driven in.
Beyond the hall, the site also has a 1,480-seat conference hall, a 450 m² storage hall and an eight-storey office building. The idea of an exhibition palace for Casablanca goes back to 1937.
What Gets Built Here
OFEC hosts specialised trade shows and public exhibitions across every sector, national and international. Two that we build for:
Both organisers publish their own floor plans and exhibitor manuals — siemamaroc.com and evs-morocco.com. Send us your space number from either and we will design against the real hall, not a generic one.
- SIEMA FoodExpo — food processing, packaging and machinery. See our SIEMA FoodExpo stand builder page and the 792 m² SIEMA pavilion case study.
- Africa EV Mobility Expo Morocco (EVS Morocco) — electric mobility, batteries, charging infrastructure and energy storage, 27–29 October 2026. See our EVS Morocco stand builder page. In October 2026 we built three stands there in a single build day: read the EVS Mobility Expo Morocco 2026 case study.
Our Work at OFEC Casablanca
The Casablanca Trade Show Calendar
The fairground runs a full calendar, so the same hall changes industry almost every month. These are the shows on the calendar from autumn 2026, as published by their organisers and trade fair listings in October 2026:
- September — SIEMA FoodExpo, food processing, packaging and machinery (22–24 September 2026, 9th edition)
- October — Mega HoReCa Expo, hotel, restaurant and café equipment (1–3 October), then EVS Morocco, electric mobility (27–29 October), where we built three stands in one build day
- November — Textech Morocco with Dye+Chem and the yarn and fabric sourcing show (3–5 November; build day 2 November), Préventica, safety and prevention (10–12 November), and ENER EVENT with Elec Expo and Tronica Expo, energy and electronics (25–28 November)
- December — EMEC Expo, electromechanics (3–5 December)
- 2027 — Refrigair (February), Solaire Expo Maroc (March), Morocco Hometex and Morocco Fashion Style & Tex (April), SIAC (June) and Cosmetista Expo (October)
Dates move, so always confirm with the organiser. Our own record here so far: 67 stands for SIEMA FoodExpo 2026, and three stands now in production for EVS Morocco 2026.
Plan For A Short Build Window
Build windows here are short, and they vary by organiser. In 2026, SIEMA FoodExpo gave space-only contractors two days, 20 and 21 September from 08:00 to 21:00. EVS Morocco gives two and a half: 24 and 25 October from 08:00 to 20:00, then the morning of 26 October. That is the constraint that decides everything else, and it is the one exhibitors underestimate.
A stand cut and assembled on the hall floor will not make it. A stand that arrives pre-fabricated, numbered and sequenced will. On a large pavilion the graphics run alone can exceed three hundred printed pieces, each tied to a specific booth number — which is a production and labelling problem long before it is a printing one.
Rules Worth Knowing Before You Draw
Every venue has rules that quietly decide what a design can be. At Moroccan shows the ones that catch people out are the self-build height limit, the requirement to submit stand drawings for organiser approval weeks before the show, and a firm position on anything overhead or spanning an aisle — which needs written permission and usually carries a cost.
We read the manual before we draw. Where a design touches a limit we raise it while it is still cheap to change, and we put the approval request in writing.
Venue Rules From The 2026 Manuals
Each organiser issues its own manual, but the venue rules underneath are the same. The 2026 manuals and contractor forms spell them out:
- No wood-cutting machines inside the fairground. Circular saws, jigsaws, mitre saws and carpentry machinery are banned, and only assembly, fitting, adjustment and light finishing are allowed on site
- Hot work only outside the halls, and only with a permit; sanding is allowed only with machines that extract their own dust
- No spray paints, oil-based paints or thinners in the halls
- Complex structures need prior approval: anything over 3.0 m high, anything that needs bracing, a double deck, or a platform above 600 mm, supported by a risk assessment, a method statement and structural calculations
- Floor loads above 1,000 kg per square metre need approval and spreader plates
- Every worker and vehicle is declared in advance, every person shows ID at the gate, and subcontracting needs a written agreement stamped by both companies
- PPE is the minimum: safety shoes, gloves, a high-visibility vest and a hard hat
- Empty crates cannot be stored in the halls, and emergency exits and fire hose cabinets stay clear at all times
In practice, a stand that is not fully prefabricated cannot be built here legally. That is why every component we bring to OFEC leaves our Casablanca workshop finished, numbered and ready to assemble.
Textech, Yarn & Fabric And Dye+Chem Morocco 2026
Three textile shows share OFEC from 3 to 5 November 2026: the 4th Textech Morocco International Expo, the 4th Morocco International Yarn & Fabric Sourcing Show and the 54th Dye+Chem Morocco International Expo, organised by CEMS-Global. The halls open from 10:00 to 18:00. The exhibitor manual is short, and five of its rules decide how a custom stand has to be planned:
- One build day. Move-in and preparation run on 2 November only, from 00:00 to 23:00 for special-design stands. So every wall, counter and graphic has to arrive finished and ready to assemble, which is how we built three EVS Mobility Expo stands in a single day in this hall in October 2026.
- A 12-foot ceiling. Special-design stands may rise to 12 feet (about 3.66 m) in all halls, and to 10 feet (about 3.05 m) where a booth sits under a staircase. Shell-scheme booths stop at 8 feet (about 2.44 m).
- No fixings into the building. Screwing, drilling, nailing or painting on the floors, walls or pillars is not allowed, and every construction and decoration material must be fire-proofed to the venue’s regulations.
- Registered contractors only. Stand construction and cargo handling may only be carried out by contractors registered with the organiser, and electricity and water connections are arranged only through the organiser, never by the stand builder. Individual generators are not allowed, and only one extension cord may run from each socket.
- Display and removal. On setup day exhibitors may hang backdrops and side drops, but exhibits must not be left on the stand. Removal starts at 18:00 on 5 November and must be finished by midnight, with no exhibits or waste left behind.
Two further points matter for textile exhibitors. Banners outside your booth need prior permission from CEMS, and goods sold at the show may only leave the site once customs duties and taxes are paid. Exhibiting machinery, yarn or chemicals at Textech Morocco? See our textiles and materials exhibition stand builder page, our exhibition stands in Morocco and the SIEMA FoodExpo case study, 67 stands built at OFEC. Then send us your booth number and we will design within the 12-foot limit.
What We Handle As An OFEC Casablanca Stand Builder
- Stand design and 3D visualisation through to approved technical drawings
- Fabrication in our Casablanca workshop
- Graphics — fascia, banners, wall panels, reception counters, product displays
- Furniture, lighting, AV and electrical distribution
- Organiser approvals and drawing submissions
- Installation and dismantling inside the official window
- Storage and reuse between Moroccan shows
Getting There And Getting In
OFEC is central, which is convenient for visitors and less so for lorries. Deliveries, unloading slots and vehicle access are controlled by the organiser for each show, so freight timing has to be booked against that show’s schedule rather than assumed. We handle that as part of the build. Our exhibition freight and logistics page covers the wider picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Is OFEC?
Rue Tiznit, central Casablanca, facing the Hassan II Mosque. Its full name is the Office des Foires et Expositions de Casablanca, and it also appears as the Casablanca International Fairground. Organisers now list it as the Foire Internationale de Casablanca – AMDIE.
How Big Is The Exhibition Hall?
The covered hall is about 20,000 square metres — some 200 metres by 91 metres, with a vault height of 17 metres and no internal columns. There is a further 16,000 square metre outdoor esplanade.
Are There Columns To Design Around?
No. The main hall is column-free across its span, so stand layouts and sightlines are not dictated by building structure.
How Long Is Build-Up?
Usually two to two and a half days for space-only contractors, immediately before the show opens. In 2026, SIEMA FoodExpo built on 20 and 21 September, and EVS Morocco builds from 24 to 26 October. Confirm the exact window in the exhibitor manual for your show, as it varies by organiser.
Do I Need Approval For A Self-Build Stand?
Yes. Space-only exhibitors submit stand drawings and 3D designs for organiser approval ahead of the show, and any change to an approved plan must be notified. Height limits apply and cannot be exceeded without written permission.
Can Echo Expo Build If We Are Not Moroccan?
That is most of what we do here. You do not need a local entity. We design, fabricate, install and dismantle, and we deal with the organiser on approvals and site paperwork.
Planning A Stand At OFEC
Send us your show, space number and stand size. You will get a concept, a technical drawing set ready for organiser approval, and a build programme that fits the official window. See also our approach as a Better Stands contractor.
Can You Build A Custom Stand For Textech Morocco 2026?
Yes. Textech, Yarn & Fabric and Dye+Chem Morocco run at OFEC from 3 to 5 November 2026. The manual allows special-design stands up to 12 feet (about 3.66 m), with a single build day on 2 November and removal on the evening of 5 November, so everything is prefabricated in our workshop and assembled on site.