Hetero Labs — 45 sqm Stand at the IAS Conference, Kigali
45 m² · Booth 403 · IAS Conference, Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda · 13–17 July 2025
The IAS Conference on HIV Science is one of the most significant scientific meetings in global health. The 2025 edition took it to Kigali. Hetero Labs, one of India’s largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, took a 45 m² stand at booth 403.
Building in Rwanda
Clients looking outside Europe ask us one question more than any other. can you actually deliver there?
Kigali is not a mature exhibition market. There is no dense local supply chain of stand contractors, and no Messe-scale infrastructure. Moreover, freight into landlocked Rwanda has to be planned weeks rather than days ahead. A build at Frankfurt or Milan takes a great deal for granted. Rigging suppliers, replacement panels an hour away, familiar hall regulations. In Kigali, all of it has to be shipped in or arranged from scratch.
A medical-congress stand, not a trade-fair stand
Scientific congresses behave differently from commercial fairs. Delegates move in waves between sessions. Therefore the stand has to absorb a surge of visitors in a twenty-minute window. Then it sits quiet for two hours. The layout favoured open circulation and clear sightlines over enclosed meeting rooms. In other words, a stand you can walk into without an appointment.
The venue
IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, was held at the Kigali Convention Centre from 13 to 17 July 2025, with up to 6,000 participants expected. Hetero Labs’ stand was booth 403.
What the brief asked for
The signed bill of quantities set out every element of the 45 m² stand:
- a custom-painted structure under a wooden overhead frame, on a 10 cm raised platform with a ramp and laminate flooring with LED skirting;
- a lockable reception counter in red and white with a lit 3D logo at the front;
- a meeting room with a six-seat table and vinyl graphics, plus lounge seating, round tables and bar stools in the open area;
- a lockable store room with shelves and coat hangers;
- a 3 × 2 m LED wall, seven lightboxes, four backlit logos and a backlit fabric ceiling;
- a coffee machine and water for delegates between sessions.
The brief was specific about light: every fitting cold white, the stand evenly lit with no shadows, and spare lights carried in case of failure. In a market without a local supply of replacement parts, that last line matters.
Why this one matters
It is our documented proof of delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. The record shows a five-day international congress at 45 m², with a booth number and dates. For a pharmaceutical client weighing whether a European contractor can follow them to an emerging-market congress, this is the reference.
See our exhibition freight and logistics service, our pharma exhibition work, or request a quotation.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was IAS 2025?
IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, was held at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda from 13 to 17 July 2025. Hetero Labs exhibited on a 45 m² stand at booth 403.
How big was the Hetero Labs stand at IAS Kigali?
45 square metres, booth 403, at the IAS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, 13-17 July 2025.
Does Echo Expo build exhibition stands outside Europe?
Yes. Alongside our European work we delivered a 45 square metre stand at the IAS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2025, handling freight, build and installation into a market with no established local exhibition supply chain.
