JTAccord and TopToilet at ISH, Messe Frankfurt
Client: JTAccord / TopToilet · Event: ISH · Venue: Messe Frankfurt · Country: Germany · Sector: Bathroom and sanitaryware
| Project | As built |
|---|---|
| Exhibitors | JTAccord and TopToilet |
| Show | ISH 2025, Messe Frankfurt |
| Dates | 17–21 March 2025 |
| Location | Hall 5.0, stand A69 |
| Area | 36 m² |
| Build window | Set-up 12–16 March · dismantle 21–24 March |
Two brands sharing one 36 m² corner in hall 5.0 is the constraint the whole design answers. Neither could look like a guest on the other’s stand, and the products have to be reachable, lit and clean enough to touch.
The build window is the other half of it. Messe Frankfurt allowed five days to build and four to clear, and ISH fills every hall, so the loading bays are shared with hundreds of contractors working to the same clock.
The challenge
ISH at Messe Frankfurt is the leading trade fair for bathroom, building services and energy. The sanitaryware halls are unforgiving. Ceramics are white. The halls are lit white too. So a badly conceived stand turns a premium smart-toilet range into identical shapes on a shelf.
There was also a physical constraint to solve. The stand sat against a structural hall column. That fixed obstruction sat in the middle of the best sightline. It could not be moved or ignored.
The build
Echo Expo built a matte dark back wall. It gives the white ceramics something to read against. A curved illuminated ceiling fascia then ran around the whole stand. That curve is what solves the column. Rather than fighting the obstruction, the fascia sweeps around it. As a result the column reads as part of the structure, not an accident.
Products sat on individual white plinths at standing height. Each unit had its own space and its own light. Visitors could therefore walk the line and compare models one at a time. Integrated LED strips carried the light continuously through the fascia. A dual-branded reception counter at the corner handled arrivals. Planting broke up the hard white surfaces.
What the quotation specified
The 36 m² stand was open on two sides. The signed quotation sets out the build: a wooden MDF overhead structure with a partial ceiling, walls finished in water-based paint, a back-wall panel and decorative pillars, all on black carpet. Every finished surface went in under plastic protection film until handover, which matters when the product is white ceramic and the stand has to look spotless on opening morning.
Branding came in three layers: 3D die-cut acrylic face-lit letters, backlit Forex letters on the arch, and more backlit Forex letters on the counter, so each brand read clearly without either taking over. A storage room with lockable doors, decorated to match the stand, kept stock and packaging out of sight. The quotation also covered the 3D design and the technical layouts submitted to Messe Frankfurt for approval.
Messe Frankfurt approval, in practice
Messe Frankfurt approves stands through an online questionnaire. For this stand the answers were all “no”: under 100 m², under 4 m high, no enclosed ceiling over 30 m², no platform above 0.20 m, no rigging from the hall roof and no moving parts. A single-storey stand inside those limits does not need full planning documents, which keeps the approval quick. One rule still shapes the design: any wall above 2.50 m that backs onto a neighbour must be smooth, neutral white and opaque on the back. Check the current ISH technical guidelines, and see our guide to building at Messe Frankfurt.
Why it matters
ISH adds the bathroom and sanitaryware sector to Echo Expo’s documented work, and adds a further Messe Frankfurt event alongside Heimtextil and Ambiente. Building around a fixed hall column separates a rendered design from a delivered one. That kind of constraint only gets solved on site.
See more projects in Germany, or the full case study index.
Services delivered
Design and 3D visualisation · fabrication · curved illuminated fascia · product plinths · graphics · lighting · furniture · installation · dismantling.
Frequently asked questions
Has Echo Expo built at ISH in Frankfurt?
Yes. Echo Expo designed and built the JTAccord / TopToilet stand at ISH, Messe Frankfurt. The build used a curved illuminated fascia and individually lit product plinths.
Does Echo Expo build stands for bathroom and sanitaryware brands?
Yes. The ISH build used a matte dark back wall, so white ceramics read clearly. Each product had its own plinth and its own light.
Can Echo Expo build around a structural hall column?
Yes. At ISH the stand sat against a fixed hall column. The curved illuminated ceiling fascia sweeps around it. The column therefore became part of the structure rather than an obstruction.
Does a stand at Messe Frankfurt need planning approval?
Every stand goes through Messe Frankfurt's construction approval, but a single-storey stand of no more than 100 m² and no higher than 4.00 m, with no special construction, does not need full planning documents. Walls above 2.50 m that back onto a neighbour must be smooth, neutral white and opaque on the back. Check the current technical guidelines for each show.
How do I start an ISH or sanitaryware stand project?
Request a quotation with your event, hall and stand number, stand size and product count. Echo Expo will then come back with a design approach and a build plan.