How to Choose an Exhibition Stand Builder for SIRHA Lyon 2027

Introduction

SIRHA Lyon runs January 21–25, 2027, at Eurexpo Lyon, and it is a show where the stand gets used hard. Visitors arrive in volume, exhibitors cook, pour and serve, and the organizer reviews every build before it goes up. A builder who is good at design but unfamiliar with that process can cost you more than one who is plain but organized.

This guide covers what to check before you sign, in the order we would check it.

Key Takeaways

• Decide what the stand has to do (serve food, run demos, hold meetings) before you talk to any builder.
• Ask for SIRHA and Eurexpo build experience, and ask how they handle the organizer's architecture and decoration rules.
• Compare quotes by scope, not by total. Missing lines are where budgets break.
• If you haven't briefed a builder yet, a January 2027 show leaves little room for a fully custom build. Be realistic about what is achievable.

Start with what the stand has to do

Most teams spend too much time choosing finishes before deciding what the stand needs to achieve. Settle that first, because it narrows the builder list faster than any portfolio will.

A producer showing ingredients needs a tasting counter and storage. An equipment manufacturer needs floor space for live demos and power for the machines. A hospitality design company needs a quiet area where a buyer can sit down and look at samples. Most exhibitors need two of these, and the layout trade off between them is the real design brief.

Your space type matters just as much. An inline space gives you one open face. A corner or peninsula space gives you two or three, which changes how visitors approach and where your team stands. An island space is open on all sides, so the builder has to think about the back of every wall. Tell builders your space type and size up front, and ask how they have handled it before.

Check their SIRHA and Eurexpo experience

SIRHA publishes decoration and architecture rules for exhibitors. The 2025 edition covered booth creation files, islands, mezzanines and full ceilings, flooring, pillar dressing, and no rigging zones (SIRHA Lyon 2025 Decoration & Architecture Rules, retrieved 2026-10-05). Confirm the current 2027 document with the organizer, since requirements are updated between editions. [INTERNAL-LINK: exhibitor rules checklist → blog post on exhibitor manuals and show regulations]

What you need from a builder is a plain answer to three questions:

1. Which SIRHA or Eurexpo builds have you delivered, and when?
2. Who submits the stand plans to the organizer, and who deals with comments?
3. What happens if the organizer rejects part of the design after production has started?

A builder with real experience answers these without checking notes. One without experience will talk about "compliance support" and give you no names or dates.

Double deck stands, ceilings, and hanging elements need the closest attention, because they usually require extra documentation and review. If your design includes any of them, ask for an example of that approval being completed on a previous show, not just a description of the process. [INTERNAL-LINK: double-deck exhibition stands → double-deck stand design page]

Know the show you are building for

SIRHA Lyon 2025 was the 22nd edition and drew 257,363 professionals, 15% of them international, with 2,300 exhibitors from 40 countries (GL events via Baking Business, January 29, 2025). The 2027 edition is the 23rd and celebrates 40 years of the Bocuse d'Or. The organizer has also reorganized the show around professions, adding a Hospitality Factory hall that brings together restaurants, hotels, fit-outs, and design, and an expanded drinks hall (Journal des Palaces, May 4, 2026).

That matters for your stand. Aisles will be busy, your neighbors will include direct competitors, and a large share of visitors are walking past with a purpose. Ask a builder where they would put the open face of your stand and why. If the answer is about the render and not about visitor flow, keep looking.

Food service stands have their own requirements

A stand that serves or cooks is a different build from a stand that displays. Before you shortlist, ask each builder how they would handle:

• Water, drainage and power. Where connections come in from, and who orders them through the organizer's services.
• Back of house space. Storage for stock, a place for staff to prep or wash up, and somewhere to put waste.
• Flooring. Surfaces that handle spills and heavy footfall without becoming a slip hazard.
• Counter and demo layout. Whether people can queue without blocking the aisle and whether your team can talk to visitors while working.

Utilities and food handling rules are set by the organizer and the venue, and they change. Treat anything a builder says about them as something to check against the exhibitor manual, not as settled. A good builder will tell you which items depend on the organizer and offer to confirm them in writing.

Compare scope, not the total

Two quotes for the same space can differ by thousands of euros and still be the same stand, because one leaves things out. Ask every builder to price the same list so you can read the quotes side by side:

When a quote has no line for show services or dismantling, that is a missing cost, not a saving. Ask. If a builder is much cheaper than the others, find out what they have not priced before deciding whether it is a better offer.

Work backward from January 21

The timeline is the part most exhibitors underestimate. Brief, design, organizer approval, production, freight, and installation all have to fit before move in, and the organizer sets its own deadlines in the exhibitor manual. Use those as your fixed points and plan everything else around them.

With the show about three and a half months away, a fully custom build is only realistic if you brief a builder now and make decisions quickly. If your brief isn't settled, a modular or semi custom system with graphics and furniture changed to suit you usually delivers a better stand than a custom one rushed through approval. That is not a compromise on quality. It is a decision to spend your time where it matters.

Ask each builder to give you dates, not durations: when the design freezes, when plans go to the organizer, when production starts, and when the stand arrives in Lyon. Then ask what they need from you and by when. Delays on the exhibitor side, such as late logos, late product lists, and late decisions on layout, cause more trouble than most builder mistakes.

Questions to ask before you sign

Once you have a shortlist, these separate the builders who run projects from those who sell them:

• Who is on site during build? A named supervisor who speaks your language and can make decisions, not a number to call.
• How are changes handled? Request the process and the rate for changes after design sign off.
• What do they own and what do they subcontract? Many builders use local crews in Lyon. That is normal, but you should know who is accountable.
• What insurance do they carry, and can they provide the certificates the organizer asks for?
• What happens if something fails on site? A broken light or a late delivery on day one needs someone with authority and a plan.

Ask for references from exhibitors with a similar stand type and show, and call one.

Red flags

Some warning signs show up early:

• The builder cannot name a single Eurexpo show they have built for.
• The first meeting is all renders, with no questions about your products, your team or your visitors.
• The quote is a single lump sum with no breakdown.
• Organizer approval is described as "no problem" with no explanation of how it works.
• Every answer to a timeline question is "we'll manage."

None of these is conclusive alone. Two or three together should end the conversation.

Where 10x10 Booths fits

10x10 Booths designs and builds custom exhibition stands for international shows. For SIRHA Lyon, we start with your objective and space, work through the organizer's rules with you, and give you a line by line quote with dates against each stage. If you are still comparing builders, send us your space size and what you need the stand to do, and we will tell you plainly whether a custom or modular approach makes sense for January. Request a SIRHA Lyon 2027 stand proposal

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I appoint a builder for SIRHA Lyon?

As early as your budget is approved. For a custom stand, that is normally many months before the show, so with January 2027 close, brief builders this month.

Can a builder from outside France work at Eurexpo Lyon?

Yes, subject to the organizer's rules and venue requirements. Ask whether they have a local crew and how they handle site supervision.

Is a modular stand a poor choice for SIRHA?

No. It can work well when the layout is simple and the time is short. It is less suited to complex food service layouts or large islands.

What should I send a builder to get an accurate quote?

Stand size and type, your products, whether you serve or cook on the stand, the number of staff, and any existing brand guidelines.

What to do next

Write down what the stand must do, get your space plan from the organizer, and send the same brief to three builders. Compare their answers on experience, scope, and dates before you look at price.