Add Up the Watts Before the Order Form, Because a Socket Is Sold by Size, Not by Need

A UK exhibition contractor’s guide says a 500W socket covers a small TV, a laptop or a phone charger, and that a kettle needs a 3000W one. Stand power is sold in fixed sizes, and an exhibitor who guesses either pays for a socket that is too big or loses power halfway through the first morning. The sum behind the order is short, and it is worth doing before the order form arrives.

List Everything, Then Add It Up

The method in the supplier guides is the same. List every item that needs power, including the small ones, find the rating on the plate or label and add the watts for each socket. Guides from two UK contractors give typical sizes: 500W for one computer or two laptops, a small TV or up to four phone chargers, 1000W for a larger screen, a small fridge or a small coffee machine, 2000W for a catering coffee machine or professional AV, and 3000W for a kettle or water heater. Large screens can trip a small socket when they start up, so the guides suggest stepping up a size. The commonest mistake they name is forgetting the small items, which add up quickly across a stand with a screen, a laptop, chargers and a lit sign.

Lighting and Layout Matter Too

Lighting is usually ordered separately, and one guide says each lighting circuit is limited to 1000W, so 3000W of lights needs three separate sockets. A shell scheme guide recommends about one spotlight per three square metres. Where the sockets sit matters as much as the wattage. If they land far from the screens, cables run across the floor, which is why guides suggest a raised floor or a cable plan and agreeing the power layout with the venue. The point connects to the shell scheme post, where the included socket is often a single 500W one.

Who Connects and What Gets Tested

Exhibitors do not connect to the hall supply themselves. The venue’s electricians install the sockets from the main supply, and only qualified electricians may do that work. Extension leads are usually tightly limited: one lead per socket, a maximum length of two metres and no multi-way cubes, with the total load kept below the socket rating. Equipment brought from home or office is typically tested on site, often for a small fee, and untested items can be refused a connection. Power is normally supplied only during show hours, so anything that must stay on overnight needs a 24-hour supply, quoted and ordered in advance. The rules vary by venue and organiser, and the exhibitor manual has the final word.

Put It in the Brief

A good brief lists the equipment, the wattage of each item, where it sits and whether anything needs power overnight. A contractor who has that can place the order for the right sizes in the right spots, ahead of the early bird date. If a show is coming up and nobody has done the power sum, get in touch with Stand Between and we will introduce builders who work from exactly this kind of detail.