3–5 November 2026 · Fira Barcelona Gran Via
Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 stand builder: rules, design and build
Exhibitek Displays is an independent Smart City Expo World Congress stand builder. At Fira Gran Via we design and build stands for urban-technology, mobility and energy exhibitors, with every drawing checked against Fira de Barcelona’s construction rules.
- Project filed for Fira’s technical approval
- Rooms sized to the occupancy rules
- Crews on site until the plot is clear
Smart City Expo World Congress 2026: key facts for exhibitors
Upcoming
| Dates | – |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | 3–4 November 09:00–19:00 5 November 09:00–17:00 |
| Venue | Fira Barcelona Gran Via |
| Address | Av. Joan Carles I, 64, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain |
| Edition | Edition 15 · annual |
| Audience | Trade visitors · registration required |
| Organiser | Fira de Barcelona |
| Last edition | 1,190 exhibitors · over 27,000 attendees (2025, Fira de Barcelona closing release, 2025 (opens in a new tab)) |
| Sectors |
|
| Getting there | Barcelona–El Prat airport (BCN), 10–12 km Metro L9 Sud: Fira, Europa|Fira Metro L10 Sud: Foc Train FGC L8, S3, S4, S8, S9, R5, R50, R6, R60: Europa|Fira Bus H12, V1, 46, 65, 79 4,580 parking spaces Venue guide |
| Links |
Information checked on 3 October 2026 against the organiser's website; the organiser's information prevails.
Exhibitek Displays is an independent stand builder: not the organiser of Smart City Expo World Congress and not one of its official contractors. The name and logo belong to Fira de Barcelona.
What a stand at Smart City Expo World Congress has to do
Smart City Expo World Congress, often shortened to SCEWC, is run by Fira de Barcelona itself and pairs a congress programme with an exhibition on urban innovation. The floor covers enabling technologies such as AI, IoT, data platforms and digital twins, alongside energy and environment, mobility, housing, governance and economy, living and inclusion, and infrastructure and building.
Co-located events on mobility, the blue economy, deep tech and cybersecurity share the venue, and country pavilions are part of the exhibition. It is a strictly professional event with paid passes, and minors are admitted only in a few listed exceptions.
Much of what exhibitors bring is software, data or infrastructure that cannot sit on a plinth. It has to be explained on screens and in conversation: a demo wall that works from the aisle, a small talk area and a closed meeting room. Our 3D stand design phase places those zones first.
Engineering notes for a Smart City Expo World Congress stand
Power. Fira is the only source, at 400/230 V through three-phase CEE plugs of up to 63 A. The main board has a thermal-magnetic breaker rather than fuses, 30 mA residual-current protection and IP4X protection, fixed 1 to 1.8 m above the floor. Power beyond the scheduled switch-off is requested 24 hours before the last show day.
Rigging. Only Fira’s official rigging supplier installs points, and nothing hangs straight from the roof. A point carries 250 kg in Halls 3, 4 and 6 and 150 kg in the other halls, so the hall you are given decides how much screen can fly.
Sound. Audio may rise no more than 3 dB above the hall’s background and never above 60 dB. Panels and product launches need the audience close to the speaker, or headsets, not volume.
Seen from above. If your plot is visible from the raised walkway between halls, Fira advises finishing the stand’s roof, which may also carry branding.
Smart City Expo stand rules to plan for
- Height. Perimeter walls stop at 3 m, or 6 m against a hall wall where the venue allows. Inside the plot, structures reach 6 m when set back 1 m from the edge, and truss 7 m where the hall permits, with hung advertising also 1 m in. Each hall adds its own limits.
- Neighbours. Every stand builds its own walls, 2.4 to 3 m high along a neighbour, with a finished, unbranded back above 2.4 m.
- Open sides. Closed construction covers at most half of each open side; the rest stays open, glazed or in transparent fabric. The organiser can still demand changes after approval if neighbours’ views suffer.
- Aisles. Only spotlight arms may project over the aisle, mounted at 2.20 m or higher and within 40 cm of the facade line.
- Complex structures. Modular structures over 5 m, slender elements over 4 m, two-storey stands, public stages from 0.5 m, stairs and complex rigging need a competent technician’s signed project under the Spanish CTE code, then a soundness certificate before opening, or staff are refused access to the stand. An upper floor covers at most half the plot.
- Materials and floor. Every material carries a reaction-to-fire certificate. Enclosed rooms need C-s2,d0 walls and ceilings, EFL floors and Class 1 hanging textiles; the venue’s technical regulations set the class elsewhere. Nothing is fixed into the hall, and floors raised over 5 cm get a ramp at least 1 m wide inside the stand.
Summary of the Smart City Expo World Congress 2026 Construction Rules (opens in a new tab) (Fira de Barcelona, SCEWC 2026), consulted on 3 October 2026. The organiser's current manual prevails.
Already have your plot? Send it and we check it against the construction rules.
From plot confirmation to opening day
- Plot confirmed. We read the construction rules with your hall’s own limits and agree heights, set-backs and open sides with you in writing.
- About two months before. Fira’s contractor-pass platform opens; everyone on the build needs a personal Contractor Pass.
- About a month before opening. The project goes to Fira’s technical team through its online portal. Stands over 3 m at any point add exhibitor and builder details, a dimensioned plan, elevations and 3D renderings, and complex structures add their signed project. Build-up needs written approval.
- At least two weeks before build-up. Electrical cabling and Servifira services are ordered and paid, or supply is not guaranteed.
- Build-up. It opens five days before the show, with a longer final evening. Fira’s technicians may inspect stands and stop unsafe lifting. See how we produce and build stands.
- Dismantling. The closing evening is for hand-carried items only, without vehicles; structures come down over the next two days. Waste leaves daily and the space is handed back clean, carpet tape included.
Key dates for Smart City Expo World Congress 2026
- – Build-up
- – Dismantling (hand-carried items only on the closing evening)
How we handle your Smart City Expo stand
Talks within the 60 dB cap
Seating, screens and speaker positions planned so a panel is heard without more volume.
A format for your plot
Inline plots need one strong frontage; corners, peninsulas and islands open to several aisles.
Crews and paperwork at Gran Via
Contractor passes, electrical certificates, Servifira orders and a crew on the plot until the last crate.
Smart City Expo questions
Planning a Smart City Expo stand: frequent questions
Who approves our stand design at Smart City Expo World Congress?
Fira de Barcelona’s technical team, as Fira also organises the event. Builders of space-only stands file the project online and wait for written approval; a stand built without it, or differently, can be stopped and fined.
When does a meeting room at SCEWC need extra paperwork?
A space closed on 70% or more of its perimeter counts as a room. Under 50 occupants nothing extra is filed; from 50, a technician-signed project goes in before build-up; above 100, or with public seating, a good-execution certificate is also due before opening.
Can we cut, paint or solder on site during Smart City Expo build-up?
Only within tight limits. Dust-generating machinery needs dust extraction and Fira’s authorisation, nail guns and spray painting are not allowed, and soldering needs a permit. We cut and finish parts in the workshop, so build-up days go on assembly.
Who can wire and certify our stand’s electrics at SCEWC?
An electrician authorised in Catalonia, working to the Spanish low-voltage code: a technical report and certificate up to 50 kW, an engineer’s project stamped by the Catalan engineers’ association above that. Builders from outside the EU order their switchboard from Fira.
What is the Green Exhibitor Award at Smart City Expo?
An award for stands of up to 30 square metres that apply sustainable practices. We can build a small stand from reusable frames and fabric graphics; budget and timing basics are in our FAQ on stand costs and lead times.
Other trade fairs we build stands for
–
ICE Barcelona
- Casino and gaming machines
- Online gaming
- Sports betting
Gran Via · Barcelona
–
ISE
- Pro AV
- Audio
- Lighting and staging
Gran Via · Barcelona
–
MWC Barcelona
- Mobile and connectivity
- Artificial intelligence
- Devices
Gran Via · Barcelona
Exhibiting at Smart City Expo World Congress 2026? Show us your plot and your programme.
Send the plot size, demos and planned talks. We return a layout within the rules, a power and rigging plan and an itemised quote.
Your Smart City Expo World Congress stand: request a quote
The fair is already filled in. Add your hall, plot size and what visitors should see, and a project manager replies with questions and a first approach.