What to Submit for Organizer Review: Construction Drawings, Structural Safety, Electrical, and Declaration Forms
Updated: 1 day ago
By Chris | Vision Design
For a self-designed, self-built booth, the review submission usually involves four types of documents: booth design drawings (plans, elevations, and construction drawings), structural safety documents, utility applications and layout drawings, and various declarations and undertakings.
Most form deadlines fall about one month before move-in. For over-height or two-story booths, or long spans that cannot be supported, you also need a structural calculation report certified by a licensed engineer. Below we use the manuals for Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Automation Taipei 2026 as examples. Requirements differ from show to show, so always follow that year's exhibitor manual.
Key points: Review documents fall into four types: drawings, structural safety, utilities, and declarations and undertakings. Most close about one month before move-in. Schedule back from the deadline, list power needs machine by machine before applying, and whenever certification is required, have a licensed engineer do the calculations.
Who Reviews What
There are usually three parties involved:
The organizer: collects exhibitors' application forms, declarations, and design drawings, and forwards them to the venue
The venue: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center is operated by TAITRA, which reviews applications for column wrapping, over-height, and two-story booths. During move-in, it also commissions the Taipei Professional Civil Engineers Association to send engineers to inspect booth structures
The official electrical contractor: collects each booth's utility applications, submits them to the venue for review 15 days before move-in, and then installs according to the drawings
Exhibitors, booth contractors, organizers, and the venue each have their own area of responsibility.Our approach is to fill in everything the booth contractor can complete first, leave the fields that need the exhibitor's company seal, and make clear which items the exhibitor must submit directly.
Document Checklist
Using Automation Taipei 2026 (Nangang Hall 1) as an example:
Document | Purpose | When it is required | Manual deadline |
Pre-construction safety and health undertaking | Exhibitor and contractor commit to occupational safety rules | All exhibitors | 7/17 |
Booth contractor declaration | Registers the fit-out, electrical, and carpet contractors | Exhibitors who hire their own booth contractor | 7/17 |
Booth fit-out (additional furniture) application | Renting extra furniture and equipment | When needed | 7/17 |
Utility application | Applying for power, water supply, and drainage | When power or water is needed | 7/17 |
Electrical and plumbing layout drawing | Shows the positions of the power box and water pipes | Space-only booths, or booths with additional power | 7/17 |
Column wrapping application (with plan and elevation) | A column inside the booth | Ground-floor booths with a column | 7/17 |
Over-height / two-story booth application | 4 m or higher, or two-story booths | Booths of 4 standard booths or more | 7/17 |
Move-in for this edition was Aug 17,and the form deadlines fell about one month before move-in. The venue's technical regulations work on a similar timescale: the floor plan is submitted for review 30 days before move-in, and the organizer submits column-wrapping, over-height, and two-story applications to TAITRA 15 days before the show.
A note for joint booths: on the organizer's side, each company still submits its own documents, and each may need a different set of forms.
How Detailed Should the Construction Drawings Be?
Drawings for review must at least make the following clear to the reviewer: booth boundary and dimensions, walls and heights, column positions and how they are wrapped, and openings for fire equipment. The Nangang technical regulations also require the drawings to include hazard-prevention details for work at height, such as guardrail height, how scaffolding is set up, and how materials are supported during installation and removal.
Our own construction drawings go further,because they are also the document the crew builds from:
Fire equipment openings are marked with dashed lines, and door swing directions are shown
No component or fit-out extends past the booth line (the organizer prohibits anything beyond the vertical extent of the booth's floor boundary)
One page per display cabinet or unit type, with plan, front elevation, side section, and a 3D view
Dimensions follow both the spec sheet and the 3D model; if they disagree, we resolve it before issuing drawings
When a Licensed Engineer's Certification Is Required
Under the Nangang regulations, the following cases need documents from an architect or a civil or structural engineer:
Over-height structures (4 m or higher) and two-story booths: application form, exhibitor declaration, architect (civil or structural engineer) declaration, copies of license and practice certificate, certified structural calculations and design drawings, a copy of the public liability and third-party liability insurance policy, and a copy of professional association membership
Long spans that cannot be supported: if a backdrop spans more than 9 m, or a horizontal member of 6 m or more crosses two adjacent booths, and supports cannot be added because of the exhibits, a structural calculation report and design drawings certified by a structural engineer are required
At the planning stage, we first check spans, height limits, and post positions against our internal rules, but that is a build-method check, not a structural calculation.Whenever certification is required, a licensed engineer does the calculations.
We suggest agreeing before quoting whether engineer certification and some organizer fees (such as public liability insurance and architect or structural certification) are included. Fees follow that year's manual or the organizer's notice. Do not rely on past years, as they may change.
Power Applications: Work It Out Before You Submit
Incomplete power information is one of the items that most often bounces back and forth during submission. Our steps:
List every machine: the voltage, amperage or wattage of each machine and device, and whether it needs three-phase power or a 24-hour supply. Client specs are often incomplete, so we follow up one machine at a time.
Total it, then choose the supply level: add up the wattage, then decide the level and combination to apply for. Adding power on site usually costs more than applying in advance, so apply for enough based on the inventory.
Mark the power box on the layout drawing: show the power box position, voltage, and total wattage, plus its distance from the walls on both sides. The layout drawing marks the power box, not the outlets; outlet positions belong to the construction-drawing stage.
Know the venue's rules: Nangang offers 110V, 220V, 380V, and 440V. The organizer provides only one free power box per booth regardless of size, and moving it after installation is charged separately.
Wiring responsibility: three-phase power is run only to the booth's power box (circuit breaker); wiring from there to the machines must be done by licensed professionals. Booth wiring must be done by a Class A (or higher) licensed electrical contractor, and a self-inspection form must be submitted before power is turned on.
When several companies share one booth, total the power demand first, then allocate it to each company on a basis everyone can follow.
How to Schedule It
We schedule backward from the deadline:
Once the project is confirmed, immediately ask the exhibitor for the exhibitor manual and booth floor plan
Trim the manual: remove pages unrelated to the build, keep only the forms to be filed, and mark each deadline
Finalize the design, and produce construction drawings and utility layout drawings in parallel
Submit before the deadline. After the exhibitor stamps and sends the documents, we call the organizer to confirm receipt
If the drawings fail review (for example, over-height or outside the rules), revise them to the rules and resubmit as soon as possible, watching the working-day deadline
Before move-in, confirm item by item that every application has been filed and received
Common Sticking Points
Column wrapping without openings for fire equipment
Components, signs, or exhibits extending past the booth line
Going above 4 m without an over-height application
Machines that unfold or open were measured only when closed, and extend past the booth once open
Unclear names on application documents: clarify whether the space holder or the actual user should sign, to avoid breaching the organizer's ban on subletting
FAQ
Q1: Do review submissions always need construction drawings?
In most cases, booth design drawings are required. Column-wrapping applications explicitly require a plan and elevation, and over-height and two-story booths also need certified design drawings. Actual requirements follow that year's exhibitor manual.
Q2: Does a small booth need a structural engineer's certification?
A standard booth within the height and span rules usually does not. It is needed for over-height, two-story, or long spans that cannot be supported. Even so, during move-in the engineers' association still sends engineers to inspect booth structures.
Q3: What if we miss an application deadline?
First ask the organizer whether late submission is possible, and what documents and fees it requires. Some items carry a late fee or can only be added on site at a higher rate, so submitting before the deadline is still the lower-cost option.
Q4: How much power should we apply for?
List each device's power needs and total them; do not estimate from booth area. Adding power on site usually costs more than applying in advance, so a clear inventory is how you keep costs under control.
Related Projects
Automation Taipei 2026 joint booth project(three exhibitors, each submitting separately)
Related services: Exhibition & Commercial Space Design Services
Further reading: The Exhibition Planning Process in 6 Stages, Building a Booth at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Planning a Multi-Brand Joint Booth
Comments