Fruit Logistica Berlin: What Stand Budgets Typically Look Like

Fruit Logistica fills around 26 halls each February with more than 2,500 exhibitors from over 90 countries, and stand budgets here are shaped by a factor most other trade fairs do not need to plan around: the product on display is fresh, perishable, and usually meant to be tasted. This guide sets out what typically drives the cost.

Typical Cost Ranges by Stand Type

Stand Type	Typical Cost per Square Metre	What It Usually Includes
Simple modular stand	350 to 500 euros	Standard flooring and structure, basic sampling counter, stock furniture
Mid range stand with sampling focus	500 to 700 euros	Purpose built sampling counter, improved lighting, upgraded finishes
Custom stand with cold storage integration	700 euros and upwards	Refrigerated display units built into the structure, premium finishes, larger sampling areas

Why Sampling Counters Affect Budget More Than Expected

A well designed sampling counter is often the single most important structural element on a Fruit Logistica stand, and it tends to carry more cost than exhibitors initially expect. Practical, durable surfaces that hold up to repeated use across three full show days, proper sightlines so a product can be seen before tasting, and enough surrounding clearance to avoid blocking circulation all add to the build cost compared with a simple display counter.

Cold Storage Is a Meaningful Line Item, Not a Minor Addition

If a product needs refrigeration or temperature controlled display, this adds real cost through the equipment itself, additional power requirements, and the structural work needed to integrate a refrigerated unit cleanly into the stand rather than leaving it as a separate, bolted on looking addition. Exhibitors planning this early tend to get a more cost effective result than those who add it as a late change to an already finalised design.

Additional Costs Specific to This Show

Sampling and tasting involve costs beyond the stand structure itself, including product supply and cold chain transport ahead of the show, waste disposal for perishable materials during the event, and sometimes additional staffing to manage a busy sampling counter across all three days. These should be budgeted separately from the stand build itself, since they are easy to underestimate in an initial quote focused only on construction.

Costs That Sit Outside the Stand Build

As with most trade fairs at this venue, floor space rental, electricity connections and waste disposal are usually billed separately by the venue rather than included in a stand builder's quote. A statutory contribution to AUMA, the German trade fair industry body, also applies, typically around 0.60 euros per square metre. Confirm these figures directly with the show organiser, since they vary by hall and stand position.

A Simple Budgeting Approach

Estimate the core stand cost using the table above, then add a separate line for cold storage if relevant, a further line for product and sampling logistics, and a final allowance for venue service charges. Requesting an itemised quote that separates these categories makes it easier to compare contractors fairly and avoid the most common budget gap at this show, which is treating sampling and cold chain requirements as an afterthought rather than a core part of the brief from the start.