| Next edition | 29–30 Sep 2026 · Olympia London |
|---|---|
| Starting price | £3,950+ |
| Venue | Olympia London |
| Visitors | 10,000+ |
| Countries | 100+ |
| Sep 2026 | 2 days |
| Quote turnaround | 48hr |
International Security Expo Stand Builders: Credibility for a Government and CNI Audience
International Security Expo is the UK's leading event for national and corporate security, held at Olympia London and co-located with International Cyber Expo. Recent editions bring together more than 10,000 professionals from over 100 countries responsible for the security and resilience of governments, critical national infrastructure, businesses and people. The next edition runs 29–30 September 2026.
This is a serious, relationship-driven audience — government buyers, CNI operators, defence and enterprise security leaders — and the stand brief reflects that. Spectacle matters less than credibility, working demonstrations and private space for sensitive conversations. The stands that perform here look substantial and trustworthy, give space to demonstrate technology properly, and provide a discreet area where a buyer can talk without being overheard.
Building at Olympia London
Olympia has been through a major redevelopment, and we work to the current technical manual each edition. As a UK space-only venue, the standard build rules apply: stands must be fully self-supporting with no fixings to the building; perimeter walls facing a neighbour are typically dressed plain above a set height (commonly 2.4–4m); platforms above a single step need ramped accessible access; only water-based paint is permitted on site; and any complex or two-storey structure requires engineering drawings and sign-off. We prepare and submit the risk assessments, method statements and structural paperwork the organiser and venue require, and coordinate electrics and rigging with the appointed contractors.
What a winning International Security Expo stand needs
For this audience, design around three things: a credible, substantial presence (quality materials and a confident structure signal a serious supplier); a working demonstration area where technology can be shown live and properly, not just displayed; and a private, semi-enclosed meeting space for sensitive government and CNI conversations. Clear, accurate technical messaging beats marketing gloss with these buyers.
Custom or modular for International Security Expo?
Defence and security suppliers frequently exhibit across a circuit of events, so a reusable modular system with refreshed graphics can be cost-effective. For a flagship UK presence, or where you need a secure demo environment built in, a full custom build is the stronger option. We build both and design the discreet meeting and demo spaces this audience expects.
What an International Security Expo stand costs
Indicative turnkey pricing: an enhanced shell scheme or compact custom build runs roughly £3,950–£12,500; a mid-size custom build with a demo area and private meeting room runs £12,500–£28,000; and a flagship stand with bespoke finishes, secure demo space and hospitality runs £28,000 and up. Every quote is fixed, all-inclusive and includes a free 3D concept.
Co-located with International Cyber Expo — plan for both audiences
International Security Expo runs alongside International Cyber Expo, so the floor mixes physical-security, counter-terror and resilience buyers with cyber and information-security decision-makers. If your offer spans both, the stand should make that breadth legible at a glance and still give each audience a credible, specific demonstration. Government and critical-infrastructure buyers in particular respond to working proof and accurate technical detail, not marketing gloss. That early clarity about which audience a stand is really speaking to is what stops a dual-show presence from feeling generic to both.
Stand sizes, layouts and rent-or-buy for a security circuit
Exhibitors here take anything from compact shell schemes to substantial space-only stands with built-in demo theatres. Layout should balance an open, credible frontage with a discreet, semi-enclosed room for sensitive conversations. Because defence and security suppliers tend to exhibit across a circuit of events through the year, a reusable modular system with refreshed graphics is often the most cost-effective route — though a flagship UK presence, or one needing a secure built-in demo environment, justifies a full custom build. We will give you the honest maths for your event schedule.
Everything your turnkey quote covers
One number on the proposal covers the whole project. That means a photorealistic 3D concept before you approve anything, full in-house fabrication and a pre-build inspection at our facility, complete graphics production, delivery to Olympia, certified install and dismantle, the venue's risk assessments and method statements, electrical and rigging coordination with the appointed contractors, structural sign-off where your design needs it, and a dedicated project manager from kickoff to breakdown. For a government and critical-infrastructure audience that values certainty, the absence of post-show surprises is part of the pitch — there is no separate handling invoice and no reconciliation after the doors close.
Designing for a government and end-user buyer
International Security Expo draws a serious, vetted audience — government departments, police and blue-light services, critical-infrastructure operators and defence primes — and the stand has to read as credible to them in seconds. That usually means restrained, authoritative design over spectacle: clear capability statements, visible accreditations and standards, and a private or semi-private space for the briefings that genuinely can't happen in the open aisle. We design that quiet space in deliberately, with the right acoustics and sightlines, because so much of what closes at this show happens away from the crowd.
Controlled demonstrations are common here, and they shape the layout. If you are showing a product that needs space, power or a managed audience, we plan the demo zone and its viewing area so it draws people in without creating a bottleneck, and so sensitive conversations aren't overheard at the next stand. Accreditations and standards should be visible at a glance — buyers here scan for the certifications that qualify you before they invest time in conversation, so we design them into the back wall rather than leaving them in a brochure. Where a stand needs a screened area for classified or commercially sensitive briefings, we build it with proper separation rather than a token divider.
Co-located with International Cyber Expo: two different stand briefs
Security Expo runs alongside International Cyber Expo at Olympia, and the two audiences want different things from a stand. Physical-security buyers respond to hardware they can see and handle; cyber buyers respond to clarity of capability, integrations and demonstrable outcomes. If you are exhibiting across both, we design a stand that can speak to each without diluting either — typically a strong physical-product zone paired with a clean demonstration and conversation area — rather than a single generic message that lands with neither.
Knowing which hall and audience your stand sits closest to also drives practical choices, from how aggressive your aisle-facing graphics need to be to where the private briefing space should face.
Reusing your stand across the security circuit
Security and defence exhibitors typically run a circuit — Security Expo, DSEI, Counter Terror and regional events — so a reusable stand is good economics. We build on a modular core, store it between events and refresh graphics per show, and specify recycled and low-waste materials where the design allows. For exhibitors who carry sensitive or heavy equipment, we also plan secure storage and handling into the design rather than treating it as an afterthought on site. Storing the core between events also means a fast turnaround when a procurement cycle brings an unplanned show onto your calendar.
On-site support and project management
Every stand comes with a dedicated project manager from kickoff to breakdown, and our crew is on call during show hours for graphic touch-ups, electrical issues or last-minute changes; larger stands get a dedicated on-site lead. Because we pre-build and inspect in-house before delivery to Olympia London, the on-site install is the replication of an already-approved build rather than first-time assembly under the clock — which is what keeps your opening morning calm.
Next step for your International Security Expo stand
Send your stand size and what you need to demonstrate or discuss in private. You'll get a 3D concept and a fixed all-inclusive quote within 48 hours — built in-house and installed at Olympia to the venue's current rules, with all paperwork handled.
We also design and build exhibition stands for other major UK shows — see the full show calendar for security & defence and beyond, all with the same in-house team, fixed all-in pricing and full venue paperwork.