# Trade show cost calculator for bioprocess equipment makers

This calculator adds up the full cost of a trade show, from space and stand build to travel, hotels and shipping your demo equipment, and divides it by the qualified contacts and opportunities you expect. It runs on your own figures and only comes with the space fees ACHEMA has published for 2027, excluding VAT. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

[Web version](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/trade-show-cost-calculator-bioprocess/)

By David Monje, crida studio · Published 2026-11-01 · Updated 2026-11-01

## Work out the full cost of your trade show

Fill in the fields with the prices you have, from the stand quote to the hotel rate. If you are going to ACHEMA, pick one of the published space fees and the price per square metre fills itself in. Empty fields count as zero, so the total only includes what you have entered.

The result is only as good as your figures. The ACHEMA fees are the official 2027 rates, excluding VAT and excluding stand build, services and the charges the show adds on top. The calculator does not store or send anything, and your figures are gone when you close the page.

### How it is calculated

- Space = square metres × space price per square metre
- Stand build = square metres × price per square metre, or the lump sum from your quote
- Travel = people × travel per person
- Hotels = people × nights × hotel per night
- Daily allowances = people × days × allowance per day
- Total = space + stand build + travel + hotels + allowances + shipping + insurance + other costs
- Cost per qualified contact = total ÷ qualified contacts
- Cost per opportunity = total ÷ opportunities

For example, a 25 square metre stand along a hall wall at ACHEMA 2027 comes to €9,450 for the space alone, excluding VAT and before any stand build.

**Published fee (optional)**

- ACHEMA 2027, €378.00 per m², exhibition fee for stands along hall walls and aisle stands with 1 side open along the outer gangways
- ACHEMA 2027, €453.60 per m², 20 % surcharge for all other aisle stands with 1 side open
- ACHEMA 2027, €529.20 per m², 40 % surcharge for stands with at least 2 sides open not along hall walls
- ACHEMA 2027, €239.00 per m², special rate for start-ups or academic research institutions

The result is only as good as the figures you enter. The published ACHEMA fees exclude VAT, stand build, services and the charges the show adds on top.


## What the space costs and what the fee leaves out

Space is charged per square metre and the rate goes up with the open sides. At ACHEMA 2027, held in Frankfurt from 14 to 18 June, stands along hall walls or outer gangways cost €378 per square metre, other aisle stands with one open side €453.60, and stands with two or more open sides €529.20. Start-ups and academic research institutions pay €239.

These fees exclude VAT and do not cover stand build or services. The conditions of participation also add a mandatory media package of €495 per exhibitor and a mandatory visitor flat-rate charge by stand size, which is €220 for 12 square metres. Put these amounts under other costs.


### Does the calculator store or send my figures?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser by a small script and nothing is sent to crida studio or anyone else. Your figures are not stored anywhere and disappear when you close or reload the page. If you want to keep the result, write it down or take a screenshot before you leave.

## Stand build, per square metre or as a lump sum

Stand build can be quoted in two ways and the calculator takes both. ACHEMA sells all-in-one packages charged per square metre on top of the space fee, such as Compact at €198 for stands of 12 to 25 square metres. If you work with your own stand builder, enter the lump sum from their quote.

Before comparing quotes, check what each one includes. Electricity, cleaning, furniture, screens and graphics may be inside the price or billed separately. Add anything billed separately under other costs so the total does not come up short.


### Do the ACHEMA fees include VAT and stand build?

No. According to the ACHEMA 2027 conditions of participation, all fees are net prices without VAT, and neither services nor stand construction are included. On top of that there is a mandatory €495 media package and a visitor flat-rate charge based on stand size. Add them under other costs.

## People, travel, hotels and daily allowances

Team costs multiply with every person who travels. The calculator works out travel per person, hotel per person and night, and allowance per person and day. Count the build-up and dismantling days too if someone from your team is there, because those nights and meals are paid as well.

Working hours are not part of this calculation. If you want the real cost to the company, add the days your sales and engineering people spend away from the office under other costs. Then the cost per opportunity can be compared fairly with a sales visit or a campaign.


### Can I use the calculator for another show?

Yes. Leave the ACHEMA fee unselected and type in the price per square metre published by the organiser of your show. The other fields work the same for any event, from CPHI to BIO. Always check whether the published price includes VAT, stand build and mandatory charges.

## Shipping and insuring your demo equipment

Taking a bioreactor or a filtration system to the stand has a cost of its own. It covers packing, shipping there and back, handling inside the venue and insurance while the equipment is away. Ask for a complete price with the return leg included, so the bill does not arrive in pieces.

If the equipment is too big or too delicate to move, showing it on screen with a 3D render or animation may work out better. Look at how much this item weighs in the cost split before deciding what you bring and what you explain on video.


### How many contacts and opportunities should I enter?

The number you realistically expect, based on previous shows or meetings already booked. If you have no data, try several figures to see how many opportunities it takes for the show to pay off. After the show, come back with the real numbers from your CRM.

## How to read the cost per contact and per opportunity

The total tells you what the show costs, but the useful figure is what each qualified contact and each opportunity costs you. A qualified contact is someone with a real project who decides or influences the decision. An opportunity is a project with a stage, scale and timeline that goes into your CRM. Define both before the show.

Then compare these costs with other channels, such as Google Ads, LinkedIn or a sales visit. AUMA, the German trade fair industry association, offers a tool for this comparison, the Trade Fair Benefit Check. When the show is over, run the numbers again with your actual results.

David Monje, founder of crida studio, led marketing at TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions for four and a half years, and international trade fairs were his testing ground. This calculator does the sum worth doing before you book any stand, using your own company’s figures.

## References

- [ACHEMA, exhibition fees for ACHEMA 2027](https://www.achema.de/en/for-exhibitors/application)
- [ACHEMA 2027, General Conditions of Participation (PDF)](https://www.achema.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Content/_Storage/PDF/ACHEMA2027/Anmeldeunterlagen/General-Terms-and-Conditions_Allgemeine-Teilnahmebedingungen_AC27.pdf)
- [ACHEMA, All-in-One stand construction packages](https://www.achema.de/en/for-exhibitors/stand-construction)
- [AUMA, monitoring trade fair success](https://www.auma.de/en/exhibit/tips-for-trade-fair-participation/9-monitoring-success-making-measurement-measurable/)

## The crida perspective

We are a marketing, brand and technology studio based in Girona. We bring identity, content and development together so a digital experience makes sense from beginning to end.

crida studio, Caldes de Malavella (Girona, Spain). David Monje, founder and director.

## Want to plan your next trade show with us?

Tell us which show you are going to, what you want to exhibit and who you want to meet. We will tell you what we would check first in the budget, the stand and the follow-up.

[Talk about your show](https://www.crida.studio/en/#contact)

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