At the Heart of PLUO Stands: Materials Designed to Last

At PLUO, we have been designing tailor-made stands for over 35 years. To do this, we work with practical, innovative, and durable materials. They allow us to build solid structures while opening the door to shapes, volumes, and atmospheres that support your identity.

The result: stands where material choices contribute as much to longevity as to creativity, offering an immersive invitation to discover your brand.

An Overview of Our Exhibition Stand Materials

Every material used for your stand is carefully selected to meet your goals and bring your brand to life.

PLUO also prioritises the use of eco-responsible materials. For us, material selection always begins with a simple question: how can we do less, but better?

We first adopt a “reduce” mindset by limiting the amount of material used from the earliest design stages. Then comes “reuse”: our stands are designed to be dismantled, stored, and used again across multiple events.

Finally, when reuse is no longer possible, we turn to “recycle”, working with dedicated recycling channels to give materials a second life whenever possible.

Aluminium

Aluminium is lightweight and strong. When visible, it creates a minimalist, contemporary aesthetic. At PLUO, we mainly use it to build the framework of many projects.

In practice

The aluminium structures we use, manufactured by our partner Aluvision, make stands easy to transport, assemble, and dismantle without complex tools.

Thanks to their modularity, these structures adapt to the constraints of each event and make it possible to explore different configurations. They also allow more technical shapes, such as the curved lines of the SunChemical stand or the eye-catcher designed for Toyota.

We also work with aluminium for custom components, including technical displays like those created for Milexia or Graphic Packaging, where it brings both precision and durability.

Aluminium is a long-term, cost-effective choice: it performs well over time and is central to our reuse strategy.

Tension Fabric

Printed tension fabric brings a light, soft feel to your stand. It is appreciated for its low weight and easy transport. It can be installed quickly and offers a clean, high-quality finish.

At PLUO, we use printed fabrics produced through sublimation. This technique allows the fabric to be washed—and therefore reused—and also recycled. This is made possible thanks to our partners Vanstraaten and Visix, who provide a recovery service for used fabrics.

In practice

Tension fabric is washable and long-lasting. Its low weight helps reduce logistics costs. This makes it an effective, economical, and more responsible option for dressing a stand.

Vinyl and Carpet for Stand Flooring

At PLUO, flooring plays a key role both in the scenography and in our circular approach to stand design.

Depending on the project, we may first build a chipboard floor structure that is then covered with vinyl or carpet, or we may apply these coverings directly on the existing floor when no structure is needed.

Chipboard flooring panels are either stored and reused for other stands or collected by our partner Coliseum, a circularity specialist, to be repurposed in the construction sector. Only a small portion is recycled, as panels already cut for specific projects cannot always be reused.

In practice

We use high-quality, durable vinyl from our partner Gerflor, available in a wide range of finishes—from warm wood effects to more contemporary, marble-like textures. These vinyl coverings are then collected by Coliseum or recycled through Gerflor.

We also work with carpet tiles from Composil, which can be reused for other stands or recycled via their channels. Occasionally, we also use roll carpet, collected by Coliseum or by associations involved in circularity.

This approach is illustrated in projects such as Odoo, where the stand was built with nearly 20,000 m² of recycled carpet, or in the Tereos exhibition stand, where the wood-effect vinyl flooring helped shape the atmosphere while remaining responsible.

Solid Wood, MDF and Plywood

Wood is strong and warm, bringing a sense of comfort. At PLUO, we work with certified wood sourced as responsibly as possible, and we encourage reuse.

Because everything is produced in our workshops, we can easily integrate technical, aesthetic, and ergonomic requirements (e.g., IT hatches).

In practice

Wood has a higher initial cost, but it is a long-term investment. Wooden furniture is sturdy and can be reused many times, reducing environmental impact and optimising recurring costs.

This was the case for Tereos: we designed wooden benches incorporating planters to welcome visitors and structure the space warmly. These pieces were later reused at other events.

This approach shows how a slightly higher initial investment in wood can lead to a long-lasting, warm, and cost-optimised solution.

Plexiglas

Plexiglass offers a balanced blend of lightness and strength. It also allows creative uses of transparency to enhance lighting effects. It is commonly used in panels, partitions, or decorative elements, helping reduce overall stand weight and simplify transport.

In pratique

Plexiglass is strong and relatively affordable. At PLUO, we focus on its full life cycle by selecting recyclable and/or recycled plastics and optimising their use to limit waste.

LED and Lighting Solutions

At PLUO, we value LED lighting for stands: it is efficient both in energy use and in visual quality.

LED technology creates a distinct atmosphere that highlights your brand and naturally draws attention. Lighting becomes an integral part of the scenography.

Adjustable LED lighting brings an extra dimension to your stand. With the right palette of tones, it creates an immersive experience aligned with your brand.

In practice

LED technology creates a striking visual effect with a reasonable purchase cost and low energy consumption during events. LED bulbs also have a long lifespan.

Stand Durability and Eco-Design

Durability guides our material choices. When you work with PLUO to design your stand, you opt for:

• -> 100% recyclable aluminium;

• -> FSC-certified wood from responsibly managed forests;

• -> Washable and recyclable fabrics;

• -> Low-emission stand finishes (adhesives and varnishes) with reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs), etc.

PLUO also promotes circularity. What does this look like in practice? We collaborate with specialists in circular economy. For example, at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show:

• -> In partnership with the Belgian company Cover Flooring, the SEAT stand flooring was repurposed into protective mats for instruments at Tao Guitars in Brussels, and into sports mats for children’s holiday camps at B.Sports Brussels;

• -> 200 m² of black fabric canvases were donated to BIFF (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival) for space darkening, and via Jobags.be to create upcycled items such as tote bags and aprons.

To make circularity accessible, we offer our clients upcycling solutions directly through reliable partners.

Selected Projects – Materials That Balance Quality and Durability

Our projects illustrate how we approach material selection at PLUO. Here are a few examples from the 2025 Brussels Motor Show.

Using Wood in Exhibition Stands

For D’Ieteren Group, we delivered 11,000 m² of stands representing 20 brands at the Brussels Motor Show. For the floor structure, 13,000 m² of chipboard panels were used. After the event:

• -> Our partner Coliseum (circularity expert) recovered 10,000 m² of panels to be reused in construction sector;
• -> We stored 2,000 m² at PLUO;
• -> and only 1,000 m² (i.e. less than 10% of the panels) were recycled because they had been cut.

In the same spirit, for Toyota & Lexus at the Brussels Motor Show, we designed an immersive stand of around 1,500 m², where wood played a key role.

The large suspended circular structure, along with several decorative elements, was made of wood to create a warm and natural atmosphere aligned with the theme of hybridisation.

Combined with lighting and vegetation, this choice highlighted the technology while reinforcing the stand’s sustainable character.

Wooden structures were designed to be dismantled, stored, and reused at future events, helping reduce waste and optimise the initial investment.

And to make the most of this great achievement, Toyota chose to install it in one of their showrooms!

Innovative Material Use in Exhibition Stands

Combining a metal structure with fabric and LED lighting makes it possible to design impressive stands that remain reliable and easy to operate.

For LKQ, we created a six-metre-high Rubik’s Cube supported by a metal framework sized to integrate cladding, screens, and LED lighting reflecting each division of the brand.

Behind the scenes, our engineering team coordinated all logistics: load calculations, module prefabrication, transport planning, and installation scheduling to ensure a fast, safe, and controlled assembly.

Did you know?

Every PLUO stand project includes a carbon footprint assessment. This allows you to measure your impact in a concrete way.

Ready to Create a Unique, Innovative, and Responsible Stand for Your Next Event?

We would be happy to support you in bringing your project to life. Feel free to contact our dedicated team.