Exhibitions, shows and stands (§711) — 30mA RCD on every stand circuit

Note in advance: the existing 740-fairgrounds guide covers §740 — attractions, stages and wiring at fairgrounds, amusement parks and circuses. This article covers a different part of the standard: §711 (based on IEC 60364-7-711), which specifically deals with trade-fair stands, exhibition displays and show spaces — typically inside an exhibition hall or congress centre, not on a fairground site.

Scope

§711 sets requirements for the temporary electrical installation of an exhibition, show or stand, including mobile and portable displays and equipment — the power distribution, extension leads, lighting and presentation equipment that a stand builder erects for the duration of a trade fair and fully dismantles afterwards. The building's own fixed installation (the exhibition hall, the congress centre) is not covered here — that follows the regular parts of NEN 1010; §711 starts at the point where the stand builder connects their own temporary distribution board to the hall's fixed supply.

Mandatory 30mA RCD on every final circuit

As with §740: automatic disconnection of supply combined with additional protection by an RCD with I∆n ≤ 30mA is required for virtually every final circuit within a stand — lighting, socket outlets and the flexible cables to stand equipment. The temporary setup, the presence of large numbers of visitors and the often improvised wiring along stand walls and floors make this additional protection necessary, even where a comparable circuit in a fixed installation would not require an RCD.

Why this is not the same as §740

	§711 (this article)	§740
Typical location	Exhibition hall, congress centre, showroom	Fairground, amusement park, circus site
Typical installation	Stand construction, displays, presentation equipment	Attractions, stages, fairground rides
Shared feature	Mandatory 30mA RCD per final circuit, temporary nature	Mandatory 30mA RCD per final circuit, temporary nature

Both parts of the standard share the same core measure (30mA RCD, temporary setup), but they are separate sections of the standard with their own scope — assessing a trade-fair stand against the fairground-specific provisions of §740 (or vice versa) is not correct, even though the practical implementation often looks very similar.

Note: this article gives the core requirement of §711. The practical implementation (number and type of distribution boards per stand, fire-safety requirements for stand-construction materials, halogen-free cables) follows from the full standard and the requirements of the exhibition venue itself.

Practical relevance

When setting up a trade-fair stand, it must be established where the boundary lies between the hall's fixed installation and the stand's own temporary installation, and whether every final circuit within the stand — even a single extension lead to a presentation screen — is fed through a 30mA RCD.

Common mistakes

Confusing this guide with the §740 fairground guide — both require a 30mA RCD, but they are separate sections of the standard with their own scope (trade-fair stand versus fairground attraction).
Using a final circuit without a 30mA RCD because it is "only an extension lead" — within the scope of §711 the RCD requirement applies to virtually every final circuit.
Assuming the fixed-installation requirements of the exhibition hall apply to the stand's own installation — the stand builder is responsible for their own temporary installation from the connection point onward.