Project Sirius has been around the exhibition and graphics sector for a long time, and its expertise in expo stands, pop-up stores and event furniture displays using the latest paperboard solutions will be illustrated perfectly in its stand build for Visual Impact 2026.

The company, which has taken Stand I9 just near the entrance to Connect Conference 2026, says its stand will demonstrate the power of its new SIRIUS Board paperboard as a replacement for more traditional materials like MDF.

Nielson Peng, Owner of Project Sirius, says that the company has a long history in the industry, but had traditionally used MDF to create its stands, pop-ups, activations and furniture. 

“MDF was always the go-to choice for this type of work, but it has a number of issues,” he explains.

“For a start, it’s very heavy for bulky items, and it creates a lot of dust and noise in the workshop during manufacture, so it definitely impacts on the work environment. Plus, as a lot of this work is custom-designed and manufactured, it’s difficult to reuse or recycle.”

Last year, during a visit to a trade show in China, Neilson discovered an innovative paperboard solution and, after researching the material more closely on his return and discovering its growing popularity in European markets, knew the time was right to bring it to Australia.

“The European market is often a bit ahead when it comes to adopting alternative and more eco-friendly products, and we could really see its potential for businesses here, who are facing growing demands for more sustainable solutions,” Neilson explains.

The company’s SIRIUS Board features a special internal core structure which makes it strong enough to hold weight using the right design structure. 

It can accommodate embedded lightboxes as light strips can be placed inside and offers impressive design flexibility as it can be made into any shape, including curves.

SIRIUS Board also differs from other corrugated boards on the market as it has added fire retardant in its core. The board has been tested under AS/NZS 1530.3:1999 with results indicating its performance characteristics are the same as raw MDF board, extending the range of applications for users. 

“I believe the characteristics of SIRIUS Board make it a suitable – and far more sustainable – replacement for MDF in probably 90% of these types of structures,” Nielson says.

“For manufacturers, it’s cleaner and quieter than using MDF, easier to handle, and because it is light weight and packs flat for delivery into venues, it helps reduce OH&S risks and transportation costs.

“And, because it’s made with 100% recyclable materials, with full FSC certification, it can be used in even one-off situations and recycled with confidence.

“For this Visual Impact Expo we will be building our whole stand using SIRIUS Board, and providing some extra furniture for The Hub meeting area, so visitors can see and experience the quality of the product in a ‘real world’ situation and talk with our team about how it can be applied in common exhibition and display requirements,” he adds.

“The stand really will ‘tell the story’,” he adds.

Visual Impact Expo will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, from 2-4 September 2026 - click here to pre-register 

Connect Conference 2026 will also run on each morning of the show, next door in Conference Hall 2A (enter through The Dome) and the 2026 Easy Signs National Sign & Graphics Awards gala presentation dinner will be held on Thursday 3 September, in Event Hall 2A, with entry from Riverina Avenue.