The Origins of T3.
How It All Began.
My name is Jonathan Evitt. I am the designer and sole manufacturer of the T3 modular display system and the founder of Tecna Display Ltd.
We hold worldwide patents for T3, as well as for other products — including T3 Wandlight, the 360-degree LED light tube. In this blog, I want to explain how and why I developed T3, and to address some of the unfounded rumours and misinformation that have circulated within the industry over the years regarding the ownership and design of the system. For the definitive record of what T3 is and who makes it, see our T3 manufacturer page.
Experience Before
Innovation.
I have worked in the exhibition industry since 1981, designing systems and building stands and displays. One example of my earlier work includes the design of a geodesic dome system that was used to construct the dome featured in the original Crystal Maze TV series.
The Problem With Wood
At the time, exhibition stands were predominantly built from wood. This approach was difficult, expensive and extremely labour-intensive. Despite this, the industry largely believed that wood was the only acceptable solution. Modular systems did exist, but they were limited and were widely dismissed as inferior.
I wanted to challenge that mindset. The industry’s assumption — that sustainability and visual impact are competing priorities, that modular means generic — is the same assumption that T3 has been disproving ever since. Today, as our piece on why sustainable modular stands are the future of fairs makes clear, that assumption has entirely collapsed.
The Goal
My goal was to create a modular system that could offer the appearance and flexibility of a custom-built stand — without the cost, weight and single-use waste of timber construction. At the same time, I recognised that the most significant technological advancements in the industry were happening in graphics, not structures. The challenge was clear: how do you design a modular system that allows full, seamless, panel-to-panel graphics? The answer became the foundation of every eco-friendly exhibition stand and reusable exhibition stand T3 makes today.
The Birth of the
T3 Connector.
The solution needed to be lightweight, simple to manufacture, easy to transport and flexible on site. Aluminium and plastic were the natural material choices. I wanted a square profile so that graphics could visually “float” over the structure — the same principle that makes every T3 backlit exhibition stand and shell scheme upgrade look seamless today.
The Square Connector
This led to the development of the square connector — a simple aperture on each of its six sides, combined with an end fitting that screwed into the tube to create a twist-lock bayonet connection. Simple in concept. Transformative in application. The same connector manufactured in Harlow in 1981 is the connector in every T3 Framework built today — at venues from ExCeL London to Edinburgh EICC to Porte de Versailles, Paris.
Solving the Graphics Problem
Once the hardware was developed, the next challenge was attaching the graphics. At that time, the only systems capable of true panel-to-panel graphics were pop-up systems. I decided to adapt that technology by using magnets on the graphic panels and steel on the tubes.
After extensive research, I sourced a stainless-steel tape capable of holding magnets, along with a high-quality aluminium-to-steel 3M adhesive tape to secure it to the tube. After a great deal of experimentation, refinement and false starts — it worked. This breakthrough would later evolve into the SEG fabric system that powers every custom exhibition stand and island stand T3 builds today. The full story of that evolution — including the FESPA 2007 Eureka moment — is in Episode 2: Patents, Fabric Graphics & LED World Firsts.
The First Modular System
Completely Covered in Graphics.
The result was the first custom modular display system designed to be completely covered in graphics — a world first. The system needed a name. I wanted something short and memorable. “T” came from the company name, Tecna — and “³” represented cubed. Before long, it simply became known as T3.
It is the same system that builds luxury retail displays for Gucci and L’Oréal, delivers conference display infrastructure at Porte de Versailles, and provides shell scheme upgrades for thousands of exhibitors across the UK every year. The full range of what it builds today is on our modular exhibition stands page and our complete T3 guide.
When I showed the prototype to a friend and long-standing customer, Mark Thomason of Elevations, he assembled and dismantled it several times before saying: “Johnny, you know what you’ve designed? It’s reusable wood.”
— Mark Thomason, Elevations. That comment has stayed with me ever since. It captures exactly what a reusable exhibition stand is — and why the economics work the way they do.
The Story
Continues.
In the next blog, I will continue the story — covering the development of the new connector, the patents, the copies, working with China, the two Queen’s Awards, T3 Wandlight and the world’s first fabric system.
— Jonathan Evitt, Chairman & Founder, Tecna Display Ltd
The T3 System Today.
Still Made in Harlow.
The T3 Framework
The patented connector — invented 1981, still made in Harlow.
T3 Wandlight LED
The world’s first 360° LED tube for modular displays.
Shell Scheme Upgrades
T3 Shell-Kit — the “reusable wood” at its most accessible.
Modular Exhibition Stands
The full T3 range — every format, every venue.
Reusable Exhibition Stands
“Reusable wood” — the original concept, fulfilled.
T3 — The Manufacturer
30+ patents · two Queen’s Awards · Harlow, Essex.
Backlit Exhibition Stands
SEG fabric + Wandlight — what the graphics idea became.
25,000+ Projects
T3 in action across 40+ countries since 1981.
The T3 Origin Series
& What Came Next.
Free 3D Design
In 24 Hours.
T3 Display Systems is the original inventor, patent holder and sole manufacturer of the T3 Twist & Lock modular display system. Founded in Harlow, Essex in 1981. Tell us your brief — we return a complete 3D stand design within 24 business hours, free, no obligation.
