Exhibitors, partnerships and co-hosting
Creating an exhibitor manual with the venue and specialists
Exhibitors keep asking the same practical questions, and the answers sit with the venue, the contractors and your own team.
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The short answer
An exhibitor manual is a single reference that tells exhibitors when and how to arrive, what they can bring, what is provided and who to ask. You write the structure. The venue and appointed specialists supply the rules and technical facts for their sections.
Do not paraphrase venue rules from memory. Collect each section from its owner, mark the source and date, and have the owner confirm the final wording.
What goes in, and who supplies it
| Section | What it covers | Supplied by | Confirm with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key dates and contacts | Deadlines, who to call, on-site help desk | Organiser | Project lead or secretariat |
| Access and load-in | Approved windows, entrances, delivery process | Venue | Venue, in writing |
| Space and furniture | What is included per package, how to order extras | Organiser and appointed contractor | Contractor, on item lists |
| Power, Wi-Fi, rigging | What can be ordered, forms and cut-off dates | Venue and appointed specialists | Specialist, on technical limits |
| Rules and restrictions | Noise, hanging, food, signage, safety rules | Venue and relevant authorities | Venue, on current house rules |
| Passes and badges | Pass types, collection, replacements | Organiser | Secretariat |
| Move-out and returns | Departure windows, waste, damage checks | Venue and organiser | Venue |
A sensible order of work
- Agree the manual owner and the approval route before drafting.
- Ask the venue for its exhibitor or event-organiser documents and any restrictions, and check what it requires you to pass on.
- Ask each appointed specialist for their forms, limits and cut-off dates.
- Draft the organiser sections and assemble a first version with every source noted.
- Send each section to its owner to confirm, then issue the manual with a version number and date.
Keep specialist content with the specialists
Questions about electrical loads, rigging, structural limits, fire or safety rules belong to the venue and the appointed specialists. The manual repeats their confirmed wording and names who to contact.
Anything about contracts, liability or insurance is for your legal adviser or insurer to word.
Linking it to the planning of access
- Use the exhibitor access plan for contact windows and pass rules.
- Use the load-in and delivery-slot planner to build the move-in timetable shown in the manual.
- Align package wording with the package definitions so inclusions match.
Version control
Issue a numbered version and date every update, and tell exhibitors what changed. Keep a single master copy so nobody circulates an outdated page.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional trade association builds its first manual
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
The Fictional Packaging Association hosts a two-day conference with 18 exhibitor tables. Exhibitors had been emailing separate questions to the secretariat.
The secretariat lists seven manual sections and assigns each an owner. The venue supplies access windows and house rules, the appointed contractor supplies the furniture list and order form, and the secretariat writes dates, passes and contacts. Each owner confirms their section by a set date, and the manual goes out as version 1 two weeks later.
Use this yourself
Exhibitor manual source tracker
Copy the table into a spreadsheet and complete one row per section.
| Section | Owner | Source document | Date received | Confirmed by owner (date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key dates and contacts | ||||
| Access and load-in | ||||
| Space and furniture | ||||
| Power, Wi-Fi, rigging | ||||
| Rules and restrictions | ||||
| Passes and badges | ||||
| Move-out and returns |
Open the tool: Sponsor rights and exclusivity conflict checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small exhibition with a venue that already provides an exhibitor guide.
- One person can chase each section owner.
- Few specialist services are involved.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several contractors and venue teams each supply different rules.
- Exhibitor questions are arriving faster than the secretariat can answer.
- Versions have already been circulated with conflicting details.
Want the manual assembled and kept consistent?
A conference project lead can collect each section from the venue and appointed specialists, confirm sources and dates, and issue versions to exhibitors. An Event Blueprint can set out the supplier requirements the manual depends on. Technical and safety content stays with the specialists who own it.
Questions organisers ask
Can we reuse the venue's own exhibitor guide?
Often yes as a source, but check what the venue permits you to pass on, and add your own sections for dates, passes and contacts.
When should the manual go out?
Early enough for exhibitors to meet order cut-offs. Work back from the earliest cut-off date among your specialists.
Who approves the final manual?
Name one approver at the start, usually the event owner, with each section owner confirming their part.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.