Exhibitors, partnerships and co-hosting
Defining exhibitor packages apart from sponsorship packages
Your conference has floor space and sponsor ideas on the same spreadsheet, and the two keep getting mixed up.
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The short answer
An exhibitor package sells space and practical access to attendees. A sponsorship package sells recognition, programme association or a named right. Keep them as separate lists, with separate inclusions, so one buyer never holds the same right under two names.
Start from a single rights register, then decide for each item whether it belongs to space, to recognition, or to neither. The sponsor rights and exclusivity conflict checker helps once the rights are written down.
What each package is for
An exhibitor wants to meet delegates and show a product or service. A sponsor usually wants to be associated with the conference or a part of it. The two can be the same company, but the commitments differ.
Mixing them is the usual cause of disputes: an exhibitor assumes a logo on the stage backdrop, or a sponsor assumes the best booth position.
Sort every item into one column
| Item | Exhibitor package | Sponsorship package | Question to settle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table or booth space | Yes | Sometimes, as an add-on | Who allocates position, and by what rule? |
| Logo on printed programme | Rarely | Yes | Is it per tier or per named right? |
| Named session or break | No | Yes | Does it need speaker or content approval? |
| Delegate list | No, unless stated | Only if consent exists | Ask the data protection owner first. |
| Power, Wi-Fi, furniture | Yes, itemised | No | Is it included or charged by the venue's supplier? |
| Category exclusivity | Rarely | Often requested | Within which dates, rooms and scope? |
Write the inclusions as a short list
- Each package lists what is included, what is extra and what is not offered.
- Exclusivity is stated as a scope (category, room, day), never as a bare word.
- Anything that touches attendee data, speaker content or programme neutrality has a named approver.
- Prices, where used, come from the approved budget, not from habit.
Checking for overlap before you publish
- List every right and asset once in a sponsor inventory, including physical items.
- Mark each as exhibitor, sponsor or both, with an approval owner.
- Run proposed allocations through the conflict checker to catch two buyers on one exclusive scope.
- Have the contract owner, or your legal adviser, check wording before packages go out.
What not to promise
Packages describe what the organiser will provide, not what the buyer will receive in leads or sales. Avoid language that implies footfall, enquiries or revenue for the buyer.
Worked example · Fictional example
A regional engineering association separates its lists
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Persatuan Fiktif Jurutera Wilayah has a one-day conference for about 300 members. Its first draft has one price list with 'Gold' and 'Booth' rows that both include a stage logo.
The secretariat splits the sheet. Exhibitor packages now cover table, power and two passes. Sponsor packages cover logo placement and one named break. The stage logo appears only on the sponsor side, and the 'Gold' tier is the only one asking for category exclusivity, scoped to the main hall on conference day.
Use this yourself
Package definition sheet
Copy one block per package and complete it before any package goes to a buyer.
- Package name and type (exhibitor / sponsor / combined):
- Included items, each with quantity:
- Extra-cost items and who charges for them:
- Not offered, stated plainly:
- Exclusivity scope (category, room, date) or None:
- Data, speaker-content or neutrality items and their approver:
- Overlap check done with rights register (date, initials):
- Contract wording reviewed by (name, date):
Open the tool: Sponsor rights and exclusivity conflict checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have a short list of rights and one person who owns it.
- Only a handful of buyers, and no exclusivity requests.
- The contract owner is available to review wording.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Rights have grown over several years and nobody holds the full list.
- Several buyers ask for exclusivity in overlapping scopes.
- Packages must be fixed before a venue and budget are settled.
Need the package structure set out cleanly?
If exhibitor and sponsor rights are tangled, an Event Blueprint can set out the rights register, package definitions and approval owners as part of the planning pack. It plans the workstream. It does not sell sponsorship or promise buyers, and contract wording stays with your legal adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Can one company hold both an exhibitor and a sponsor package?
Yes. Record it as two packages with separate inclusions, so each right has one clear source and one price line.
Should exclusivity be offered at all?
Only if you can state its scope precisely and keep to it. Treat the wording as a question for the contract owner or your legal adviser.
Who sets the booth positions?
Agree the allocation rule before sales open and record who applies it. The venue confirms what floor space is usable.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.