Supplier specifications
What an event exhibition support brief should say
Your conference includes an exhibition area, and a supplier needs to know what you expect to be built, supplied and managed.
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The short answer
An exhibition support brief states the floor plan and booth types, what is included in each package, how exhibitors order extras, load-in and load-out windows, who manages exhibitor queries, and who inspects and signs off the floor.
Power loads, structural limits, fire and floor-loading rules belong to the venue and qualified suppliers to confirm. The brief asks for their written answers and records them against the plan.
What the brief has to settle
| Item | What to write | Acceptance test |
|---|---|---|
| Floor plan and zones | Area available, number and types of booths or tables, aisles, registration and catering relationship. | Plan reviewed with the venue and agreed by the programme owner. |
| Booth package | What every exhibitor gets: shell or table, fascia name, lighting, power point, furniture. Say what is optional. | Package list matches the exhibitor manual. |
| Extras and ordering | How exhibitors order extra furniture, power or internet, by which date, and who invoices. | Order form tested once with a sample exhibitor. |
| Load-in and load-out | Windows, access route, vehicle rules and who supervises. | Schedule confirmed in writing by the venue. |
| Exhibitor communication | Manual contents, deadlines, query contact and languages. | Manual approved before it is sent. |
| Services and hazards | Power, internet, rigging or hanging, demonstrations, food sampling, any equipment that needs approval. | Venue and qualified suppliers confirm each in writing. |
| Floor sign-off | Who walks the floor before opening and what is checked against the plan. | Walk-through checklist signed by named people. |
Who decides what
The organiser decides the commercial rules for exhibitors, such as who is eligible and what each package includes. The venue sets what is permitted in the space. The exhibition contractor builds to the plan. Technical and safety standards are confirmed by the venue and qualified suppliers, not decided in the brief.
- Ask the venue which items need prior approval, for example hanging signs, demonstrations or food sampling.
- Ask the contractor to state what happens if an exhibitor's own booth does not match the agreed footprint.
Questions to ask the exhibition contractor
- What is included in each booth package, and what is charged extra?
- How do you receive exhibitor orders, and what is the cut-off date?
- Which parts of the build need the venue's written approval, and have you worked with the venue before?
- Who is on site during load-in, opening hours and load-out?
- How do you handle damage, missing items or late exhibitor requests?
Common gaps
- The booth package is described differently in the sales material and the manual.
- Exhibitors discover power or internet charges on arrival.
- Load-in overlaps with the stage build and nobody owns the conflict.
- Aisle and registration areas are not shown on the plan, so queues block booths.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional industry association's exhibition area
Fictional organisation and figures, used only to show the level of detail.
A fictional furniture trade association adds a 20 booth exhibition to its annual forum. The secretariat writes the brief with two booth types and a one-page order form for extras.
Two contractors quote. One includes power points and fascia names in the package, the other lists them as extras. The secretariat updates the brief to say power and fascia are included and asks both to requote on the same basis.
Use this yourself
Exhibition support brief template
Copy into a document and send with the floor plan. Mark unknowns Not decided with owner and date.
- Event, dates, venue, exhibition area and number of booths:
- Booth types and what each package includes:
- Optional extras and ordering process, cut-off date and invoicing:
- Floor plan with aisles, registration and catering positions:
- Load-in and load-out windows, access route, vehicle rules, supervisor:
- Exhibitor manual: contents, approver, send date, query contact:
- Power, internet, hanging, demonstrations, food sampling: questions sent to venue and suppliers:
- Written confirmations received (date and from whom):
- Floor walk-through: who, when, against which plan:
- Price basis: build, furniture, power, staffing, extras:
- Damage and missing-item process:
- Acceptance: package list matches manual, orders tested, floor signed off by:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small number of simple table-top booths in one room.
- The venue provides standard booth items and you know its rules.
- The secretariat has run the exhibition before.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many exhibitors, custom builds, power or hanging requirements, or a tight load-in window.
- The exhibition sits beside a stage build and several suppliers share the floor.
- Exhibitor queries and orders are arriving faster than one person can answer.
Want the exhibition brief coordinated with your suppliers?
An Event Blueprint can set the exhibition requirements beside the registration, staging and signage briefs, with the floor plan and load-in schedule in one place. A project lead can then coordinate the exhibitor communication and the written confirmations from the venue and contractor.
Questions organisers ask
Who decides whether a booth design is safe?
The venue and qualified suppliers. The brief records who confirms each item and when, but does not give a safety conclusion.
Should exhibitors order extras directly from the contractor?
Either works if the brief states it. Decide who invoices and who handles disputes before the manual is sent.
Is the exhibition brief the same as a sponsor brief?
No. Sponsor benefits are a separate agreement. This brief covers what is built, supplied and managed on the floor.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.