Template · free
Exhibitor manual template
A forty-four-point outline for an exhibitor manual, grouped into the show, the stall, move-in and out, power and technical, safety, visitors and leads, marketing, logistics and deadlines. Copy each heading into your own manual and fill in your venue's facts.
No sign-up needed.
Who it is for
- Exhibition organisers writing the manual for exhibitors
- Event agencies running a trade show for a client
- Show managers who answer the same exhibitor questions every year
How to use it
- Copy the headings into your document and delete what does not apply.
- Fill in every fact with a name, a date or a number, never with 'as per norms'.
- Put the deadlines table on the first page, not the last.
- Send it at least a month ahead and note which version each exhibitor received.
The contents
About the show
- Name, dates and venue address with a map link
- Show hours for exhibitors and for visitors
- Who to call for each need, with a phone number and a name
- Show timeline: move-in, open, close, move-out
- Rules on ID, badges and who may enter the hall
Your stall
- Stall number, size and floor plan with dimensions
- What is included: furniture, lights, power points, signage
- Maximum height and what you may hang
- Fascia name and how to change the wording
- Rules on branding outside your stall
- Cleaning and waste rules
Move-in and move-out
- Move-in schedule by hall and by day
- Gate pass and vehicle entry process
- Loading bay timings and rules
- Forklift and unloading help, and how to book it
- Move-out schedule and what must be removed
- Rules on leaving materials behind
Power, internet and technical
- Power load per stall and how to request more
- Request process and deadline for extra power
- Wi-Fi details and what to do if you need a wired line
- Audio and video rules, including volume
- Rules on demonstrations and equipment
Safety and compliance
- Fire safety rules and extinguisher locations
- Electrical safety rules for anything you bring
- Insurance requirement for exhibitor property
- First aid and medical help locations
- Permits needed for food, drinks or sampling
Visitors, leads and consent
- How the visitor scan or lead-capture process works at your stall
- What visitors have agreed to and what they have not
- Rules for sharing your collected leads and how to export them
- Rules on photography of visitors
- How to handle visitors who ask for their data to be removed
Marketing and visibility
- Directory listing: what to submit and by when
- Logo and description format and size
- Sponsorship and speaking opportunities
- App profile: what exhibitors can edit
- How to schedule a stall announcement
Logistics and hospitality
- Passes for staff, with a count and a cut-off date
- Hotels, transfers and shuttle timings
- Food and water arrangements for stall staff
- Storage options and lost-property point
Deadlines
- Table of every deadline with date and the person who confirms it
- Late-submission rules and charges policy, stated without amounts here
- Cancellation and change process
Where it has been used
Shaped by the stall and lead-capture flow in the Bengaluru Wedding Fraternity Meet-up 4 case study.
Questions people ask
How long should a manual be?
As long as it needs to answer the questions you get every year, and no longer. Most are 12 to 20 pages.
Why mention consent and leads?
Exhibitors need to know what visitors have agreed to and how to handle data. Putting it in writing prevents disputes.
What goes on the first page?
The key contacts, the deadlines table and the move-in schedule. These are what exhibitors look for first.
Want this running inside your event app?
Sociana turns lists like this into live screens, requests and reminders for your guests and your desk. A 20-minute walkthrough shows how.