An online exhibitor manual (often referred to as an OEM or, in the United States, as “Exhibitor Resource Centres”) serves as a central platform where you, as an event organiser, can compile all relevant event information for exhibitors to access via an online portal.

Although the term "exhibitor manual" is typically used for companies taking a stand or booth at a trade show or exhibition, it is often adapted for other event participants such as sponsors, partner organisations, and media companies.

Exhibitor manuals traditionally contain all the logistical information required by the exhibiting company to organise their event stand, such as build and breakdown times, details of event suppliers, health and safety guidelines, catering options, and much more. It serves as a comprehensive guide for any exhibitor, whether they are space-only or have purchased a pre-built package such as a shell scheme or a rope-and-post setup from the organiser.

A Brief History of the Exhibitor Manual

Exhibitor manuals were traditionally printed as hardcopy books, created by event organisers and sent directly to the lead contact at the exhibiting company.

However, this printed method had several challenges, including:

• Ensuring the right person within a large organisation managing the stand, or those working with third-party stand contractors, received the manual.

• Compiling the information well in advance to allow enough time for writing, printing, and posting the manual before exhibitors began planning their stand setup.

• Managing errors in the manual, such as incorrect dates, times, or contact details, which could create complications for both exhibitors and organisers.

• Cost to the event organiser and environmental impact of producing hundreds of hardcopy printed manuals.

For some of the world’s largest trade shows, multiple manuals were created to cover different aspects of operations and marketing requirements.

The introduction of PDF manuals alleviated some of these issues, but version control remained a significant challenge. Additionally, the sheer volume of information needed for exhibiting often resulted in oversized PDFs that exceeded email attachment limits.

In the early 2000s, the first online exhibitor manuals were created. These aimed to address the issues of printed and PDF manuals by hosting all the necessary information and forms online for exhibitors.

Exhibiting companies were given login details to access an ‘Exhibitor Portal’ or ‘Exhibitor Zone’, which housed the documentation and information previously contained within the hardcopy or PDF manuals.

While early online exhibitor manuals helped overcome some obstacles, new challenges arose. Event organisers used various platforms, meaning exhibit managers who participated in multiple trade shows had to learn different systems for each event.

Additionally, while the central platform stored event information, many suppliers still required exhibitors to complete manual order forms. This meant exhibitors had to print and email (or even fax) forms to suppliers and keep track of their own orders.

Another issue was that many event technology platforms used by organisers did not integrate with the exhibitor manual, requiring exhibitors to manage multiple logins across different platforms for tasks such as lead capture, meeting management, or website profiles.

For event organisers, extracting the data needed for event delivery across teams and suppliers was often a cumbersome process. As a result, many teams resorted back to creating manual spreadsheets to manage exhibitors, sponsors, and partners - opening the door for errors onsite and inefficiencies in the event management process.

Read "Is Your Event Spreadsheet Limiting Your Career?"

Several prominent event technology providers have developed online exhibitor manual solutions as part of their overall event management offerings. However, these features are often underdeveloped and underfunded, seen as "add-ons" rather than core products. Consequently, the exhibitor manual technology can quickly become outdated, and providers are reluctant to invest in improvements or integrations, as these features don’t generate as much significant revenue or interest from event organisers as say event registration. 

The lack of investment often lead to poor performance, difficulties in extracting data, and an increase in technical queries from exhibitors. Faced with these issues, event teams sometimes revert to using PDF manuals, printed forms, and spreadsheets, which while on the face of it seems easier and more reliable for the event organisers, actually consume valuable time for both event teams and exhibitors.

As exhibiting becomes more complex, with increased regulations around safety and sustainable practices, the time required to deliver a stand activation also increases. This added time puts pressure on exhibitors to achieve a higher return on investment (ROI) from their participation, and places greater demands on organisers to deliver a successful event.

Read "Time to Rethink the Exhibitor Experience"

What’s Next for the Exhibitor Manual?

It has been over 20 years since the first online exhibitor manuals were introduced. With growing pressure from exhibitors and a need for improved efficiency, there has been renewed interest in online exhibitor manual platforms.

Companies like FFAIR are working to resolve the historical exhibitor management and online exhibitor manual issues by developing user-friendly platforms that enhance the exhibitor experience. From a user-experience perspective, these platforms simplify the exhibiting process, providing exhibitors with everything they need in one central location. Exhibitors can access personalised information related to their stand package with ease. They no longer need to sift through a 200+ page manual or browse multiple event supplier catalogues to complete paper forms; instead, they can place orders via a streamlined online checkout process.

For event teams, these platforms integrate with other event and marketing technologies, offering a more efficient workflow. They also provide full transparency over supplier orders and allow event teams to extract data in formats that suit their needs and those of third-party suppliers.

Summary

The evolution of the exhibitor manual, from printed documents to online platforms, has been driven by the need for efficiency and accuracy in managing event logistics. While early online exhibitor manuals addressed some challenges of their printed predecessors, they introduced new complexities for both exhibitors and event organisers. Today, with innovative solutions like FFAIR's platform, there is a renewed focus on simplifying the exhibitor experience while integrating with broader event technologies. As event requirements grow more complex, investing in user-friendly, integrated exhibitor manuals is essential for streamlining processes, enhancing ROI, and ensuring smoother collaboration between organisers, exhibitors, and suppliers.

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