Many companies exhibiting for the first time read only the booth rental contract and treat it as all the information they need. In reality, most of the most important operating details, from receiving hours to noise rules, sit in another document that gets less attention: the exhibitor kit.
What is an exhibitor kit
What is an exhibitor kit? Also known in full as the exhibitor service manual, it is a manual or document set, usually compiled by the main service contractor for each edition of an event, containing general event information, labor service order forms, rules and regulations, and other information directly relevant to the exhibitor's participation.
Telling it apart from the booth prospectus
Many exhibitors confuse the exhibitor kit with the prospectus, the booth invitation sent during the sales phase. The prospectus contains technical information, booth rental costs, the overall event floor plan and a participation application form, serving the purpose of persuading the customer to sign. The exhibitor kit appears at a completely different stage: after the contract is signed, when the exhibitor needs to prepare practically for the booth build and for operating during the event days.
What an exhibitor kit usually contains
Though each organizer presents it differently, an exhibitor kit usually includes these groups of information:
- General event information: the move-in, show days and move-out schedule, and daily opening and closing times
- Labor and supply order forms: power, network, cleaning, tables and chairs, floor carpet, with advance-order deadlines for discounted rates
- Rules and regulations: booth height limits, noise rules, fire safety, and rules on hanging signs and decoration
- Goods shipping information: the staging warehouse address, receiving deadlines and the policy for late-arriving goods
- Contact information: the contacts at the OSC, the organizer and the exclusive service providers at the venue
Why you shouldn't just skim this document
Most of the avoidable financial losses of first-time exhibitors come from missing the advance-order deadlines stated clearly in the exhibitor kit. A power or network order placed before the deadline can be considerably cheaper than ordering on the spot on build day, when urgent service rates are often many times higher. Likewise, not knowing the booth height rules or decoration material rules can lead to the booth being told to change just before opening, costing time and unnecessary extra expense.
First, assign one specific person on the team to read the whole exhibitor kit as soon as it arrives, instead of having several people read separate parts. Second, build a list of the key advance-order deadlines and set reminders at least two weeks ahead, since most discounted services apply only up to a fixed date. Third, if any clause is unclear, contact the OSC contact named in the document directly, instead of guessing and possibly breaking the rules without knowing it.
Printed and electronic exhibitor kits
In the past the exhibitor kit was usually sent as a printed document dozens of pages thick by mail. Today most organizers have switched to online service ordering platforms, letting exhibitors order and pay for each item right in the system instead of filling in paper forms and faxing them as before. Though the format has changed, the core content remains: it is still the only official source of information for every question about operations, and should be checked first before asking again by phone or email, which usually take longer to answer in the busy preparation period.
Read the exhibitor kit carefully from the start, even though it is long and full of administrative detail. Preparing display content is only half the job. The other half is the operating side on the floor.