Virtual Exhibitions

Which format suits your exhibitors and visitors?

Start with what visitors should achieve: discover products, meet potential partners, watch demonstrations or arrange sales conversations. A virtual trade show might centre on exhibitor booths and appointments, while a showcase could give more space to presentations and downloadable resources. Your priorities should shape the brief before you compare individual features.

Decide whether the exhibition will run live, remain available on demand or combine both approaches. Live sessions need staffing and a programme that works across your audience's time zones. An on-demand format gives visitors more flexibility, but you still need a plan for answering enquiries and keeping exhibitor information current throughout the access period.

How do you compare suppliers for virtual exhibitions?

The listed businesses include platform providers alongside streaming and registration services, so check exactly which part of the project each proposal covers. When comparing virtual event platforms, ask for a demonstration of the visitor journey from arrival to an exhibitor conversation. Look for clear navigation rather than judging the experience by its visual design alone.

Test the exhibitor experience too: how do teams upload materials, staff their space and receive enquiries? Ask about browser compatibility, mobile access, accessibility and support for the languages your audience uses. For virtual exhibitions with private meetings, establish how appointments work, who can join them and what happens if a connection fails during a conversation.

What content and technical support will you need?

Product demonstrations, panel discussions and exhibitor interviews can give visitors a reason to attend at a particular time. If these are central to your programme, compare webinar and live streaming suppliers as part of the production brief. Confirm who handles speaker rehearsals, presentation playback, captions, recordings and moderation, rather than assuming the platform subscription includes production support.

Give exhibitors clear guidance on image formats, video requirements and how much material to prepare. Agree who checks content before publication and who answers technical questions during the event. A named support contact and a rehearsed fallback for failed broadcasts are more useful than a long feature list nobody has tested under realistic conditions.

How will registration, visitor data and follow-up work?

Your registration process should collect what you need without making entry unnecessarily difficult. Discuss access permissions, confirmation messages and any paid admission with ticketing and event registration suppliers. If visitors need separate access to meetings or sessions, ask the provider to demonstrate those routes and explain how late registrations are handled while the exhibition is live.

For virtual exhibitions, agree data access and consent before promising exhibitors visitor details. Clarify what behaviour is recorded, which reports each exhibitor receives and how information can be exported to your existing systems. Ask about retention, deletion and responsibility for follow-up, and distinguish a booth visit from an explicit request to hear from an exhibitor.

What affects the price of an online exhibition?

Ask suppliers to separate platform access from setup, custom design, content loading and live support. Pricing may depend on exhibitor numbers, attendance, event duration, concurrent users or the features you select. Check whether rehearsals, recordings, storage and continued access after the live programme are included or charged separately.

Compare quotes against the same written scope, including integrations and any external production crew. Find out what changes trigger extra charges and what happens if attendance exceeds your initial estimate. Also confirm cancellation terms, payment milestones and who owns the content and files when the agreement ends.

When should you book and start preparing?

Book once the format and scope are clear, allowing time for setup, exhibitor onboarding and rehearsals. Confirm availability early if you need custom integrations or substantial production support.

Coordinate deadlines and responsibilities in event software, alongside the wider event plan. Return to the list to compare relevant business pages, read each review and contact suppliers with the same brief.

Related: Virtueel-eventplatform