Customizing and Using Exhibitor Portals

The Exhibitor Portal is a powerful tool that allows exhibitors to view and contribute their information without relying on event organizers to assist them. The exhibitor portal is a one stop shop for Exhibitors to access ahead of their event to customize their entire event experience. As a planner, you are able to customize this exhibitor portal to your liking. Please review the below to learn about the features associated with the Exhibitor Portal and how to use them.

Before exhibitors can make use of the exhibitor portal, event organizers will need to provide access. To learn how to give access to the Exhibitor Portal - review this article here. 

Customize the Exhibitor Portal Information and Functionality 

Event organizers can customize the Exhibitor Portal as necessary from the Event Dashboard. 

To Customize the Welcome Text 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitor > Portal > General 
2. Enter the text in Welcome Text
3. Select Save Changes 

This text will be visible in the Information page on the Exhibitor Portal. This is the first page that appears when opening the exhibitor portal. 

To Customize the Help Text 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitor > Portal 
2. Scroll down to General 
3. Enter the text in Support Details 
4. Select Save Changes 

This text will be visible when selecting Help on the Exhibitor Portal on the bottom left corner of the portal. 

To Upload a Portal Banner Image 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to General > Design 
2. Scroll down to Banner Images
3. Under Portal Banner Image, select Choose File to upload your image 
4. Select Save Changes 

The uploaded image will now be visible on the bottom left corner of the Exhibitor Portal on the left corner of the portal.

Hiding Pages from the Event Dashboard 

All pages in the Exhibitor Portal can be hidden in the Event Dashboard. This will effectively remove the functionality of any given page, it is recommended to only use this for pages that are not being used for the event. 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitor > Portal 
2. Scroll down to Pages 
3. Select the checkbox of each page to be hidden 
4. Select Save Changes 

The pages selected will no longer appear in the exhibitor portal. 

Locking Pages from the Event Dashboard 

Another option is to lock the feature so that exhibitors can still view the page but will be unable to interact with any of the features inside. For example, if the event administrator locks manager editing then exhibitors will not be able to edit manager details or add additional managers even if the limit has not been reached. This is ideal for when exhibitors need to view pages for context but interacting with the content is unneeded. 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitor > Portal 
2. Scroll down to any of the settings you wish to restrict 
3. Select Save Changes

Add Custom Instructions

If you are looking to provide unique instructions to an individual exhibitor, there is a way for you to appear on the Information page of the Exhibitor Portal. 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitors > Exhibitors 
2. Select the Exhibitor you would like to leave custom instructions for 
3. Under Basic Details, enter the information in the Instructions text box. 
4. Select Save Changes 

The text will now appear in the Information page above the Welcome Text. The Instructions and Welcome Text are divided by a line. This is ideal if you want to provide specific exhibitor information to each exhibitor such as including personal coupon codes or directions to a booth.

These instructions can be uploaded simultaneously with a bulk upload. 

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitors > Exhibitors 
2. Above the Exhibitors table, select the upload button 
3. Select Download Template 
4. Enter the instructions in the Instructions column 
5. Once all information is entered, save the file 
6. Upload the file by selecting Drag and drop some files here, or click to select files button 

Configuring SSO into the Exhibitor Portal

Please note, use of this feature requires SSO Configuration for Wicket, Netforum, or Microsoft Azure to be included in your account. SSO Configuration is an additional charge.

If your organization is making use of a Single Sign-On Integration then that integration can be used to sign in to the Exhibitor Portal. SSO availability can be configured in the Event Dashboard.

1. From the Event Dashboard, navigate to Exhibitors > Portal
2. Scroll down to Profile Settings
3. Toggle on the Enable Single Sign-On checkbox
4. Select Save Changes

Navigating the Exhibitor Portal Pages

Below is a brief walkthrough of each page and what they entail. Instructions for features will also be included as necessary.

Information 

This is the home page of the Exhibitor Portal. The information displays the Welcome Text as well as any custom instructions if written. 

Profile

The profile page is where individuals can edit their profile information. This is also the page where an exhibitor can select Products and Services. Setting up products and services will give attendees the option to filter exhibitors and match with exhibitors that fit their interests. For more information on this, please review our Setting up Smart Exhibitor Matchmaking in the Event App. 

Announcements 

Any announcements made from the Event Dashboard will appear here if set so. Announcements will not appear in the Exhibitor Portal if not set under Visibility.

For information on how to create and send announcements, please review our article here. 

Managers & Tickets 

Managers represent every individual that is attending the event who is representing the exhibitor. Managers that are created will be listed in association with the exhibitor company in the event app and virtual portal and website.

The Primary Contact is the individuals who serve as the main person responsible for the Exhibitor Profile. They are typically individuals who will be responsible for getting the Exhibitor company all setup. They will receive the welcome email when triggered.

The Secondary Contact is the back up for the exhibitor should the primary contact be unavailable.

Managers can be created at any time from this page. 

1. Select Add New Manager 
2. Enter the Manager information 
3. Select Save 

Another feature of this page is the option to transfer tickets between managers. For more information please review our article here. 

Files 

The Files page is where exhibitors can upload any files for Attendees to download and view. Files are accessible from the Virtual Portal and Event App. Files will not appear in the event website. Uploaded files can be hidden if necessary by selecting the Is Private checkbox. Hidden files can still be seen from the event dashboard. 

Design 

The Design page is where exhibitors display their graphics. Any graphics uploaded will be displayed on the front end for attendees to see. 

Logo 

Logos are the primary graphic for exhibitors. This graphic will be displayed on all portals. 

Banner 

Banners are the backdrop that is visible when attendees enter the exhibitor page. This graphic will be displayed on all portals. 

Thumbnail 

Thumbnails primarily appear in the virtual portal in the exhibit hall. Thumbnails will be displayed instead of logos as attendees navigate through exhibitors. Thumbnails will also be used if staff do not have profile pictures in the event app’s exhibitor page. 

Video 

Exhibitors have the option to upload a video which can be played when accessing the exhibitor page. Videos can be a maximum size of 100 MB and are usually 5 to 10 minutes in length. The video will be visible on all portals. 

Poster 

Exhibitors can upload a PDF file which attendees can download when visiting the exhibitor page. A maximum size of 25MB can be uploaded. Posters are only viewable on the virtual portal. 

Task Assignments 

Exhibitors can view and complete any assigned tasks on this page. Once completed, results can be edited at any time. For more information on how tasks work, please refer to our task management article here. 

Lead Retrieval 

Lead retrieval is an additional add-on that can be purchased from the Lead Retrieval page. All leads captured during an event will show up here. For more information, please review our Enabling and Using Lead Retrieval for In-Person Events article. 

Floor Plans 

Using the Floor Plan page is only possible if event organizers have purchased the Interactive Maps Power-Up and have created floor plans on the event dashboard. If everything is set up, read this article to learn more about how to select booths. 

Meetings 

This feature is only available if you are using the Advanced Networking power-up. To read more about meeting booking please visit this article here. 

Purchase and Contract 

This page will unveil the purchase details associated with the Exhibitor. All information can be downloaded as a PDF file by selecting Download Contract Summary. This is primarily used when using our Exhibitor Application Module.