How to Run a Pre-Show Exhibitor Webinar
A pre-show exhibitor webinar is a live online briefing, usually 45 to 60 minutes and held 4 to 8 weeks before move-in as a planning example, that walks exhibitors through deadlines, move-in, lead retrieval and promotion, then answers their questions. Run it with an agenda that puts must-know logistics first, give each segment to the person who owns it, record the session and send the recording, slides and deadline list in a follow-up email the same day. Below is a minute-by-minute agenda, who should present, what to cover in each segment, a Q&A plan and copy-ready invite and follow-up emails.
The webinar doesn't replace your exhibitor manual. It points people to the parts that matter most, at the moment they need to act, and it gives first-time exhibitors a chance to ask the questions they would otherwise email one at a time.
When to Hold It
- After the exhibitor manual is released, so you can point to page numbers and links.
- Before the first discounted service order deadline, so exhibitors still have time to save money.
- At a time that works across your exhibitors' time zones. Mid-morning in the middle of the week is a common choice. For national or international shows, consider two sessions.
- With a second, shorter session close to the show if you have many late bookers, covering only move-in and show-day details.
Who Presents
Keep the presenter list short and give each person one segment they own:
- Host (exhibitor services manager): Welcome, deadlines recap, Q&A and close.
- Show director: Two minutes on the show's audience and what is new this year.
- General service contractor representative: Freight, material handling, service orders and move-in.
- Marketing lead: Exhibitor marketing kit, directory profiles and social promotion.
- Lead retrieval or technology contact: How exhibitors capture and export leads.
- Moderator (not presenting): Watches the chat, groups questions and handles technical problems.
Minute-by-Minute Agenda (60 Minutes)
Adapt the timings to your show. This exhibitor briefing agenda is a planning example:
- 0:00 to 0:03, Welcome and housekeeping: Who is presenting, that the session is recorded, how to ask questions.
- 0:03 to 0:08, Show snapshot: Dates, hall hours, expected audience, what's new and where the exhibitor manual lives.
- 0:08 to 0:18, Deadlines recap: Every exhibitor deadline in date order, with what happens if it's missed.
- 0:18 to 0:30, Move-in, move-out and services: Shipping, target move-in times, unloading, service orders, booth rules.
- 0:30 to 0:38, Lead retrieval: How it works, what it costs, how to set up staff and how to export leads.
- 0:38 to 0:45, Marketing kit and profile: Directory profile, logos and banners, social posts, invite codes.
- 0:45 to 0:58, Live Q&A: Grouped by topic, moderator reads questions aloud.
- 0:58 to 1:00, Close: Three actions to take this week and where the recording will be.
What to Cover in Each Segment
Welcome and Show Snapshot
Open on time. Exhibitors join to find out what to do, so keep the show pitch short: who is coming, what is new this year and why it matters for their booth. Put the exhibitor manual link on screen and in the chat in the first five minutes. If your manual needs a refresh, our exhibitor manual template lists every section to include.
Deadlines Recap
This is the most useful slide in the webinar. List each deadline in date order, one line each:
- Balance due date
- Directory profile and logo for the printed guide
- Booth staff names and badge registration
- Certificate of insurance
- Discounted service order deadline for electrical, furniture and internet
- Advance warehouse shipping window
- Hotel block cutoff
- Lead retrieval order deadline
Say what happens when each one is missed, such as higher service rates or a profile missing from the printed guide. Exhibitors can track their own list with our exhibitor checklist.
Move-In and Move-Out Logistics
Show the hall map with the loading docks, marshaling yard and exhibitor entrance marked. Walk through target move-in times by booth area, when booths must be set, what happens to empty booths, and the move-out rules, including no early teardown. Share the timetable from your exhibitor move-in schedule and repeat the shipping labels and addresses for advance warehouse and direct-to-show freight.
Lead Retrieval
Explain how badge scanning works at your show, whether it is included or paid, how many staff can use it, and how and when leads can be exported. Encourage booth teams to add a note and rating at each scan. If you offer lead retrieval through your show platform, show a 60-second demo on a phone.
Marketing Kit
Show what is in the exhibitor marketing kit: show logos, I'm exhibiting banners, sample social posts, email copy and any free or discounted attendee invite codes. Remind exhibitors that a complete directory profile with products and booth staff helps attendees find them before the show.
Questions and Answers
Collect questions in the chat from the start. The moderator groups them by topic and reads out the most common ones first. If a question needs a check, say you will answer it in the follow-up email. Questions asked by several exhibitors are a sign that the manual needs a clearer section.
Tips for Running It Smoothly
- Send the invite at least two weeks ahead and a reminder the day before and an hour before.
- Rehearse once with every presenter, using the real slides and the real webinar tool.
- Put dates, links and booth rule numbers on slides, not just in speech.
- Use your webinar platform's poll to ask whether exhibitors are first-timers, so you know how much detail to give.
- Keep one slide per deadline or rule, with large text people can screenshot.
- Start and end on time.
Invite Email Copy
Subject: [SHOW NAME] exhibitor briefing: [DATE] at [TIME, TIME ZONE]. Hi [FIRST NAME], join our pre-show exhibitor webinar on [DATE] at [TIME] to get ready for [SHOW NAME]. In 60 minutes we'll cover every exhibitor deadline, move-in and shipping, lead retrieval and your marketing kit, then answer your questions. Register here: [LINK]. Can't make it? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording. Please forward this to whoever is running your booth and logistics. See you there, [NAME], Exhibitor Services.
Follow-Up Email Copy
Send this the same day, to everyone who registered and every exhibitor contact, not just attendees.
Subject: Recording and deadlines from the [SHOW NAME] exhibitor webinar. Hi [FIRST NAME], thank you for joining today's exhibitor briefing, or for registering if you couldn't make it. Here is everything in one place. Recording: [LINK]. Slides: [LINK]. Exhibitor manual: [LINK]. Your next three deadlines: [DEADLINE 1, DATE], [DEADLINE 2, DATE], [DEADLINE 3, DATE]. Answers to the questions we couldn't cover live: [ANSWERS OR LINK]. Questions? Reply to this email or call [PHONE]. Thank you, [NAME], Exhibitor Services.
Recording and Reuse
Edit out long pauses, add chapter markers for each segment if your video host supports them, and keep the link unlisted if the content is for exhibitors only. Share the slides and the recording link in your exhibitor portal documents and in the manual, so exhibitors who book late can catch up without a call. Reuse the segments next year, updating dates and anything that changed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Spending the first 15 minutes selling the show to people who have already booked
- Reading the exhibitor manual aloud instead of pointing to the sections that matter
- Holding the webinar after the discounted service order deadline has passed
- Inviting only the person who signed the contract, not the booth and logistics team
- Letting every presenter run long, so Q&A gets squeezed into the last two minutes
- Promising an answer in the follow-up email and then not including it
- Sending the recording a week later, when the next deadline has already gone
A simple test before you go live: if an exhibitor watched only the deadlines recap and the move-in segment, would they know what to do this week and how to get their booth built on time? If not, cut something else and give those two segments more room.
Measure Whether It Worked
- Share of exhibiting companies that attended live or watched the recording
- Number of questions asked, and the topics that came up most
- Profile, staff and insurance tasks completed in the week after the webinar
- Service orders placed before the discount deadline compared with last year
- Fewer repeat questions to exhibitor services during move-in
For the rest of the organizer workflow around the briefing, from booth sales and floor plans to exhibitor communication, see trade show management software.
FAQ
How long should a pre-show exhibitor webinar be?
Plan for 45 to 60 minutes, with about two thirds presentation and one third questions. Longer sessions lose people, and exhibitors who need detail can find it in the exhibitor manual. If you have a lot to cover, run two shorter sessions, one on logistics and one on marketing and lead retrieval.
When should I hold the exhibitor orientation webinar?
Hold it after the exhibitor manual is out and before the first big service order deadline, often 4 to 8 weeks before move-in as a planning example. That gives exhibitors time to act on what they hear while discount deadlines are still open.
Who should attend an exhibitor briefing?
Invite the main exhibitor contact plus whoever will run the booth and handle logistics. At larger companies these are often different people, so ask each exhibitor to forward the invite and send the recording to everyone on the account.
Should the exhibitor webinar be recorded?
Yes. Many exhibitors can't attend live, and booth staff often join the account late. Record it, split it into short chapters if you can, and share the link and slides in the follow-up email and wherever exhibitors find their show documents.
