ExpoPlatform alternatives for trade show and expo organizers
ExpoPlatform is built around AI matchmaking, meetings, an exhibitor manual and year-round communities for large exhibitions. Here is where it is the better choice, and where Map D and other tools fit shows that sell their floor.
Written by Map D, which is one of the alternatives listed below. Claims about other platforms are limited to what those companies publish themselves, and each is sourced at the foot of the page. Last verified November 2026.
Published, per event
ExpoPlatform
Adding organizers or exhibitors does not change the plan price.
Trusted by associations, expos and show organizers since 2011
What ExpoPlatform is good at
ExpoPlatform goes further than most platforms on buyer and seller meetings, and for large international exhibitions it is often the right answer. If the following describe your show, keep it on your shortlist.
- AI-powered matchmaking and many meeting formats: self-requested meetings, speed networking, concierge meetings, round tables and hosted buyer programmes.
- An exhibitor manual with dynamic forms, multi-step onboarding pipelines, deadlines with automated reminders and a webstore for upsells paid by invoice or card.
- A year-round 365 Community with marketplaces, an editorial hub, community groups, webinars, and RFQs and tenders between shows.
- Lead retrieval with visitor and product QR scanning and a real-time ROI dashboard for exhibitors.
- Hybrid and virtual events, an event website builder, email marketing and full white-labelling with dedicated technical account management on Enterprise.
Why organizers look elsewhere
The gaps that send trade show organizers looking for an alternative.
- You cannot see a price first. ExpoPlatform's Enterprise and 365 Community plans are quote-only, and its pricing page says cost combines the core platform with the number of exhibitors and attendees.
- Selling the floor is not the center. Its site describes interactive floor mapping for booth allocation and a visitor floor plan, with multi-hall floorplans and the exhibitor manual listed as Enterprise add-ons, but does not describe exhibitors booking and paying for booths online.
- Mid-size shows whose revenue is booth and sponsorship space may want the floor plan, booth checkout and exhibitor portal at the core of one per-event plan.
How Map D compares
Map D’s column states what Map D does. Where a ExpoPlatform equivalent is not publicly documented, the row says so rather than guessing.
- Map D offers
- 6 of 9
- ExpoPlatform publicly documents
- 7 of 9
The second bar counts what ExpoPlatform documents on its own site, which is not the same as what it can do. A criterion we could not verify is shown as unverified, not as missing — if ExpoPlatform covers it somewhere we did not find, that is a gap in our checking rather than in their product.
| Criterion | Map D | ExpoPlatform |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Included | Documented |
| Pricing unit | Included | Documented |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for a booth on a live floor plan | Included | Unverified |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Included | Documented |
| AI matchmaking and hosted buyer programs | Not offered | Documented |
| Year-round community and marketplace | Not offered | Documented |
| Virtual and hybrid events | Not offered | Documented |
| Registration, badging and lead retrieval | Included | Documented |
| Choice of payment gateway | Included | Unverified |
$1,500
$2,500
$2,750
—
Map D’s rates are per event and listed on the pricing page. The dashed column has no height and no figure on purpose: where rates are not published we will not put a number on them, and where they are published we will not restate one that can change without notice.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Map D | ExpoPlatform |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Yes. Building one event's floor plan in the editor is free; publishing starts at $1,500 per event and selling booths online at Growth, $2,500 per event. | ExpoPlatform's Enterprise and 365 Community plans are quote-only; its Networks product has a free plan (checked November 2026). |
| Pricing unit | Per event. Adding organizers or exhibitors does not change the plan price, and there is no Map D transaction fee on booth sales. | ExpoPlatform prices on the core platform plus the number of exhibitors and attendees, with modules and support options on top (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for a booth on a live floor plan | Core to the product. Exhibitors select an available booth, add services with limited inventory, and pay online or offline; every sale updates the map. | ExpoPlatform describes interactive floor mapping for booth allocation and a floor plan that guides visitors; online booth booking by exhibitors is not described (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Profiles, staff badges, documents, add-ons, invoices and renewals. | ExpoPlatform's exhibitor manual covers forms, onboarding pipelines, deadlines with reminders and a webstore for upsells; it is listed as an Enterprise add-on (checked November 2026). |
| AI matchmaking and hosted buyer programs | Not documented. Map D's MatchMaking, switched on for your show by your Map D contact, schedules timed one-on-one meetings at numbered tables; AI recommendations and hosted buyer programs are not in its help documentation. | ExpoPlatform documents AI-powered matchmaking, many meeting formats and a hosted buyer programme (checked November 2026). |
| Year-round community and marketplace | Not offered. Map D is built around each event's floor plan and exhibitors, not a year-round online community. | ExpoPlatform's 365 Community includes marketplaces, community groups, webinars, and RFQs and tenders (checked November 2026). |
| Virtual and hybrid events | Not offered. Map D is built for in-person events and has no virtual-event capability. | ExpoPlatform lists hybrid and virtual events and live streaming (checked November 2026). |
| Registration, badging and lead retrieval | Available as quoted add-ons that connect to the same event record. Badge printing supports Zebra, Epson and Brother printers. | ExpoPlatform documents registration flows, badge design for visitors, exhibitors and staff, and lead retrieval (checked November 2026). |
| Choice of payment gateway | Stripe, Authorize.Net, PayPal, Payflow Pro, NMI, BluePay or QuickBooks Payments, plus ACH through Authorize.Net, and check, wire or invoice offline. | ExpoPlatform's exhibitor manual page mentions invoice or credit card payment for upsells; which gateways it supports is not described (checked November 2026). |
The alternatives worth shortlisting
Map D
Trade shows and expos whose revenue comes from booths and sponsorships sold off a live floor plan
Floor plan, booth checkout and an exhibitor portal on one platform with published per-event pricing; registration, badging and lead retrieval are quoted add-ons. No AI matchmaking, year-round community or virtual events.
MapYourShow
Large exhibitions with public exhibitor directories
Floor Builder with interactive booth assignments, MYS Sales Pro for choosing space and sponsorships, an Exhibitor Resource Center and a mobile app. Pricing is not published.
vFairs
Organizers who want booth sales inside registration
Its Floor Plan Builder shows live availability in the registration flow, and exhibitors pick a booth and pay as they register.
PheedLoop
Conferences that want a modular platform with booth selection
A self-serve exhibitor portal for tasks, lead capture and booth selection, with a drag-and-drop floor plan builder.
Where Map D is stronger
- Pricing is published and flat per event: building one event's floor plan is free, publishing starts at $1,500 and selling booths online at $2,500 per event, with no per-booth fee and no Map D transaction fee on booth sales.
- Booth sales run on the floor plan itself: exhibitors select an available booth, add services with limited inventory, and pay by card, ACH, check, wire or invoice, with deposits for sales that open months ahead.
- The exhibitor portal covers profiles, staff badges, documents, add-ons, invoices and renewals, and booth codes keep spaces for returning exhibitors.
- More than 900 organizers have run over 9,000 events on Map D since 2011, with more than $400M in booth and exhibitor sales.
When ExpoPlatform is the better choice
- Buyer and seller meetings are why exhibitors come: AI matchmaking, hosted buyer programmes and many meeting formats. ExpoPlatform documents these and Map D does not.
- You want a year-round community, marketplace, and RFQs and tenders between shows. Map D does not offer one.
- You run hybrid or virtual sessions with live streaming. Map D is in-person only.
- You are a large international organizer that wants full white-labelling and a custom enterprise build, and a quote-based price suits your procurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ExpoPlatform alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. For booths and sponsorships sold from a live floor plan at a published per-event price, Map D. For a large exhibition with a public exhibitor directory, MapYourShow. For booth sales inside registration, vFairs. For a modular conference platform with booth selection, PheedLoop. If AI matchmaking, hosted buyers and a year-round community matter most, ExpoPlatform may still be the better choice.
Who are ExpoPlatform's main competitors?
For trade shows and expos, platforms often compared with ExpoPlatform include MapYourShow, vFairs and PheedLoop, plus Map D for shows whose revenue comes from booth sales. Each claim on this page links to the vendor's own site and was checked in November 2026.
Does ExpoPlatform publish its pricing?
Not for its main plans. Its pricing page shows Enterprise and 365 Community as quote-only, priced on the core platform plus exhibitor and attendee numbers, and a free plan for its Networks product (checked November 2026). Map D publishes its rates: building one event's floor plan is free, publishing starts at $1,500 per event and selling booths online at $2,500 per event.
Can Map D and a matchmaking platform work together?
Yes. A show can sell booths and run exhibitors in Map D and use a dedicated platform for AI matchmaking and hosted buyer meetings. See our exhibitor management software page for what Map D covers on its own.
Stop reading about it. Build one.
Upload the floor plan you already have and place your booths on it yourself, in Map D’s editor. Free to build, no contract, and nothing to install.
- 900+
- Organizers who have run shows on Map D
- 9,000+
- Events powered since 2011
- 1.8M+
- Booths drawn to date
“I am really excited about this. The staff met with me this morning and we all LOVE the platform. People are already filling out their booths.”
Sources
- ExpoPlatform home page (platform overview) · checked 2026-11-04
- ExpoPlatform pricing (quote-only plans, pricing factors) · checked 2026-11-04
- ExpoPlatform for exhibitions · checked 2026-11-04
- ExpoPlatform exhibitor manual · checked 2026-11-04
- ExpoPlatform online registration · checked 2026-11-04
- ExpoPlatform Smart Event (interactive floor plan) · checked 2026-11-04
- MapYourShow home page · checked 2026-11-04
- vFairs Floor Plan Builder · checked 2026-11-04
- PheedLoop home page · checked 2026-11-04
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-11-04