Virtual Trade Show

How a virtual trade show works

The event has the same parts as an in-person show, moved online. Attendees register, receive access, and enter a platform with a program and an exhibitor area. Exhibitors set up booths in advance. On the day or days of the show, attendees visit booths, attend live sessions and book or hold conversations, while organizers monitor activity and help where needed.

Most virtual trade shows run for a fixed window, one to a few days, because a set time concentrates attendance and gives exhibitors people to talk to. Some keep booths open afterward for on-demand viewing. Decide which you are running, since it changes what exhibitors prepare: live staffing, recorded content, or both.

• Register and enter

  Attendees register, then sign in to a platform with the program and the exhibitor directory.

• Visit booths

  Each exhibitor has a virtual booth with content and a way to talk to staff.

• Join sessions

  Live and recorded sessions bring attendees together and send them to the booths afterward.

  Virtual conference solution

• Meet and follow up

  Chat, audio and video conversations, then lead export for follow-up.

What goes in a virtual booth

A virtual booth is an exhibitor's page and meeting space on the platform. The best ones are simple: a clear banner and logo, a short video, a few documents, and a way to talk to a real person. Treat it as a landing page with a live person behind it.

On Eventdex, the virtual tradeshow booth is described as a booth exhibitors can decorate with custom designs, banners, videos and information, where staff connect with visitors one-on-one or in a group by audio, video and chat. Exhibitors can assign several booth staff, upload documents and business cards that attendees add to their briefcase, and get analytics and export leads. For virtual and hybrid shows the exhibitor management page adds a logo, banner, menu links, video and business card, copied from a past event if the exhibitor has one.

How to run a virtual trade show, step by step

The work is the same as an in-person show, compressed into online tasks. Start about as early as you would for a physical event, since exhibitors need time to build booths and attendees need time to hear about it.

1. 1

   Set the goals

   What buyers and exhibitors should get: leads, meetings, product launches. Choose measures for each.

2. 2

   Pick dates and a format

   A live window of one to a few days, with or without on-demand booths afterward, and a program of sessions that sends traffic to the booths.

3. 3

   Recruit and onboard exhibitors

   Send a prospectus, then a manual with booth set-up steps, content deadlines and live staffing hours.

   Exhibitor prospectus
4. 4

   Open registration

   Registration with the questions you need to match attendees to exhibitors.

   Event registration software
5. 5

   Test everything

   Run a full rehearsal: booths, video, audio, sessions, and lead export. Give exhibitors a test slot.

6. 6

   Run the live window

   Have staff on hand to help attendees and exhibitors, and keep the program on time.

   How to host a virtual event
7. 7

   Follow up and report

   Export leads, send each exhibitor their results and review what to change.

Bring people to the booths

A virtual booth is easy to ignore, so give attendees reasons to visit. Schedule sessions so there are gaps for the exhibitor area, ask exhibitors to run short live demos at announced times, and use gamification to reward visiting booths.

Brief your exhibitors on how to behave in a virtual booth. A booth with nobody in it looks closed, so tell them the hours they must be present and how quickly to answer chat. Encourage a short greeting message and a prompt to ask a question, since attendees are shy about starting a conversation with a stranger on a screen.

Eventdex's virtual platform includes gamification with points and leaderboards, per its product pages, and AI-matched video meetings and speed networking for attendees. Use them to move people through the exhibitor area rather than leaving them in the lobby. The virtual event ideas guide has more formats.

• Schedule booth time

  Leave gaps in the program for the exhibitor area, and do not run sessions over it.

• Reward visits

  Points and a leaderboard for visiting booths and joining sessions.

  Event gamification

• Matched meetings

  AI-matched video meetings put buyers and suppliers together.

  Virtual B2B matchmaking meetings

• Live demos

  Short scheduled demos from booth staff at announced times.

  Virtual event ideas

Platform features to look for

A virtual trade show platform must do more than host video. It needs registration, an exhibitor directory, customizable booths, live and recorded sessions, one-to-one and group conversation, lead capture and reporting. Check each against the platform's own pages and a demo, not a feature list alone.

Compare how easy it is for an exhibitor to set up a booth, since exhibitors who cannot do it themselves will not do it. Ask whether booth staff can be added in numbers, how documents are shared and how leads are exported.

Ask for a demo that follows an exhibitor through the whole job: build a booth, add staff, publish, take a conversation and export the leads. A platform that looks good from the attendee side can still be awkward for exhibitors, and exhibitors are the ones who decide whether to come back next year. Eventdex's pages describe each of these parts separately, not as one walkthrough, so ask for the whole path in a demo.

• Booth set-up

  Banner, video, documents and staff, set up by the exhibitor, with content copied from a past event where possible.

• Conversation

  Chat, audio and video, one-to-one and in groups.

• Sessions

  Live and recorded sessions alongside the exhibitor area.

  Virtual event platform

• Leads and reports

  Booth analytics and an export the exhibitor can use.

• Hybrid option

  If part of your audience is in the room, a platform that also runs a physical show.

  Hybrid event platform

Virtual trade show checklist

Copy this checklist and give each line an owner and a date. It follows the order of the work, from the first decision to the follow-up.

VIRTUAL TRADE SHOW CHECKLIST

PLAN
[ ] Goals and measures set for attendees and exhibitors
[ ] Dates, time zones and live window decided
[ ] On-demand booths after the show: yes / no
[ ] Platform chosen and a demo completed
[ ] Budget set

EXHIBITORS
[ ] Prospectus sent
[ ] Booth packages and prices set
[ ] Exhibitor agreement and payment
[ ] Exhibitor manual sent with booth set-up steps and deadlines
[ ] Booth content deadline: [date]
[ ] Booth staff named for each live period
[ ] Test slot booked for each exhibitor

ATTENDEES
[ ] Registration open with questions for matching
[ ] Invitations and reminders scheduled
[ ] Access instructions sent before the show
[ ] Support contact for sign-in problems

PROGRAM
[ ] Sessions scheduled with gaps for booth time
[ ] Speaker briefings and tech checks
[ ] Live demos scheduled at announced times
[ ] Networking or matched meetings scheduled
[ ] Gamification points and rewards set

BOOTH CHECK (per exhibitor)
[ ] Logo and banner uploaded
[ ] Short video added
[ ] Documents and business card added
[ ] Staff assigned and able to take chat, audio and video
[ ] Lead capture and export tested

SHOW DAYS
[ ] Rehearsal complete
[ ] Support team on hand
[ ] Exhibitors confirmed present at their hours
[ ] Issues log kept

AFTER
[ ] Leads exported and sent to exhibitors
[ ] Attendee and exhibitor survey sent
[ ] Results shared with each exhibitor
[ ] On-demand content opened or closed as planned
[ ] Debrief held and changes recorded