Trade Show Planning Archives

Shareable Event Boards

A Shareable Event Board is an automatically generated page that displays a list of events in your workspace based on the predetermined filter criteria that you select.

Each Event Board has a unique URL (web address) that can be used to view the board without having to log into ExhibitDay. You can share this URL with people interested in the events you’re attending, or publish it on your organization’s website to inform your customers about your upcoming shows.

Configuring Event Boards

You can get to the Event Board Management Area from the dropdown menu of the Events tab.

Once you create a board, you can configure it to be filtered down based on various criteria. You can also select the information you would like to have displayed on the board about each event.

Filtering the Board Based on a Value of a Custom Dropdown Field

Under the “Advanced Filtering” section of the “Board Settings” tab, you can configure your event board to be filtered down based on the value of any Custom Dropdown field.

Example:
You can add a custom dropdown field to your events and name it “Publish this event to the Event Board?” (with the available options: ‘Yes’ and ‘No’). Then, you can configure your board to be filtered down to events that have the value ‘Yes’ selected for that dropdown.

Previewing the Board

Once you’re done making configuration changes to your event board, you can click the “Preview Board” button to see what your event board looks like when you share its URL with someone or embed it in a web page.

Note: If you don’t see a particular event listed on the board, it’s because that event does not match the filter criteria (configured under the Board Settings tab) or it has been excluded from the board (under the Exclusion List tab).

Sharing the Board (outside of ExhibitDay)

You can obtain the board’s shareable URL (unique web address) by clicking the “Share” button.

Note: The board’s shareable URL will never change (i.e., the event board is always accessible via this URL). Also, an ExhibitDay account is not required when viewing the event board using this URL. Anyone you share this URL with can view the board without having to log into ExhibitDay.

Embedding the Board on Your Organization’s Website, Blog, or Intranet

You can obtain the HTML markup for embedding the event board on a website from the “Embed Code” tab.

Note: if you are using the WordPress as your CMS, insert the embed code as a “Custom HTML” block.

Exporting the Board (.csv, JSON, XML)

The board can be exported in 3 formats: .csv (spreadsheet download), JSON, and XML. The unique URLs for exporting the board can be obtained from the “Export URLs” tab.

Note: An ExhibitDay account is not required for exporting the event board using the export URLs. Anyone you share the export URLs with can export the board without having to log into ExhibitDay.

Changing the Event Board’s Look and Feel (using Custom CSS)

If you would like to change the look and feel of an event board, use the “Custom CSS” field under the “Advanced Settings” tab to override the default styles.

Note: The Custom CSS setting is an advanced/technical setting that requires familiarity with Cascading Style Sheets (a design language used by programmers and web developers).

As an example, if you add the CSS styles below into the “Custom CSS” field, the board’s font size will be smaller, the background color will change to purple, the board name will be purple, and the background color of each event on the board will be light yellow.

#event-board { font-size: 12px; }
.event-item { background-color: lightyellow; }  
#event-board-name { color: purple; }    
body { background-color: pink; }

You can obtain a full list of default styles from following css file (which is referenced when viewing an event board): https://www.exhibitday.com/content/eventboard/eventboard.css

Deleting an Event Board

You can delete an event board by clicking the “Delete Board” option under the extended menu of the event board tab strip.

Event Board Limitations (for Lower Tier Plans)

While the ExhibitDay Enterprise plan offers unrestricted access to all the features of Sharable Event Boards, the Lite, Professional, and Premium plans come with the following restrictions:

Only one Event Board can be created.
A maximum of 3 events can be displayed on the board.
The board’s advanced settings cannot be modified.

Announcement Messages on Event Tabs

Available under the ExhibitDay Enterprise plan, event tab announcements are brief messages that you can place at the top of various tabs of a given event. These messages can be used to convey information about the event itself or special instructions for a given tab to users in your ExhibitDay workspace when they view the tab.

Examples:

You can add an announcement to the top of the “Event Information” tab with the message: “As a Gold sponsor of the event, we get access to meeting rooms A, B, and C during exhibit hall hours.”
You can add an announcement to the “Travel Reservations” tab with the message: “In case of reservation issues or a mix-up, please call the Travel Agency directly — (800) 555-1212”

Adding An Announcement Message

Announcements messages can be added to event tabs from the “Announcements” section of the “Event Settings” tab of a given event.

Note: Any announcement message that you add to a tab of a particular event appears for that event only; it will not appear for other events in your workspace.

Viewing Announcement Messages on Event Tabs

Once an announcement has been added to an event tab, it will appear at the top of the tab you placed it on. All of the users in your workspace (who have access to that tab) will see the announcement when they visit that particular tab of that particular event.

Pro-tip:
When you copy/duplicate an event, all announcement messages for the event will also get copied over to the new event. So, for future events that require the same announcement messages, you can simply make a copy of an event with the desired announcement messages.

The Special Event Tab

Offered under the ExhibitDay Enterprise plan, the Special event tab is a custom tab that you can enable for your events. Once enabled, you’ll get one extra tab in all your events (in addition to the standard event tabs that ExhibitDay provides).

Under the Special tab, you can create a set of custom fields (textboxes, dropdowns, date/time fields, attachments, etc.). For example, you can enable the Special tab and name it “Important Deadlines” (in order to keep track of a set of meaningful and significant dates for your events). Or, you can name it “Links & Resources” and use it to track information about your suppliers and third-party providers for each event.

You can get to the Special Event Tab settings by going to Workspace Settings > Workspace Customizations > Customize the Special Event Tab.

Special Tab Settings

You can configure the settings for your Special event tab under the “Special Tab Settings” section. There, you have the option to enable or disable the Special event tab. You can also set the name of the tab and specify where (on the event page tab strip) the Special tab should appear.

Adding Fields to the Special Tab

Under the “Special Tab Fields” section, you can specify the fields you’d like to have included in your Special event tab. You can choose from any of the standard custom fields available in ExhibitDay (Text, URL, Date/Time, Dropdown control, and File Attachment).

The order in which custom fields appear here is the same order in which they will appear on your Special tab when viewing the tab on your event pages. If you’d like to change the order any field (i.e., move it up/down on the list), grab-and-drag its handle (on the right side of the screen) up or down the list.

The Special Tab on the Event Page

If your Special event tab is marked as Enabled, you’ll see the tab show up on your Event pages. The Special tab will be placed on the Event page tab strip based on the Placement setting that you specify in the “Special Tab Settings” section.

User Permissions for the Special Tab

If your Special event tab is marked as Enabled, when you edit any of the users in your workspace (under Workspace Settings > Users & Permissions), you’ll have the option to specify if they should have access to the Special event tab. The Special tab permissions for Team Members appears as the last item under the “Event Management” section of the list of permissions. The Special tab permission for Guests appears toward the bottom of the list of permissions (3rd from the bottom).

Note: by default, when you enable the Special tab, all users in your workspace will have access to the tab — users marked as Admins or Team Members will have view and update access, and users marked as Guest will have view access.

Importing Assets From a Spreadsheet

You can import your Assets from a spreadsheet into ExhibitDay. The Asset Import tool can be accessed via the dropdown menu of the “Manage Assets” tab.

Prerequisite: At Least One Storage Location

As a part of the asset bulk upload process, right after you upload your spreadsheet, you’ll be asked to specify the Storage Location for each Capital Asset that you’re importing.

Before you begin, please ensure that the Storage Locations to which you plan to assign the assets you’re importing have already been entered into the system.

Storage Locations can be managed from the dropdown menu of the “Manage Assets” tab.

Note: Storage Locations are different from “Storage Areas.” Storage Locations are places where assets are stored (for example, Warehouse A, Warehouse B). Each Storage Location has a name, address, point of contact, etc. Storage Areas are places within Storage Locations where assets are typically stored (e.g. “Aisle 1, Bin 3”). If you want to specify Storage Areas for assets you’re importing, you can enter the Storage Area for each asset under the “Storage Area” column (Column F of the upload template).

The Import Process

The import process is simple — you download the spreadsheet template (.xlsx), then fill in your assets (1 asset per row), and upload the completed file.

Please note that in the template, “Asset Name” (column A) and “Asset Type” (column B) are the only required columns.

Note: You can import up to 100 assets per upload. If you have more than 100 assets that you would like to import, you can break them down into multiple spreadsheets and upload each spreadsheet separately. Also, the import tool is limited to the properties of assets listed in the spreadsheet template (Asset Name, Type, Internal ID, Make/Model, Cost, Storage Area, Tags, and Pull Notes). Other properties of assets (like asset images, and quantities for collateral, etc.) cannot be imported using the import tool — they would have to be entered into the system manually after the import is complete.

Final Step: Review Screen

After you upload the spreadsheet, the system will parse your data and present you with a screen where you can review the data you’re about to import for accuracy. Review each asset that is being imported and make changes as needed.

If you are importing any Capital Assets, please ensure that you select the appropriate Storage Location for each Capital Asset on the review screen.

Once you’re done reviewing the data, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the page to complete the import process.

Note: In ExhibitDay, each Capital Asset must be assigned to a Storage Location. That is why you are given the option to choose the Storage Location for each Capital Asset you’re importing on the review screen. On the other hand, Collateral / Multi-quantity Items do not need to have a storage location defined; the storage locations for Collateral / Multi-quantity Items can be selected whenever you make inventory adjustments for them (after the import is done).

Deleting Assets

If you accidentally import a duplicate asset, you can delete it by going to the Asset page itself. Please note that prior to deleting an asset, the asset must be marked as ‘Archived’. You can archive an asset from the extended menu of the tab strip on the Asset page. Once an asset is marked as ‘Archived’, the option to delete it appears in the extended menu of the tab strip.

Keeping Track of Your Giveaways at Events

You can track your giveaways (like swag and raffle items) at tradeshows by adding them under the event “Giveaways” tab.

Calculating the Cost of Giveaways Based on Asset Costs

When creating a Capital Asset or a Collateral/Multi-quantity item (in the “Manage Assets” area), you have the option of specifying the base cost for the Asset. Once an asset is reserved for an event (under the event Asset Reservations tab), that reservation can then be tagged in your Giveaways.

For example, if you have an Asset called “Company Logo Pen” with a cost of $1.00 per pen, and you reserve 500 of them for an event (via the Asset Reservations tab), you can then create a Giveaway (under the Giveaways tab) and tag that reservation in the giveaway. Once an asset reservation is tagged in a giveaway, the cost of the asset is displayed and you can use that cost to enter the cost for the giveaway.

Setting a Budget for Giveaways

You can enter your planned budget for giveaways at an event under the “Giveaways” section of the event “Budget” tab.

Category: Trade Show Planning