Floor plans change: stands move, companies merge, names are corrected. The photographer needs one current source of truth and a simple way to receive verified changes, before and during the show. Agree who sends updates, in what form and by when, and agree that the delivery team attributes images from the latest verified list, not from the plan that was first shared.
A floor plan is a snapshot. By the first day of a show it may already be wrong: a stand has been moved to another hall, an exhibitor has changed trading name, a space has been released to someone else. The photographs, however, will be used for months and will carry names and stand numbers with them.
This page belongs to our guide to exhibition organiser photography.
Why it matters for photographs
A gallery is judged by whether people recognise themselves in it. If a stand is credited to the wrong company, the right company is overlooked, and the wrong one may be embarrassed. Sponsors and exhibitors read captions closely.
Attribution is also a record. A later organiser reviewing the gallery against the show's obligations, as in checking an exhibition gallery against the show's obligations, needs the names to be right.
One source of truth
The first step is to agree where the correct list lives. It might be a spreadsheet kept by the exhibitor-relations team, a dated floor plan or a booking system export. Whichever it is, name one owner.
We treat that list as correct. If something else disagrees, such as a sign on a stand, we flag it rather than decide. Our guide to what photographers need beyond the public event programme lists the other materials that help the crew work from the same facts.
What an update should contain
A useful update is brief and complete. It states the stand number or name before and after, the date of the change, the hall, and who verified it. Where a business has changed its trading name, the correct spelling and capitalisation should be included.
| Change | What to tell us |
|---|---|
| Stand moved | Old and new number, hall, date |
| Exhibitor renamed | Old and new name, spelling |
| Stand withdrawn | Number, date, whether the space is empty |
| Shared stand | Names of all businesses and their order |
| Sponsor stand | Name as the sponsor wishes to appear |
During the show
Changes continue into the show days. Ask the show contact to message the photographer when something is updated, and agree a time of day when the crew receives a final list for the next day. Our photography scope change log is a simple way to keep a dated record.
For multi-day shows, the crew also benefits from a short brief at the start of each day: today's priorities, any changes and any stands that are closed to cameras.
A hypothetical example
For example, imagine a three-day show with 180 stands. On the morning of day one, six exhibitors are moved to another hall because of a layout correction, and two change their names after a merger. The operations contact sends one message listing the eight changes and the time they were verified.
The photographer updates the notes, the selection team updates the master list, and captions for the eight stands use the new details. A final check before delivery compares every caption with the master list, and two small errors are found and fixed.
Selection and naming after the show
Selection is the point at which images are chosen and labelled. Ask us how we handle this, and whether the organiser reviews the labels before release. Our guide to how event photographs are selected for the delivered gallery explains the process, and the page on small exhibitors alongside major show sponsors covers how coverage is balanced.
Handover between teams
If different people handle the floor, the selection and the delivery, the details can get lost. A tracker that follows the brief from one person to the next helps. Our photography brief handover tracker is designed for this purpose.
What we confirm
We confirm date, venue, crew, deliverables and quotation in writing, together with the change process and the cut-off for corrections. We state plainly that the verified list, not the printed plan, governs attribution.
Checklist
- Name one person who owns the master exhibitor list.
- Share the current floor plan with a revision date.
- Agree how changes are reported and how fast.
- Ask for old and new details together in every update.
- Agree a cut-off for changes before delivery.
- Plan a final check of captions against the master list.
- Keep a log of changes for future shows.
Send us your current floor plan and tell us who will own updates, and we will propose a short change process so that your gallery credits the right stands.
Set up an update process for our floor planCommon questions
Who should send us floor-plan updates?
One named person on the organiser's team, ideally the exhibitor-relations or operations contact. Two or three people sending changes by different routes often leads to conflicting information. Tell us who holds the master list, and we will treat that source as correct.
What format works best for updates?
A short message that states the old and new stand number or name, the date of the change and who verified it. A dated revision of the plan is fine, provided changes are marked. Photographs of handwritten corrections are harder to use reliably.
What if a stand is already photographed under the old name?
Tell us as soon as you know, and we correct the caption or file label before delivery. Because attribution is applied when images are selected and named, late corrections are usually possible. Ask us what the cut-off is for your delivery schedule.
Should the photographer check stand names on the day?
The photographer can note what is visible, but signage can also be wrong or temporary. The verified list governs. If signage and the list disagree, we flag the stand to the show contact rather than choosing for ourselves.
Set up an update process for our floor plan
Send us your current floor plan and tell us who will own updates, and we will propose a short change process so that your gallery credits the right stands.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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