Check a delivered exhibition gallery against facts, not hopes: the halls, the programme as it ran, the stakeholder coverage you agreed and the restrictions you set. List what is present and what is missing, decide which gaps matter and note them for next time. Raise real discrepancies with us promptly, but do not invent post-event requirements that were never part of the commission.
When a gallery arrives, the instinct is to open it and look for faces. That is natural, but a more useful review asks what the show needed the photographs to do, and checks them against that. This page offers a factual method.
It belongs to our guide to exhibition organiser photography.
Start with what was agreed
Gather the documents: the brief, the quotation, the floor plan, the programme as it ran and any list of commitments to sponsors or stakeholders. Together they describe what the gallery was supposed to do.
If the show changed, perhaps a hall opened late or a session was cancelled, note the change and compare the gallery with the revised plan. Our photography brief handover tracker and the post-event photography review worksheet are useful for this.
A simple coverage check
Make a table with the show's halls, sessions and stakeholders down one side and a tick for each in the gallery.
| Item | In the brief | Present | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall 1 overview | Yes | Yes | Morning and afternoon |
| Opening session | Yes | Yes | Wide views and portraits |
| Sponsor A image | Yes | Yes | Signage and stage |
| Awards recipients | Yes | Partly | Two missing |
| Restricted stands | N/A | Absent | As agreed |
The aim is a factual list, not a verdict.
Why a gap exists
A gap can have different causes. Some are built into the plan: the quotation covered fewer hours than the show ran. Some arise from conditions on the day: a hall was closed, a stand declined, the venue restricted access. Some are faults: a moment was missed or an image was not selected.
Separating them helps you decide what to do. Our guide to when event photography plans or delivery go wrong offers context, and the one on how event photographs are selected for the delivered gallery explains why some images are not in a final set.
Check names and attribution
Check captions against the master exhibitor list, as in changing stand numbers or exhibitor names after the floor plan. A wrong name is a small error that exhibitors notice immediately. Report errors with the stand number, the caption and the correct wording.
Also check that restricted stands, private meetings and confidential information do not appear. Our page on photography-restricted stands explains how to keep a map for this purpose.
Do not invent requirements afterwards
It is easy, after seeing the gallery, to wish it contained something else. A review should respect the commission. If you did not ask for exhibitor portraits, their absence is not a fault. If you now want them, treat that as a lesson for the next show.
We aim to tell you plainly what the plan covered and what it left out. Please do the same when you review, and write requests against the quotation.
A hypothetical example
For example, imagine an organiser reviewing a two-day gallery of 600 images. The checklist shows every hall present and all sponsor commitments met. It also shows two awards recipients missing and no images of the buyer lounge.
The organiser notes that the buyer lounge was closed to cameras by agreement, so that is not a gap. The two missing recipients were absent from the ceremony. A note for next year says to plan a follow-up portrait session for winners. No complaint is needed.
Acceptance and delivery
Our photo delivery acceptance checklist helps confirm the technical side: file formats, access, captions and completeness. Our guide to event photo delivery, editing and preservation explains what to expect from delivery and storage.
For gallery sharing with exhibitors, see organiser galleries requested by many exhibiting companies.
What we confirm
We confirm date, venue, crew, deliverables and quotation in writing at the start. If you review the gallery and find a genuine discrepancy, tell us promptly with specifics, and we respond in writing.
Checklist
- Gather the brief, quotation, floor plan and run sheet.
- List halls, sessions and stakeholders the gallery should include.
- Check each against the delivered set.
- Check captions and attribution against the master list.
- Check restricted stands and private areas are absent.
- Classify gaps by cause: plan, conditions or fault.
- Note lessons for the next commission.
If you have a gallery to review, or are planning a commission you will review later, share the brief and the programme, and we will help you set up a straightforward checking method.
Set up a gallery review for our showCommon questions
What should we compare the gallery with?
The written brief, the quotation, the floor plan, the programme as it actually ran and any list of stakeholder commitments. Compare the gallery with what was agreed, not with an ideal you formed afterwards. Where the show changed, note the change and judge coverage against the revised plan.
How do we handle gaps?
Sort them into three kinds: missed because of the plan, missed because of conditions on the day and missed through a fault. The first is a lesson for next year, the second needs context, and the third should be discussed with the photographer. Be specific, with hall, time and moment.
Can we ask for extra images after delivery?
Only for what was within the agreed scope. Ask us what is available from the original selection, and whether additional editing is possible. New photography cannot be added for moments that were not recorded. Write requests against the quotation so that everyone agrees what applies.
Who should review the gallery?
More than one person. A programme manager, an exhibitor-relations lead and a sponsor contact will each notice different things. Give them a short checklist and a deadline, and collect their comments in one place.
Set up a gallery review for our show
If you have a gallery to review, or are planning a commission you will review later, share the brief and the programme, and we will help you set up a straightforward checking method.
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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