The show organiser usually controls media access to the hall. An exhibitor can invite journalists, but cannot give them access to the whole venue or other stands. Agree with the organiser how invited media enter, tell your photographer who will be there, and plan which images are yours and which belong to the press.
An exhibitor who invites the press to its stand wants attention for a product, a partnership or a new range. The practical questions are close to home: who may enter the hall, where may the media stand, and what happens to your own photographs while others are taking theirs.
This page is part of our guide to exhibitor and brand-activation photography. If your executive is speaking on stage, read an exhibitor speaking on stage while its booth remains active too.
Who controls media access?
At most exhibitions, the organiser. Access to the hall, press rooms and any media schedule depend on the organiser's rules and, at times, the venue's. An exhibitor controls its own stand, and who it invites onto it, but not the aisles around it or the rest of the hall.
Ask the organiser three questions before inviting anyone:
- How are invited media registered or accredited?
- Are there set hours or areas for press, such as an opening tour?
- Are photographers from the press allowed to use flash, tripods or extra equipment?
Confirm the answers for your show, because they differ from one organiser to the next. Our page exhibition organizers working alongside press and exhibitor crews explains the same arrangement from the organiser's view.
What belongs to the exhibitor and what to the press?
| Subject | Who decides |
|---|---|
| Entry to the hall | Organiser and venue |
| Access to your stand | The exhibitor |
| What the journalist photographs on your stand | The journalist, within the rules you set |
| Your commissioned photographs | You and the photographer, as agreed |
| Publication in a news outlet | The outlet |
Press photographs and commissioned photographs have different purposes. Our guide on what makes a photograph suitable for press use explains what editors usually look for.
Planning the stand for a media visit
For example, imagine a food company inviting three journalists to a 2pm product tasting on its stand. The team prepares a clean display, nominates a spokesperson, and covers an unreleased flavour with a card marked "not for photography". The commissioned photographer arrives at 1.30pm for a quiet set of images, steps aside at 2pm while the press arrive, and returns for the tasting and the spokesperson's remarks.
Embargoes may matter too. If the brand shares information that is not yet public, see our guide to embargoes and restricted photographs.
Working side by side
The commissioned photographer and the press photographers will share limited space. Agree positions and timing early. The stand team hosts the journalists, answers questions and controls access to products. The commissioned photographer follows the plan, does not speak for the brand, and does not obstruct the press.
What to tell your photographer
Share the media list, the schedule, the speaking order, any embargo and the products that must be covered or kept out of frame. Our sponsor photography checklist and responsibility planner help organise who does what.
Images for the press
If the brand wants to supply images, decide in advance which pictures are release-ready, who approves them, and how credit is written. The delivery timeline is in the quotation; ask us whether a quick selection during the show can be included, and we confirm it in writing.
What we do not promise
We cannot promise authority over the venue or other exhibitors. We work within what the organiser and the exhibitor agree, and we tell you in advance if the plan depends on a decision that is not yet made.
Questions to ask the organiser
- Is there a media briefing or press room, and may invited journalists use it?
- Can the exhibitor reserve a time slot for press at its stand?
- Do journalists need to wear a pass, and who issues it?
- Are there restricted zones in the hall where photography is not allowed for anyone?
Tell us early which of these questions you cannot answer yet, so we can plan around the gaps and confirm the details once the organiser replies.
Checklist
- Ask the organiser how invited media are registered.
- List the journalists and outlets you have invited, with arrival times.
- Decide which parts of the stand are open to photography.
- Cover or remove unreleased products and confidential screens.
- Agree who hosts the media, and who stays with the commissioned photographer.
- Plan any press images you will supply, with credit and approvals.
- Brief the photographer on the media schedule.
Tell us who is invited, when they visit and what the stand wants recorded, and we will plan coverage that works alongside the media.
Plan coverage for our media visitCommon questions
Can an exhibitor decide which journalists enter the hall?
Usually not. The organiser sets media access to the venue, often through registration or accreditation. An exhibitor can invite people to its own stand, but should ask the organiser how those guests are registered and where they may go.
Do the media use our photographs?
Only if you provide them and agree to it. Journalists often take their own images. If you want them to use yours, plan the delivery and the credit line, and check what permissions apply to people in the images.
Can our photographer work alongside photographers from the press?
Yes, with some coordination. Agree positions and timing so that no one blocks another. The stand team can host the press first and then allow the commissioned photographer to take images, or the other way round.
What if a journalist photographs something we do not want shown?
Tell journalists in advance what is off limits on your stand, such as unreleased products or confidential screens, and put a simple note on those items. The organiser's rules may also apply. You cannot control what the press does elsewhere in the hall.
Plan coverage for our media visit
Tell us who is invited, when they visit and what the stand wants recorded, and we will plan coverage that works alongside the media.
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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