Reading your exhibitor manual

The exhibitor manual sets your deadlines, rules and service routes. What to pull out first, which dates cost money if missed, and how venue rules at the NEC, Excel and Olympia fit in.

By Tom Watts · Published 19 October 2026 · Updated 26 October 2026

Once you book a stand, the organiser will give you an exhibitor manual, often as an online portal. It is the contract-level detail of your show: deadlines, stand rules, who supplies which service, and how build-up and breakdown work. Reading it early saves money, because many deadlines carry late charges.

Pull out the dates first

Make a single list of every date in the manual, with an owner for each. Typically that includes:

Stand design submissions and approval dates for space-only stands.
Risk assessments and method statements from you or your contractor.
Fascia name, catalogue entry and online listing deadlines.
Early-order deadlines for electrics, internet, furniture, cleaning and catering.
Badge registration for stand staff and contractors.
Vehicle booking windows for delivery and collection.
Build-up, opening, breakdown and final clearance times.

Put these dates into your exhibition budget as well as your calendar. At the NEC, for example, service orders within 28 days of the first build day carry a 20% surcharge, and on-site orders a further 30%.

Find out who supplies what

The manual names the organiser’s official contractors: typically the shell scheme builder, the electrical contractor, freight and handling, and sometimes furniture and graphics. Venues supply other services themselves. Excel London‘s in-house team provides internet, rigging, cleaning and piped services. Olympia London directs exhibitors to its IT provider for wired connections and to its appointed contractor for rigging. Before you ask a third party to quote, check whether the service is restricted to an appointed supplier.

Understand the stand rules

Look for height limits, rules on open sides and solid walls, platform and flooring requirements, hanging signs, fire-retardant materials, and what can be fixed to shell scheme panels. If you plan a demonstration, check the rules on machinery, food sampling, noise, lasers or anything else specific to your exhibit. Send the relevant pages to your stand builder with your brief.

Some rules come from the venue rather than the organiser. The NEC asks for a stand plan showing where services should come up, and requires a platform at least 80mm high over pipework. Ask the organiser if you are unsure whose rule applies.

Plan build-up and breakdown from the manual

The manual sets when your contractor can start, when the stand must be finished, and when breakdown can begin. It usually explains delivery routes and vehicle booking. At the NEC, Excel London and Olympia London, delivery vehicles are booked through the venue’s online system in advance; Olympia says slots normally open 30 days before the event. Our guide to stand delivery and installation covers each venue’s rules.

Keep a manual summary for the stand team

Most of your team will never read the full manual. Give them one page: stand number and hall, opening hours, staff arrival times, badge collection, parking, the on-site contacts, and what to do about a fault or an emergency. The NEC, for instance, provides a venue services helpline and red hotline phones in organiser offices during the event.

When the manual is unclear

Ask the organiser’s operations team in writing and keep the answer with your records. If your contractor is a member of a trade body such as the Event Supplier and Services Association, it may also have access to industry rules guidance. Do not rely on last year’s manual: rules, contractors and deadlines change between editions.

Sources

Sources checked 19 October 2026. Your own event’s manual takes precedence over any general guidance here. This is editorial planning guidance based on published sources, not an account of exhibiting at a particular show.