A public day is a show day on which private individuals with a regular ticket are admitted alongside trade visitors. Public days are usually busier, louder and more focused on experience than trade-only days.
Fairs for consumer goods, leisure, travel, games or sport are often fully or partly open to the public. On public days anyone can buy a ticket. At fairs that combine trade and public days, the public days are often at the end of the show or at the weekend.
The character of the fair changes noticeably on these days. More people come, including families and fans, the aisles are fuller and visitors spend less time at each stand (booth). The organiser publishes which days are open to whom on the fair's website.
Public days are an opportunity for brand awareness, direct sales, community and social media. Business meetings with buyers take place less often on these days. Plan your stand and staff accordingly: short messages, hands-on activities, products to try and enough people for the crowds.
Think about security and order. Valuable exhibits should be secured, walkways kept clear and queues managed so they do not block neighbouring stands. Competitions and sales are subject to their own rules, which are in the exhibitor manual.
If you collect contact details, for example for a newsletter or a competition, you need consent that complies with data protection law. Private visitors are often more sensitive about this than trade visitors. Also plan breaks for your team, because long days with big crowds are tiring.
For photos and video, public days are especially rewarding if you want to show crowds, enthusiasm and activities. Full aisles, queues at the stand and people trying out products are strong images for social media and recap videos.
Clean stand shots, on the other hand, are hardly possible once the halls are open. We therefore plan overviews before opening or on a quieter day. Since many private individuals are in the frame, we pay particular attention to who appears recognisably in the foreground. Background on this is in the guide Image rights at trade fairs and GDPR.
Overviews without visitors only before opening. During the day, however, you get lively images with crowds, activities and enthusiasm.
Showing a crowd in an overview is usually fine. If individuals are clearly the focus and the images are to be used in advertising, ask for consent.
Tell us the fair, dates and hall. We take care of the shooting schedule on the day and deliver within 24 hours after the show ends.
We reply within 24 hours. During a show week, WhatsApp is fastest.
