One of the questions I often ask when reviewing a conference is, “Who is actually in the room?”
It’s a surprisingly important question, because the balance between practitioners and suppliers can have a significant impact on the overall delegate experience.
Let’s start by saying something that sometimes gets overlooked. Suppliers are an essential part of almost every conference. They provide sponsorship that helps attendees invest in better services, infrastructure, products and software, and in many cases, their income lowers delegate fees. They also bring expertise, innovation and new ideas. The delegates attending our conferences need these suppliers. Many of them are actively looking for new technologies, services and partners to help them do their jobs more effectively.
A good exhibition is far more than a collection of stands. It’s an opportunity for delegates to discover solutions they didn’t know existed and to have conversations that can genuinely improve their organisations.
But, like many things in event design, it’s all about balance.
When the proportion of suppliers becomes too high, the atmosphere can begin to change. Delegates may feel that every networking conversation has the potential to become a sales conversation. Workshop discussions can become less open if participants feel they are surrounded by people hoping to sell to them rather than learn alongside them. Even the most well-intentioned suppliers can unintentionally alter the dynamic simply by being present in large numbers.
I’ve heard delegates describe these environments as feeling “commercial” rather than “professional”. That’s rarely the experience organisers are trying to create.
Then there’s the small but telling issue of badge scanning.
Most of us have experienced walking around an exhibition knowing that every conversation may end with someone asking to scan our badge. Used appropriately, lead capture is a valuable tool for exhibitors and sponsors. But when every interaction starts to feel like another record in a CRM system, delegates can become more guarded, spend less time exploring the exhibition, or avoid conversations altogether. That isn’t good for delegates, and ultimately it isn’t good for exhibitors either.
The best conferences create an environment where suppliers are viewed as trusted partners rather than salespeople. They design networking opportunities that encourage meaningful conversations. They ensure exhibitors have genuine value to offer, whether that’s expertise, demonstrations, education, or insight. Most importantly, they maintain a healthy balance between commercial participation and practitioner attendance so that everyone benefits.
This isn’t about limiting suppliers or reducing sponsorship opportunities. Quite the opposite. It’s about protecting the value of those opportunities.
When practitioners feel comfortable, engaged and willing to participate, suppliers have better conversations. When delegates trust that the event is designed primarily around their learning and
professional development, they spend more time networking and exploring the exhibition. Everyone wins.
Here are three approaches that can help maintain that essential balance:
Put a premium price on supplier tickets. Double or even triple the price of regular delegate fees is appropriate. Remember that suppliers can benefit commercially from attending a conference, so the ticket price will be worth it to them, if it’s not it’s probably not the right market for them anyway.
Cap the number of additional tickets that sponsors can buy so that it remains proportionate to the general attendance. My general rule of thumb is 1 in 10, but it may vary from conference to conference.
Limit access to certain types of sessions. For example, give full access to plenaries but perhaps limit access to workshops or special interest sessions to maintain the quality of discussions.
As conference organisers, our job isn’t simply to fill the room. It’s to curate it.
Getting that balance right is one of the most important, and often overlooked, decisions we make.