Trade show and booth video: what to film and how

Filming at a trade show or a corporate booth has little in common with filming at the office. There's ambient noise, changing light, people walking in front of the camera all the time and a client who wants results even though the space wasn't designed for filming.

In this guide I explain how I approach corporate video at a trade show or booth: which shots I prioritize, how I handle audio in an exhibition hall packed with people, what gear I carry so I can move fast and which mistakes I see again and again when someone tries to film a trade show with the same setup as a studio interview.

What to film at a trade show and why it matters

A trade show gives you content you can't get anywhere else: the finished booth, the flow of visitors, real conversations with potential clients and the atmosphere of the whole hall. That footage works for the event aftermovie, but also for sales videos and social media for months after the show has ended.

The problem is that the show lasts one or two days and there's no room to repeat a take. If I miss the moment when the CEO wraps up a conversation at the booth, it won't happen again. That's why, before I arrive, I plan which moments I absolutely have to capture and which are secondary, and I split my attention according to that list.

I also set aside time outside the hall's opening hours, usually the first or last half hour, to film clean shots of the booth with no visitors in front of it. Those cutaways save the edit when the rest of the footage is full of people walking past the camera and there isn't a single clear shot of the booth design.

How I approach it

Prioritizing the shots that won't happen twice

Before walking into the hall I have a short list of must-have moments: the booth opening, the first product demo, any scheduled talk or presentation and the conversations with key clients that the sales team has already booked. I film everything else if there's time, but that short list comes first, and I go over it with the client before arriving at the venue.

Audio in a noisy exhibition hall

The ambient sound at a trade show drowns out any on-camera mic. I put a wireless lavalier on the person speaking and, if there's a demo with speakers, I also take a line feed from the booth's sound desk when there is one. Without that, the audio of the conversations gets lost between the background music and the noise from neighboring booths.

Camera and movement in tight spaces

At a booth there's no room for big tripods or for moving around calmly. I work handheld or with a lightweight gimbal so I can follow people through the aisles without bumping into anyone. I carry a single compact camera, such as a Sony A7, with a versatile lens and plenty of spare batteries and cards, because changing lenses or stopping to recharge in the middle of the show isn't an option.

Common mistakes

• Filming only when the hall is packed and getting no clean shots of the booth, so the edit has no room to breathe.
• Relying on the camera mic for conversations at the booth: they get lost in the background noise.
• Not checking with the sales team which conversations or demos are happening and when, and missing the key moment.
• Bringing too much heavy gear into a space where there's barely room to move.
• Not setting aside time before opening to film the empty booth.

Frequently asked questions

If you have a trade show or booth coming up and don't know which shots to prioritize or how to handle audio with so much noise around, write to me via /en/contacto and I'll tell you what gear and filming plan fit your booth.