Why businesses running B2B exhibitions and customer events need a legal business partner and how Adaptable Legal Counsel can work
For organisers of B2B exhibitions and customer events, handling the legal intricacies of contracts, compliance, and IP protection can be overwhelming. A legal business partner providing support similar to that which an in-house counsel brings can help ensure that all stakeholders, such as exhibitors, visitors, sponsors, and suppliers, are effectively managed, and that brand integrity and legal obligations are safeguarded.
1. Standardised customer contracts for exhibitors
Contracts with exhibitors are pivotal, particularly for multi-stakeholder events, and require tailored terms and conditions. With Adaptable Legal Counsel, you can create T&Cs that amongst other things:
Pass on venue and legal requirements: Adaptable Legal Counsel can help ensure that public liability insurance, health and safety obligations, and codes of conduct from venues are clearly communicated and enforced in exhibitor contracts.
Limit liability: Adaptable Legal Counsel can help establish robust and enforceable liability limits, ensuring your business is protected.
Intellectual Property (IP) Protection for brands: Adaptable Legal Counsel can help protect the IP rights of both your exhibitors and you, ensuring logos, trademarks, and brand materials are protected and used appropriately.
Marketing and product compliance: Adaptable Legal Counsel can help ensure exhibitors market only approved, legally permissible products while adhering to the event’s branding and marketing standards.
Data protection and privacy compliance: Exhibitors collecting attendee data, such as through lead scans or sign-ups, must adhere to applicable data protection laws. Adaptable Legal Counsel can help define responsibilities in managing and protecting this data, especially where transfers to exhibitors are involved, reducing risk for all parties involved.
2. Visitor terms and conditions
Visitor T&Cs are important to address potential legal challenges while setting expectations for event conduct. Adaptable Legal Counsel can help ensure these terms include:
Venue compliance: Ensuring visitors adhere to health and safety rules from the venue.
Liability limitations: Setting out clear liability limits that can help protect against incidents that could otherwise lead to disputes.
Marketing permissions and personal data use: Obtaining marketing consent from visitors in compliance with data protection laws which can help with post-event engagement and provide value to your customers.
Photo and media rights: Ensuring permissions are in place for event photography and video content use so you can use photos/videos for marketing purposes.
Badge scanning transparency: If badges are scanned for marketing purposes, T&Cs should outline how data will be used, aligning with transparency and privacy standards.
3. Sponsorship contracts
Sponsors are often key contributors, so sponsorship terms should reflect your brand’s needs and the rights that sponsors are purchasing. Adaptable Legal Counsel can help structure these agreements to cover:
IP use and brand protection: Define how sponsors can leverage your brand materials, ensuring all uses comply with your guidelines and promote a positive brand image and give you the right to stop use if the sponsors are likely to damage your reputation.
Marketing scope and exclusivity: Clarify how and where sponsors can market to ensure consistent branding across event materials and to ensure that you can sell ad space or sponsorship features to relevant sponsors who are clear where their sponsorship starts and ends.
Compliance with venue policies and codes of conduct: Sponsors may also need to follow specific venue policies, and Adaptable Legal Counsel can help communicate and enforce these requirements.
4. Supplier contracting for event build-up and breakdown
Supplier contracts support smooth operations during event build-up and breakdown. Venues tend to become a construction site during these periods and so especially for operational suppliers compliance with health and safety requirements and venue obligations are communicated to suppliers. Such as:
· Insurance and liability requirements: Suppliers need adequate insurance, such as public and employer’s liability insurance, to protect against potential incidents.
· Health and safety standards: Suppliers must comply with venue to ensure safe and efficient event execution.
Liability limits and performance standards: Set clear standards to hold suppliers accountable while protecting your business from unnecessary risk.
5. Venue contracting
Venues are typically high-value contracts with limited flexibility for organisers, so understanding which terms to negotiate is critical. Adaptable Legal Counsel can help by:
Identifying negotiable points: Clarifying which terms can be negotiated, focusing on key areas like liability limits, setup restrictions, and additional service provisions that align with event needs.
Venue supplier codes of conduct: Many venues require compliance with specific codes of conduct for suppliers. Adaptable Legal Counsel can assess the feasibility of compliance, communicate any potential challenges, and negotiate solutions to ensure seamless event preparation and adherence to venue standards.
6. Data protection across all stakeholders
Data protection is a significant concern for event organisers who collect and transfer personal information. In the event industry, the collection of contact information is one of the key priorities for those exhibiting at events. Adaptable Legal Counsel can help ensure compliance with data protection regulations by:
Defining data use and protection standards: Establishing clear responsibilities for exhibitors, sponsors, and suppliers in handling visitor data.
Facilitating secure data transfers: Where attendee data is shared with exhibitors or other stakeholders, Adaptable Legal Counsel can outline safe data transfer methods that align with data protection legislation and other privacy standards, reducing exposure to legal risks.
For B2B exhibitions and customer events, having a legal business partner akin to an in-house lawyer provides critical support across contracting, IP protection, data privacy, and compliance. This proactive legal involvement not only strengthens your event’s legal foundation but also frees up resources, allowing you to focus on delivering a successful, memorable event.
About Adaptable Legal Counsel
Adaptable Legal Counsel offers flexible, in-depth legal support tailored for small and medium-sized businesses across the Thames Valley and beyond. Specializing in comprehensive, practical solutions, we’re committed to helping businesses navigate complex legal landscapes with confidence. Whether you’re organizing B2B events, managing commercial contracts, or seeking strategic legal advice, Adaptable Legal Counsel provides the expertise you need, when you need it, ensuring your business remains agile and compliant.
About Amy
Amy is a qualified commercial solicitor with extensive experience in commercial law and legal compliance, honed during her time at Reed Exhibitions (RX Global), part of the RELX Group. RX Global, a leading global events organiser, provided Amy with a unique perspective on the complex legal needs of large-scale, international events. Her role there deepened her expertise in areas like data protection, intellectual property, and commercial contracting, enabling her to understand and anticipate the demands of event management from a legal standpoint. Now, as the founder of Adaptable Legal Counsel, Amy leverages this background to offer tailored, agile legal solutions that empower small and medium-sized businesses to navigate their own regulatory landscapes confidently and effectively.
