How to Fix Unwanted Spacing in Exhibitor Online Profile Description

Overview

If you notice unusual or large spacing in the Exhibitor Online Profile description, this is typically caused by hidden HTML formatting being copied from external platforms (such as Word, websites, or marketing documents).

When exhibitors copy and paste content into the description field, HTML elements such as   (non-breaking spaces) can be carried over. These may cause formatting issues on the frontend of the website.

This guide explains:

• Why the issue happens

• How to bulk clean the descriptions

• How to manually fix individual profiles

• How to help prevent the issue in future

Why This Happens

When text is copied from another source, hidden HTML formatting is often included. This can result in:

• Large spacing between paragraphs

• Irregular line breaks

• Inconsistent formatting on the frontend

While the system allows formatted text, it cannot automatically prevent external HTML from being pasted.

Option 1: Bulk Fix (Recommended First Step)

This method allows you to clean multiple exhibitor descriptions at once.

Step 1: Export Exhibitor Data

1. Go to Modules > Exhibitors

2. Select More > Export

3. Click Edit Layout

4. Select only the following fields:

   • Account Number

   • Online Profile (Description)

   • Title

5. Click Apply Layout

6. Select Edit Filters

7. Set Is Active = Yes

8. Apply the filter

9. Click More > Export as CSV

Step 2: Clean the CSV File

1. Open the downloaded CSV file in Excel.

2. Go to Home > Find & Select > Replace

3. In Find what, enter:

   Â

4. Leave Replace with blank.

5. Click Replace All

6. Save the file.

This removes common encoding characters that cause spacing issues.

Step 3: Re-Import the Cleaned File

1. Go to Modules > Exhibitors

2. Select More > Import

3. Upload the cleaned CSV file

4. Choose import method: Update Existing

5. Map the fields carefully:

   • Ensure Account Number, Online Profile (Description) and Title are correctly mapped

   • Ignore the Contact Title field (this refers to suffixes such as Mr/Ms, not the company name)

6. Click Save

7. Review the mapping again on the confirmation screen

8. Click Submit

Important Note

The bulk update may not remove all unwanted spacing, as some formatting issues are embedded deeper within the HTML.

We recommend reviewing a few affected exhibitor profiles after import to confirm the issue has been resolved.

Option 2: Manual Fix (For Individual Exhibitors)

If spacing still appears incorrectly after the bulk update:

1. Go to Modules > Exhibitors

2. Search for the affected exhibitor

3. Open the profile and navigate to:
   General > Online Profile / Description

4. Click the Source (</>) button in the editor toolbar

5. Locate and remove any instances of:

    

6. Save the profile

This allows you to directly remove the HTML causing excessive spacing.

Recommended Prevention

Since this issue is caused by copying and pasting formatted text, we strongly recommend:

• Adding help text below the Online Profile field in the backend

• Advising exhibitors to:

  • Paste text as plain text

  • Or type directly into the description field

  • Avoid copying directly from Word or websites

Example help text:

“Please avoid copying and pasting formatted text from external sources, as this may affect how your profile appears on the website. For best results, paste as plain text or type directly into this field.”

This can significantly reduce formatting issues going forward.

Need Further Assistance?

If spacing issues persist after following the steps above, please contact support with the exhibitor name and we will be happy to assist further.