How to Create a Pop-up in ShowOff

Overview

Pop-ups are a simple way to highlight a key action on your event website, such as booking a stand, registering for tickets, signing up to a newsletter, or promoting an important deadline. When used carefully, they can help drive conversions by bringing focused attention to one clear message.

In ShowOff, pop-ups are managed through the Panels area of the CMS. You can create them in advance, keep them inactive until needed, and then publish them immediately or schedule them to go live later.

Before You Start

Before creating a pop-up, decide:

• what action you want the user to take

• where the pop-up should appear

• when it should go live

• how often a user should see it

A pop-up works best when it has one clear goal. For example:

• Book your stand

• Register now

• Download the brochure

• Join the newsletter

How to Create a Pop-up

1. Log in to ShowOff.

2. Go to Panels.

3. Locate the pop-up section in your panel list.

4. Either:

   • create a new pop-up, or

   • duplicate an existing one and update the content.

Using an existing pop-up as a base can save time and help keep styling consistent.

Adding Content

Within the pop-up panel, you can add:

Image

You can include an image from the Media Manager. This is useful for visually promoting a campaign, sponsor, or message.

Best practice:

• use a clear, high-quality image

• keep file sizes sensible for quick loading

• include alternative text for accessibility

Header

Use a short, direct heading that clearly states the offer or action.

Examples:

• Book Your Stand

• Early Bird Registration Now Open

• Subscribe for Event Updates

Body Copy

Keep this concise. Focus on:

• what the user should do

• why it matters

• what happens next

Button

Add a button with a clear call to action, such as:

• Book Now

• Register Today

• Find Out More

You can link the button to:

• an internal page

• an external URL

• a campaign tracker

Button Setup Tips

When configuring the button:

• use clear button text

• link to the most relevant destination

• open external links in a new window where appropriate

• use campaign trackers when you want to monitor engagement

Publishing and Scheduling

In the Publishing tab, you can:

• save the pop-up as inactive

• choose a future publication date

• choose a publication time

This makes it easy to prepare campaigns in advance and let them go live automatically at the right point in your event cycle.

Restricting Where the Pop-up Appears

In the Restrictions tab, you can control whether the pop-up appears:

• across all pages

• only on selected pages

• everywhere except selected pages

This is especially useful if the message is only relevant to certain users or points in the journey.

Examples:

• show a registration pop-up on content pages

• show a stand booking pop-up on exhibitor-focused pages

• avoid showing a commercial pop-up on confirmation pages

Added Best Practice

Google advises avoiding intrusive interstitials and dialogs that block the page content, especially on mobile. For promotional messages, smaller banner-style prompts are often less disruptive than full-screen overlays. If you do use a pop-up, keep it proportionate and make sure users can still access the underlying content easily.

W3C also recommends that modal dialogs move keyboard focus into the dialog when opened, keep focus within it while active, support closing with Escape, and include a visible close button. These details improve accessibility and usability for keyboard and assistive technology users.

Summary

A good pop-up in ShowOff should:

• support one clear campaign goal

• contain concise copy and a strong CTA

• appear at the right time and on the right pages

• be easy to close and accessible to all users

Used well, pop-ups can support registrations, stand sales, lead capture, and other key commercial objectives.