How to Create and Manage Categories in Showoff

Categories are a versatile way to organise and tag your content in Showoff. They can be applied to exhibitors, products, speakers, news, seminars, and more. You can control the categories yourself or allow exhibitors to tag their own content, such as press releases or products.

Examples of how categories are used:

• Tag exhibitors by the types of products they provide, e.g., “Shoes” or more specific, like “Shoes, Colour.”

• Create show sections.

• Tag news items by type, such as “Show News” or “Blog.”

• Tag speakers as “Advisory Board” or “Speakers.”

• Highlight exhibitors as “New” or “Featured.”

Categories can also be shared across multiple sites or products, allowing you to synchronise tagging for consistency.

Steps to Add a Category

Step 1: Access Categories

1. Navigate to Settings > Categories in the CMS.

2. You’ll see all categories previously created for your client (if any).

Step 2: Create a Parent Category

1. Click Add Category.

2. Enter a Code – a unique sequence of letters or numbers (e.g., TT).

3. Enter a Label – the name of the parent category.

4. Scroll down and click Save Category.

Step 3: Create Child Categories

1. Click Add Category again to create a child category.

2. Enter a Code for the child (e.g., TT01), ideally following the parent code structure.

3. Enter a Label – the child category name.

4. Decide if this category will be:

   • Selectable (available for tagging), or

   • Placeholder/Title for subcategories.

5. Scroll down and click Save Category.

Step 4: Assign Categories to Sites or Modules

1. Click the Assigned To tab.

2. Select the products or modules you want the category applied to (e.g., Exhibitors, Seminars).

3. Tick all relevant items and click Save.

Step 5: Tag Content

1. Navigate to the relevant module or library (Exhibitors, Speakers, Seminars, etc.).

2. Open the record you'd like to tag (an exhibitor, speaker or session for example)

3. Click the 'Speaker/Exhibitor/Session Option' button at the bottom of the CMS.

4. Navigate to the 'Advanced Layouts' tab where you'll see all categories assigned to that module.

5. Select the category you'd like to edit & check on the relevant options

By following these steps, your categories will appear across the selected modules or products, making it easy to organise, filter, and showcase your event content efficiently.