Recap film, interviews or reels: which trade show video to book

Three formats, three jobs

The recap film tells people who were not there what the stand was like. The interview puts a person and a claim on record. The reel feeds the social channels while the show is on. They are not interchangeable: a recap cropped to vertical does not work as a reel, and an interview clipped to twenty seconds without subtitles says nothing. Each is shot differently, edited differently and published to a different audience on a different day. The trade show video page describes how they are bundled in a booking.

The recap film

Thirty to ninety seconds: the stand, the product, the team and the visitors, cut to licensed music with your logo and a closing line. Its audience is everyone who was not there: the website visitor, the LinkedIn follower, the distributor abroad, the board deciding next year's budget. It is delivered in 16:9 for the website and LinkedIn and in 9:16 for Instagram and TikTok, from the same edit. Thirty seconds is right for social; sixty to ninety for the website and partner mailings; longer is rarely watched to the end. On multi-day bookings one film per show day keeps the feed fresh, and a longer cut of the whole show follows after. The recap film versus livestream comparison explains why most exhibitors should choose the film.

On-stand interviews

Short statements from leadership, product specialists, distributors and customers, recorded in a quiet slot with lavalier microphones and our own light, subtitled in English and Arabic. The recording runs eight to twelve minutes per person with four or five questions; the cut is 30 to 60 seconds for social and two to three minutes for the website. The best slot is between 14:00 and 16:00, when the hall is quietest, and the best position is inside your stand with the brand soft in the background. The customer interview recorded at the show is the cheapest testimonial a B2B company can own, because the customer is already there and already enthusiastic. The CEO interview guide gives the questions that work.

Vertical reels

Three to five native 9:16 clips per day, shot vertical rather than cropped: the busiest demo, the product reveal, the crowd from the aisle, the team greeting visitors, a walk through the stand. Each runs eight to fifteen seconds, with text on screen where it helps and no voice-over. Their job is the feed during the show; their life is short and their reach is immediate. They are produced in parallel with the main coverage and delivered during the day, so the 13:00 clip is online by 14:00. The landscape versus vertical comparison explains why cropping does not work.

Which to book: start from the goal

• Distributor recruitment or export. Interviews first, with subtitles in English and Arabic, then the recap film for the pack. Reels optional.
• Brand awareness and the feed during the show. Reels first, recap film the same evening, one interview with the person who presents best.
• Budget case and internal reporting. Recap film first, busy-stand photographs, one leadership interview.
• Product launch at the stand. Recap film built around the reveal, a product specialist interview, reels of the reveal and the first demos.
• A press moment, signing or VIP visit. Photographs within the hour first; a short clip of the moment for the reel; the interview with the signatory afterwards.

The combination most exhibitors book: recap film plus two interviews plus three reels from one show day, alongside the photo set. The distributor recruitment guide shows the first case in detail.

A worked example: one day, all three formats

A hospitality equipment manufacturer at GulfHost in the Za'abeel Halls books a full day one. At 09:00 the crew shoots the clean stand and screens, which become the opening of the recap film. From 10:00 the videographer gathers demo footage and shoots two reels of the live cooking station, delivered by 12:30. At 14:00 the regional director and a restaurant-group client record interviews, nine minutes each, cut to 45 seconds with subtitles. At 16:00 the videographer shoots the crowd and the team, and a third reel. The editor assembles the 60-second recap in the prepared template and uploads both formats by 20:00. The exhibitor posts the recap that evening, the reels during the day, and the interviews in the follow-up mailing and the distributor pack the next week.

Mistakes we see, and what each format needs from you

The mistakes: asking for a video without naming the format, so the quote and the delivery do not match; interviews recorded at 11:00 in a loud hall; a recap film with no clean stand footage because the crew was booked from 10:00; reels cropped from the recap after the fact. The fixes are in the sections above. From you: names and roles of interviewees with a fixed 20-minute slot each, brand assets and music preferences a week before, one approver during the day. From LUMIQ: the recap film in 16:9 and 9:16, interviews with subtitles in English and Arabic, native vertical reels, delivered the same day by download link with two revision rounds and usage rights for your own channels. See the deliverables page for formats and file specifications.