Virtual exhibition platforms compared

Anyone planning a virtual exhibition will quickly be given a dozen names by search engines and AI assistants – from 3D exhibition grounds to event apps. The offerings differ less in technology than in what they are built for: a stand-alone trade fair with thousands of visitors, a permanent showroom, or the exhibition accompanying a conference. This comparison ranks seven platforms by server location, format, visitor access and price. We run one of them ourselves – NextKon Expo – and therefore also say who the others suit better. All details on other platforms come from their own websites (as of 2 November 2026); features and prices change, and the provider's current information is what counts.

What types of platform are there?

Virtual exhibition platforms fall into three groups. Walk-through 3D exhibitions show halls and booths spatially, sometimes with avatars – impressive, but more effort to design and to use. Exhibition builders offer a foyer, hall and booths in the browser, maintained by the exhibitors themselves. Event apps for congresses and trade fairs give exhibitors a profile with videos, documents and chat, plus matchmaking and lead capture – strong for large and hybrid events, but without a hall to walk through.

1. Walk-through 3D exhibitionSpatial halls and booths, often with avatars and 3D objects. Examples: rooom, vFairs, meetyoo.
2. Exhibition builder and showroomHall and booths in the browser, maintained by exhibitors, also as a permanent showroom. Examples: Expo-IP, NextKon Expo.
3. Event app with exhibitor profilesExhibitor pages within a platform for attendee management, networking and leads. Examples: Swapcard, talque.

The platforms at a glance

The table summarises what the providers state on their own websites. “Not stated” does not mean the feature does not exist – only that we did not find it documented there.

Sources: legal notices, pricing, product and privacy pages of the providers, accessed on 2 November 2026 (list at the end). Brand names belong to their owners. The prices are not directly comparable because each provider charges differently – per month, per year, per event or per attendee.

Data protection: where are the servers, and who is the contracting party?

For associations, chambers, universities and public authorities, server location is often the first question. According to their own statements, Expo-IP, rooom and NextKon Expo host in Germany, talque in the EU. vFairs is based in the USA but lets its customers choose, among others, a data centre in Frankfurt, and refers to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Swapcard gives no server location for the platform (according to the provider, the company website is hosted in Ireland on Amazon Web Services) and lists individual service providers in the USA. meetyoo emphasises GDPR compliance and development in Germany, but does not state a server location for the platform on its website.

• Data processing: An exhibition platform processes names, contact requests and visit data on your behalf. For this you need a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR – ask for it before exhibitors and visitors are invited.
• Third countries: If data or service providers are located outside the EU, the transfer requires a legal basis under Art. 44 et seq. GDPR, such as an adequacy decision like the Data Privacy Framework. Ask to see which sub-processors are based where.
• Cookies: If the visitor page stores identifiers that are not strictly necessary, it needs consent under § 25 TDDDG (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act) – that is, a banner before the hall loads. With NextKon Expo, the visitor page works without cookies and without tracking, and so do the per-booth statistics.

Visitor access: app, account or a link?

Every hurdle before the first booth costs visitors. Event apps such as Swapcard and talque rely on registration and profiles – that is the basis for matchmaking and lead capture, and at a large trade fair this is exactly the data exhibitors want. For an exhibition alongside a livestream the opposite applies: the audience is already there and should reach the booths with one click during the break. rooom advertises access without installation in the browser, Expo-IP runs in the browser with built-in registration, NextKon Expo without an app and without an account.

What does a virtual exhibition cost with these providers?

Expo-IP, rooom, talque and NextKon Expo publish their prices; vFairs, Swapcard and meetyoo provide quotes on request. Expo-IP charges a one-off fee plus a monthly fee, tiered by number of booths (Showroom Basic from €590, Konferenz Plus from €1,990, Messe Unlimited from €3,980). rooom charges a monthly subscription from €749 on an annual term, 3D partner booths on request. talque starts at €3,000 for 250 attendees. NextKon Expo costs €1,490 per event with 10 booths and 30 days, €2,990 with 30 booths and 60 days and €5,900 as an annual package with 50 booths, each including NextKon Chat, digital name badges and video library (VOD). All amounts net, as of 2 November 2026.

The platform is rarely the biggest cost item. Who sets up the booths, who looks after the exhibitors and who promotes the exhibition affect the total cost more than the list price. What the costs consist of and which ten questions you should ask every provider is covered in the guide Virtual exhibition: costs, process, providers (in German).

Which platform suits whom?

The honest answer depends on the format of your exhibition. The following overview gives a direction – it does not replace a look at the provider's demo.

NextKon Expo is the virtual exhibition from NextKon, a service of TS Veranstaltungstechnik from Birenbach near Stuttgart (since 2002, more than 750 events). It is built for conferences and congresses: booths in tiers matching sponsorship packages, exhibitors maintain their booth via their own login, and from Expo Event Plus each exhibitor receives a visitor report as a PDF after the event. The servers are in Frankfurt am Main. Livestream, chat and video library can come from the same team on request. NextKon Expo does not offer matchmaking or a lead app – anyone who needs those is better served by the event platforms. More on the NextKon Expo page; how sponsor booths pay off is explained in the guide Virtual exhibition at a conference (in German).

Frequently asked questions

Daniel TospannOwner, TS Veranstaltungstechnik · NextKon – more than 750 congresses, conferences and online events.