Booth Mode for trade shows and events
vablet Across for iPhone and iPad · Version 1.4 · Updated 10 November 2026
Your stand runs from the device in your pocket.
Booth Mode turns a collection in Across into a slide loop for a stand, a lobby or an event. Visitors can swipe through it, open more detail, and tap Share to have a file emailed to them. Your staff take leads and notes without stopping the loop, and after the event you send yourself the leads as a spreadsheet.
Booth Mode is part of Across version 1.4, which is on its way to the App Store.
- What it does
- Set up a playlist
- At the booth
- Leads
- After the event
- Staff controls
- Visitor privacy
- Questions
What Booth Mode does
A playlist plays images, videos, PDF pages and PowerPoint slides from one of your collections, in the order you set, on an endless loop. It plays on the iPhone or iPad itself, or on a TV connected by AirPlay, HDMI or USB-C. When a TV is connected, the loop shows on the TV and the device becomes a staff panel with the slide now playing, the next slide, the number of leads in this session, and controls.
Slides are prepared on the device before the event, so the loop keeps running with no Wi-Fi or signal. PowerPoint slides play as still pictures, without animations, transitions or embedded video. The only slide content that needs a connection is a web page you choose to open from a slide.
Set up a playlist
- Open a collection, tap the menu at the top right, then Booth Mode.
- Tap + to make a playlist, such as Day 1, and tap Add slides to choose images, videos, PDFs and PowerPoint decks from the collection. For a PDF or a deck, tick the pages to show.
- Put the slides in order with Arrange, or touch and hold a slide to move it. Tap a slide to give it its own time on screen and choose what Info opens: the document itself, another file, or a web page.
- In the playlist settings, set the time on screen (5 seconds for images and 7 for pages, unless you change them), how long the loop waits after a touch, shuffle, the transition, orientation, sound and captions, the email template Share uses, and where the session report goes.
- Tap Download and prepare slides so every slide is on the device. Preview runs the loop with a Close button and records nothing, for a rehearsal.
- Tap Start Booth Mode.
A playlist belongs to one collection, and you can rename it, duplicate it or copy it to another collection. Changes you make during a session take effect at the next pass of the loop.
At the booth
Visitors swipe left or right to move between slides. One tap shows Pause, Info and Share. They can pinch to zoom, and double tap to zoom out or start the slide again. Any touch holds the loop, and it carries on by itself after a short wait. When nobody has touched the screen for a while, a hint says "Swipe to explore, tap for more".
Info opens the file or web page you chose for that slide, so a visitor can read the full brochure or spec sheet on the spot.
A three-finger tap dims the screen and pauses the loop so a staff member can type a quick note, such as what a visitor needs. If a lead was taken in the last two minutes, the note is added to that lead.
Booth Mode looks after the device on a long day. When the battery falls to 5% and the device is not charging, the loop pauses and asks for power. If the device gets too hot, the loop pauses until it cools, and transitions switch to a plain cut while it is warm.
Leads from Share
When a visitor wants something sent to them, they or your staff tap Share. The form asks for an email address and, if you turn on Ask for name and Ask for company, first and last name and company. There is always an optional note, and an event name that stays filled in for the next visitor. If you write consent text in the playlist settings, the visitor ticks it before Send is available.
To fill in the form faster, tap Scan card to read the visitor's business card with the camera or from Photos, or Choose contact to pick someone from Contacts. The card is read on the device, and neither option keeps a picture or saves anything to Contacts.
Share opens Apple Mail addressed to the visitor, using the email template you chose and your My Record signature. The file from that slide is attached when it is 25 MB or smaller, and larger Google Drive files go as a Drive link. The lead is recorded once Mail reports the email was sent. To stop accidental repeats, Share allows five sends a minute, and an open form closes after 90 seconds with no touch.
After the event
Each run of Booth Mode is a session, listed under Past sessions with its leads. Open a session and tap Send report for two spreadsheet files:
| File | Columns |
|---|---|
| Leads | First name, Last name, Company, Email, Consent, Slide, Time, Note, Event |
| Slides | Slide, Views, Seconds on screen |
The report goes by email to the address in Send the report to, or to your My Record email if that is empty. If Mail is not set up, Across offers the share sheet instead. The leads file is a plain spreadsheet, so you can import it into your CRM or marketing tool.
Every email sent from the booth is also listed in Activity with the visitor's name and email address, beside your other sent messages. Quick notes go to your meeting notes.
Staff controls
Before the first Start, staff set an exit code of at least four characters. To leave Booth Mode, touch and hold the mark in the bottom corner for 2 seconds, then use Face ID or Touch ID, or type the exit code. Five wrong tries lock the exit for a minute. The exit code is kept in the iOS Keychain on that device only.
If Across is closed while Booth Mode is running, it offers to resume the playlist the next time it opens.
The corner of the loop shows the Across mark, and a tap shows "Powered by vablet Across". To show your own logo and words, or turn the branding off, enter a branding key from vablet in the playlist settings.
Visitor details stay on your device
Across has no server. Leads, notes and the slide report are kept on your iPhone or iPad, protected by iOS encryption, and left out of iCloud and computer backups. Nothing about your visitors reaches vablet or Meiotic. Details leave the device only when someone taps Send in Mail, when you send the report, or when you save an Across backup.
The details you collect are yours to look after, so tell visitors how you will use them. The consent line in Share is there to help. Deleting a session removes its leads, but the matching Activity entries, meeting notes and calendar entries stay until you delete them too. The privacy policy covers this in full, and trust and security explains how Across keeps data on the device.
Questions
Does Booth Mode need Wi-Fi at the venue?
No. Once you tap Download and prepare slides, every slide is on the device and the loop runs with no connection. Mail sends the visitor emails when the device next has a connection. Only a web page opened from Info needs a connection at the stand.
Can visitors reach my other files?
No. In Booth Mode, visitors can move between the slides in the playlist and open the Info you chose for each one. Leaving Booth Mode needs Face ID, Touch ID or the staff exit code.
Can I show Booth Mode on a TV?
Yes. Connect a TV with AirPlay, HDMI or USB-C and the loop plays on the TV. The iPhone or iPad shows a staff panel with what is playing, what is next, the lead count and controls.
How do I get Booth Mode leads into my CRM?
Open the session under Past sessions and tap Send report. The leads arrive as a spreadsheet file with first name, last name, company, email, consent, slide, time, note and event, ready to import. Booth Mode emails do not carry the Log emails to my CRM blind copy.
Does Booth Mode work on iPhone as well as iPad?
Yes. Booth Mode runs on iPhone and iPad with Across version 1.4, and on either one with a TV connected.
When is Booth Mode available?
Booth Mode is part of Across version 1.4, which is on its way to the App Store. Download Across now and it arrives with the update.