Launching Expo3D™
The installation
program placed one or more icons on your desktop. Select the icon for the
show desired, or the generic non-specific Expo3D icon, and double click it. You
may also single click the non-specific icon located in the task bar at the
bottom of your desktop. Any of these start the Expo3D program.
Show specific icons start Expo3D with a different
view than the generic icon so if you chose that, skip down to the
Choosing your character section.
Selecting
the show to visit
Starting Expo3D using a non-show specific icon brings
up the show selection window with the Installed Shows tab selected.
Each show installed on your system will have an icon
present. Double click on the show's icon you wish to visit.
If the show you wish to visit is not shown, then you
have not installed that show yet.
Installing a new show can be done by clicking
on the Search tab and searching or browsing the Expo3D server for a new
show.
Enter the show keyword or name and click the search button to
see a list of matching shows, or click the Browse button and the server will
populate the window with a list of the shows currently available.
Single click on a show listed to enter that show.
Choosing
Your Character (avatar)
Starting Expo3D using a show specific icon, or
actually selecting a show from the show list presented earlier, brings
up the avatar selection form. An avatar is your representative inside the show
and is how others will see you. Using the My Appearance arrows, scroll
through the possible choices of what your avatar can look like. The spinning
model of the avatar will appear on the right side.
Click on the Female
or Male words to switch between the
two genders.
Once you've decided on what you'll look like,
click one of the 4 check boxes to select the desired action.
Using a registered user name
Some shows or events require that everyone entering
the world be a verified user (meaning your email address really belongs to you).
The benefits of being a registered user are many, including the reservation and
password protection of your unique user name, and the ability to contact
exhibitors or others in the show.
If you received the show from a magazine, you may
already be registered for the show. In this case, your temporary username is
your subscriber number (from your mailing label on the magazine) and your
password is your last name. To login using this information, or if you have
logged in before, click the I am a registered attendee check box.
Enter
your username (also known as Handle, ID or User ID) in the box to the right of
the Username: field and enter your password in the Password:
field. Check the Save Password check box if you want the password remembered and
filled in for you next time you visit. Then click the Connect button to
connect to the show.
Note that each show is unique
and your username for one show will not work in another show unless you
specifically registered for that show as well.
Registering as a new attendee
If
you were not pre-registered, or have never registered for a show, click the
Register as a new attendee check box. Then enter the information requested
and required. As you type your first and last names, the Username field will
automatically change, creating the actual username that will be used. It has a
number automatically appended that will be used in case someone else with you
exact name has already registered, in which case the 01 will be changed to 02
upon login.
If you wish your username to be totally different,
then you may change it after you have entered your other information. There is a
limit of 15 characters in the username.
Once you have the information entered, click the
Connect button to connect to the show. Your new registration record will be
created on the show server, and the password you entered will be assigned. If
the username is duplicated, the server will automatically add 1 to the number
until it finds a unique username and then it will alert you of that change.
Also, note that in a few minutes, you'll be prompted by the program to enter
your other contact information (such as address, city, etc) (see the Managing
Your Profile section for details).
Look for your verification email
When you register as a new user, the server will
send an email back to you as part of the verification process. The email will
contain a welcome message and a random verification code. You must enter this
code into Expo3D while online in order to complete the verification process. Use
the My Profile, Enter Verification Code menu item to bring
up the proper form, then copy the code form the email and paste it into the
Verification Code field. If you do not, you will be unable to contact other
people or exhibitors visiting the show.
Visiting as a guest user
If you desired some anonymity for your first visit
or two, you may login as a guest user (however not all shows allow this). To do
so, click the Login as Guest user check box. Then enter a guest name that you
wish to be known as for this visit. Most people just enter their first name. The
click the Connect button to login to the show. If someone else is already using
that same guest name, you'll be denied access and alerted of that fact. You'll
have to pick something else in this case. Also, if the name you entered happens
to be that of a registered username, whether they are logged on or not, you'll
be denied access and told you entered an invalid username or password. Again,
you'll have to pick something else and try again.
Viewing the show offline
If you do not have Internet access, or just wish to
see the show without going to the live show floor, click the View off-line
check box. Also, if you are being blocked by your own corporate or personal
firewall, choose the View off-line option to see the show while your IT guys
work on the firewall issue.
Viewing off-line is possible because when the show
was installed on your PC, all of the required files, all of the exhibit booths,
and all of the exhibitor brochures and product information was installed on your
local hard drive. This also makes it possible for us to create a high quality
and responsive show since none of the data needs to come live from the Internet
each time you visit. There are some exceptions however as some exhibit booths
may contain links to pages or streaming video from the exhibitor's web site,
which won't work if you're not online. Also, attending live conference seminars
requires you to be on-line as well.
Even if you primarily view the show off-line, you
should connect to the server every once in a while, so that you'll get the
latest updates and booth modifications (see next section)
Connecting and Automatic Updates
When you connect to the server, the Expo3D program will display its current status in the status bar at the very
bottom of the Expo3D window. It will attempt to connect to the Expo3D server
first. Reasons why it may fail to connect are usually because you either do not have an
active Internet connection, or you are behind a firewall that is preventing your
computer from communicating with our server. See the trouble-shooting section
for more details.
Upon successful connection the server will send you any updates that may have occurred since the last time
you logged in. Updates include changes to the booths, or their company news
sign. This is a living show and exhibitors will change products displayed from
time to time, and you'll be updated as needed each time you log in. Also, if you
have sent a message to an exhibitor, they'll probably respond to you using the
same method and when you login you get any waiting messages as well.
Finally, we are continually improving the Expo3D engine itself, and every time
you login to the Expo3D server, your system will verify it has the latest
version. If not, the required program changes will be downloaded and your Expo3D
program will re-start, keeping you up-to-date.
As changes are downloaded, the status bar rapidly displays each file name. The amount
of time required for a complete update depends on your connection speed and how many updates have
been made since your last login. After all files have been downloaded you will
appear in the entrance hall and the automated host will begin speaking to you.
Adjust your speaker volume to a comfortable level. The automated host may be
stopped by clicking on the host's avatar.
