What’s New in Zoho Backstage – May 2026 | Scheduled WhatsApp Notifications, Floor Plan Widget

Another month, another round of improvements in Zoho Backstage.

 

We’ve been busy refining existing experiences and introducing new capabilities to help you plan, manage, and deliver successful events with less effort. Here’s a quick look at everything we’ve rolled out this month.

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Scheduled WhatsApp notifications & QR code support    

We’re excited to introduce scheduled WhatsApp notifications for events in Zoho Backstage.

 

Event organizers can now schedule WhatsApp notifications to be sent automatically before, during, or after an event. This helps reduce manual effort, improve attendee engagement, and ensure important updates reach participants at the right time.

 

To schedule a notification, go to Communicate > WhatsApp > Manage > Notifications. While creating a notification, select Schedule under Sending Options and choose whether the message should be sent before, during, or after the event.

 

Scheduled notifications display their planned send time and template category, while previously delivered notifications can be viewed from the Sent tab. If a scheduled notification is paused and its scheduled time passes, it will move to the Unsent state and can be rescheduled.

 

In addition, organizers can now use WhatsApp templates that include QR codes for attendees, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors. Templates containing E-Badges are not supported and cannot be used for WhatsApp notifications.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

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Floor Plan Widget

 

Event organizers can now generate an embeddable floor plan for websites or create a standalone floor plan link for sharing with exhibitors, sponsors, attendees, and internal teams. The widget includes extensive customization options, allowing organizers to control exhibitor visibility, booth information, reservations, floor selection, branding, theme colors, header elements, legends, and full-screen access.

 

A built-in live preview updates instantly as settings are changed, making it easy to review the visitor experience before publishing. Whether you’re showcasing exhibitors on a marketing website or sharing floor plans with stakeholders, the floor plan widget helps deliver a polished and branded experience with minimal effort.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

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Area-based booth pricing   

Event Organizers can now choose between Flat Price and Area-Based Price when configuring exhibitor categories. With area-based pricing, booth prices are calculated automatically based on booth dimensions and a configured rate per square foot or square meter, ensuring pricing stays accurate as booth sizes change.

 

To support this enhancement, booth area and pricing details are now displayed across booth management, floor plans, exhibitor management, and booth request flows. Organizers can easily view booth dimensions, area, pricing rates, and final booth amounts, while exhibitors can see a clear pricing breakdown before requesting a booth.

 

Existing events will continue to use the Flat Price model by default, ensuring backward compatibility.

 

By automating booth pricing and improving pricing visibility, this enhancement helps organizers reduce manual effort, maintain pricing accuracy, and deliver a more transparent exhibitor experience.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

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Exhibitor email enhancements  

Booth assignment email   

A new booth assignment email is now sent when a booth is assigned to an exhibitor for the first time.

 

The email is sent to the Booth Owner and Booth Admins, and includes key information such as booth details, event information, and next steps for booth setup. The content of the email adapts based on whether the exhibitor has access to Exhibitor Pro features.

Automated exhibitor reminders    

To help exhibitors prepare for the event, automated reminder emails can now be sent before the event start date. By default, reminders are scheduled to be sent 7 days before the event, though the timing can be customized.

 

These reminders are applicable to booths with Exhibitor Pro and are sent to all booth members. The email encourages exhibitors to complete important setup tasks, including their exhibitor profile, booth details, logos, brochures, videos, and booth member invitations.

 

To make these communications easier to manage, reminder emails are now grouped under a dedicated Reminder Emails tab. 

Improved request approved emails   

The Exhibitor Request Approved email has been updated to support both exhibitors with and without Exhibitor Pro add-on. This creates a more consistent onboarding experience and ensures all exhibitors receive relevant information after their request has been approved. 

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Abstract Enhancements     

Reviewer access controls        

Organizers can now configure abstract reviewers’ access to specific event areas, including Networking, OnAir Lounges (for virtual and hybrid events), and Webpages. In addition, the website and OnAir experience for abstract reviewers is now aligned with the attendee experience, ensuring a more consistent event journey. 

In-product help articles        

Help articles are now linked directly within each Abstract Management section, allowing you to quickly access relevant guidance without leaving the module.

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Gamification winner limit Increased   

The maximum number of winners that can be selected in gamification has been increased from the previous limit to 2,500 participants, giving event organizers greater flexibility when rewarding engagement.

 

Previously, organizers of large-scale events could identify high-ranking participants through the leaderboard, but the winner announcement page was limited in the number of winners it could accommodate. With this enhancement, organizers can now recognize a much larger group of participants based on their leaderboard performance.

 

To support this change, the Number of Winners setting has been updated from a fixed selection to an input field, allowing organizers to specify up to 2,500 winners. The winner announcement page will automatically display the configured set of winners, making it easier to reward participants at scale.

Plan availability: Included in the Premium, and Ultimate plans.

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All features and enhancements mentioned in this article are available across all Zoho Backstage-supported data centers, except WhatsApp-related features, which are currently unavailable in the China data center.

For additional assistance or questions regarding these new features, contact support@zohobackstage.com. Stay tuned for continued updates designed to enhance your event management capabilities.

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