How to check a touch-screen kiosk before the doors open

A kiosk that freezes, drops its connection or shows a desktop full of pop-ups in the first hour of a show undoes weeks of content work. Most of those failures can be found in a short, methodical check on bump-in day, and a shorter one every morning after that.

This is the checklist we'd work through. It's written for touch-screen kiosks at exhibitions, conferences and activations, whether you've hired the kiosk or own it. If you're still choosing a kiosk, start with all you need to know about touch-screen kiosks. For a whole-stand walk-through, see what to check before an event opens.

When to run the checks

• Before it goes to the venue: your content loaded, settings locked and logins written down.
• On bump-in day: the full list below, with the kiosk in its final position on venue power.
• Every morning before doors open: sections #1, #4 and #5 again. A kiosk that worked at 6 pm can still fail at 9 am.

Have one person do the check and record the time and their initials against each section. If something fails mid-show, you'll know when it last worked.

#1 - Power and cabling

• Test and tag. Venues expect it. The ICC Sydney Exhibition Manual (15 December 2023) says that before use, "all electrical equipment must be tested and tagged". Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) guidelines (Version 6, 25 May 2026) say untagged equipment "must be tested & tagged or removed from BCEC site immediately", and even new equipment must carry a tag showing its re-test date. Check the kiosk, its power lead and any power board, and check your show's own manual too.
• Know your outlet. Confirm the kiosk is on the stand power you ordered, not a shared board that someone may switch off at night.
• Cables out of harm's way. Route leads where they can't be kicked, tripped over or damaged, and tape down or cover anything that crosses a walkway.
• Restart test. Switch the kiosk off at the wall, then back on. Check it boots straight into your content without anyone touching a keyboard.

Our interactive digital kiosk has its computer built in, so there's no separate laptop or tangle of extra hardware to check.

#2 - Network and offline plan

• Which connection? Venue Wi-Fi, a wired connection you've ordered, or a mobile hotspot. Test the one you'll really use, on the show floor, not in the office.
• Test under load. Venue Wi-Fi that works at bump-in can slow down once the hall fills with visitors' phones. Run the slowest page or video on your kiosk and time it.
• Offline fallback. Decide what the screen shows if the connection drops: a cached version of the site, a looping video or a "please ask our team" screen. Then pull the connection and check it.
• Remote access. If we're supporting the kiosk, our service team can log in remotely and update content while it's running. Confirm that works over the venue connection before the show starts.

#3 - Lock-down settings

Visitors will press everything. Before doors open, check that:

• The kiosk only shows your content. When we program a kiosk, we whitelist your website, which stops visitors leaving it for other sites or social links, and we can block off any sections you'd rather not show. Try to break out: tap every link in the footer, every social icon, every "open in new window".
• It goes back to the start. We can set the kiosk to reset to your chosen home screen after a period of inactivity. Leave it alone and check it resets.
• Nothing interrupts the screen. Turn off operating system update prompts, notifications and pop-ups for the show days, so an update doesn't restart the kiosk mid-demo.
• It stays awake. Set screen sleep and power-saving so the display never dims or locks while the doors are open.
• No way into settings. Check a visitor can't reach the desktop, task bar or system settings by swiping from an edge or a long press.

#4 - Touch and content test

• Clean the screen first, then check the touch response across the whole screen, corners and edges included. If touches land in the wrong place, recalibrate before going further.
• Walk every path. Tap through every button, menu and form from the home screen, in the order a visitor would, and back again. Note any dead end.
• Check every video and sound. Videos play to the end, sound is at a sensible level for a loud hall, and nothing autoplays at full volume.
• Check the copy. Dates, prices and product names on screen match what the stand team will say.
• Check reach. Stand where a visitor stands, including a seated or wheelchair user, and make sure the main buttons are easy to reach.

#5 - Data capture and privacy

Kiosks are often how a stand collects leads. Visitors can leave their details through on-screen prompts and keyboard, so test the whole path:

• Submit a test entry from the kiosk, then confirm it has arrived wherever the data goes (your CRM, a spreadsheet or an email inbox). Delete it after.
• Check what happens offline. If the connection drops, do entries queue and upload later, or are they lost? Test it rather than assume.
• Show a collection notice. Under Australian Privacy Principle 5, an organisation covered by the Privacy Act must take reasonable steps, at or before the time it collects personal information (or as soon as practicable afterwards), to tell people things such as who is collecting it and why. The OAIC's APP guidelines (22 July 2019) list the matters to cover. Put a short notice and a link to your privacy policy on the form, and have your privacy team approve the wording.
• Clear test data and any previous event's entries before visitors arrive.

#6 - Spares, contacts and end of day

Keep a small kit at the stand:

• spare power lead and power board (both tagged), plus any data cable you need
• screen cleaning cloths and a screen-safe cleaner
• printed logins, Wi-Fi details and the support contact
• a fallback for leads, such as a tablet or paper forms.

At the end of each day, export or check the day's leads, wipe the screen, and agree whether the kiosk is shut down or left on venue power overnight. Next morning, run sections #1, #4 and #5 again.

For equipment we've supplied, we can also give on-site or after-hours help during the show. If you move screens from event to event, our digital flight case protects display equipment in transit and gives it one home in storage.

Planning a kiosk for your next event? Read about our kiosk software and solutions, or call us on 1300 240 250 and we'll help you plan it.