Mia Exhibitions
Industry: Events & Exhibitions
Use case: Multi-vendor pop-ups, temporary event setups

Mia Exhibitions is an event management company that specialises in organising curated exhibitions and pop-up events across the UAE. Their events often bring together multiple food vendors and small businesses in high-footfall locations, where speed, simplicity, and operational consistency are critical.

For one such event held at Al Zahya City Centre, Mia Exhibitions hosted multiple food pop-ups operating from compact, temporary spaces. The goal was to ensure that every vendor could accept payments smoothly and operate efficiently, without the complexity of traditional POS setups.

The Challenge

Managing payments across multiple food pop-ups at a temporary event comes with several challenges.

Each vendor operated in a limited space, leaving no room for bulky POS systems or multiple devices. At the same time, vendors needed the flexibility to accept both card and cash payments, as event audiences use a mix of payment methods.

From an organiser’s perspective, it was important to provide vendors with a solution that was easy to deploy, quick to learn, and reliable throughout the event, without requiring extensive setup or technical support on the ground.

Traditional POS systems would have added friction for vendors and slowed down operations during peak hours.

The Solution

To support the event, Mia Exhibitions provided vendors with Fortis SmartPOS embedded in Network International card machines.

Fortis SmartPOS allowed each food pop-up to operate with a single, compact device that combined payments and POS functionality. Vendors could easily take orders and process payments directly from the machine 

Fortis SmartPOS enabled vendors to easily record both card and cash transactions, ensuring that every sale was tracked accurately. The small footprint of the device made it ideal for tight pop-up spaces, allowing vendors to focus on serving customers rather than managing equipment.

Operations During the Event

Throughout the event, food pop-ups were able to operate smoothly despite the high volume of visitors.

Vendors could take orders quickly, process payments efficiently, and move customers through queues faster, an essential factor for food-based pop-ups during busy periods.

Since all transactions were recorded within the system, vendors avoided manual tracking and end-of-day confusion. The consistent setup across all pop-ups also meant fewer operational issues and a more uniform experience for both vendors and customers.

The Impact

Using Fortis SmartPOS helped Mia Exhibitions simplify operations for both organisers and vendors.

The event benefited from:

• A space-saving POS setup ideal for temporary food pop-ups
• Faster onboarding and minimal training for vendors
• Seamless acceptance of both card and cash payments
• Accurate transaction recording across all vendors
• Reduced operational friction during peak event hours

By standardising the payment and POS experience, Mia Exhibitions enabled vendors to focus on food quality and customer experience rather than payment logistics.

Why Fortis SmartPOS

For exhibitions and pop-up events, flexibility and ease of deployment are essential. Fortis SmartPOS provided a scalable solution that worked across multiple vendors, devices, and setups.  

Embedded directly into card machines, Fortis SmartPOS transformed each device into a complete point-of-sale, making it ideal for short-term events with limited space and high traffic.

Conclusion

Running a successful multi-vendor event requires more than just footfall, it requires systems that work seamlessly in real-world conditions.

For Mia Exhibitions, Fortis SmartPOS enabled a smooth, efficient event at Al Zahya City Centre by empowering food pop-ups with a simple, reliable way to take orders and accept payments.

From setup to service to reporting, SmartPOS proved to be the right fit for fast-paced, space-constrained event environments.