The point seems to be that one potential participant didn't want to take up the offer and that you can't then turn up and set up a table and do your own thing
This is badly misrepresenting this situation.
One provider of aviation data & mapping took a sponsorship package - and good on them.
Another didn't want to, but did want to take up a commercial package for an exhibit booth that was available to others, that they had taken up in the past and was promoted by the organisers. The organisers not only disallowed this but banned AvPlan attending (taking the AvPlan statement at face value).