Trade show checklist for exhibitors: before, during and after the show
A simple trade show checklist for exhibitors: what to do months before, the week before, on show days and after the show, so no lead gets lost.
The short answer: a good trade show checklist has four parts. Months before the show, you set goals, read the exhibitor manual and order services before the discount dates. In the last week, you test your lead capture and brief the team. On show days, you save every lead with a note. After the show, you follow up within a few days and count what the show brought.
Most checklists stop at the booth: the stand, the banners, the coffee machine. That is the easy part. The money is in the leads, so this checklist gives the same attention to what happens to each contact. Copy it, delete what you do not need, and give it to everyone on the team.
Trade show checklist: 3 to 6 months before the show
- Write one clear goal. For example: "60 qualified leads and 10 booked demos". A goal with a number tells you later if the show was worth it. Our guide on trade show ROI shows how to measure it.
- Pick your target visitors. Which job titles, which countries, which company size? This decides your booth message and your qualifying questions.
- Read the exhibitor manual. It has every deadline: booth rules, power, Wi-Fi, furniture, labor, shipping and lead retrieval.
- Put every deadline in one calendar. Shows often have a separate discount date for each service. The PRINTING United exhibitor checklist, for example, listed different discount dates for booth rentals, labor, electric and Wi-Fi, plus an early bird deadline for lead retrieval.
- Plan your shipping. Check the last day for advance warehouse deliveries, and what the warehouse will not accept.
- Book travel and hotels early. Hotels near big shows fill up fast.
- Choose how you will capture leads. Badge scanner from the organizer, your own app, or paper? Decide now, not on day one. See our event lead capture app checklist.
4 to 6 weeks before: marketing and team
- Invite customers and prospects. Send a short email with your booth number and a reason to come. Use our trade show invitation email templates.
- Book meetings in advance. A meeting in the calendar is worth more than a person who walks past.
- Pick the booth team and the shifts. Each person needs time to rest. Our guide on trade show booth staffing covers how many people you need.
- Write 3 to 5 qualifying questions. The same questions for everyone, so leads are easy to compare later. Then agree on a simple score, as in our guide on trade show lead scoring.
- Prepare your follow-up emails now. Write them before the show, when you have time. After the show you will not.
- Check GDPR. Know what you may send to whom, and what you tell visitors when you scan them. Read our GDPR guide for trade show leads.
The week before: test everything
Step 1: Test lead capture on every phone
Each person scans a test badge and a test business card. Check that the lead arrives in the right place, with the event name.
Step 2: Test the CRM connection
Make sure test leads land in your CRM with the right owner and tag. Then delete the test leads.
Step 3: Brief the team
One short meeting: the goal, the target visitor, the questions, the score, and who follows up which lead.
Step 4: Pack the small things
Chargers, power banks, extension cords, tape, pens, business cards, water and snacks.
Step 5: Save offline copies
Hall Wi-Fi is often slow. Save your price list, slides and your own QR code on your phone.
During the show: the daily checklist
| When | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Before doors open | Short team huddle: goals for the day, who is on which shift. | Everyone knows the plan. |
| Each conversation | Save the lead at once, with a one-line note and a score. | A badge scan without a note is a name you will not remember. |
| Each meeting | Agree on one next step before the person leaves. | "Send me info" is not a next step. "Demo on Tuesday" is. |
| Lunch break | Check the lead count against the goal. | You can still change your approach in the afternoon. |
| End of the day | Each person checks their leads and fixes missing notes. | Memory fades fast after a long day. |
| Evening | Send follow-ups to the hottest leads. | They still remember you. |
Need ideas for the first sentence at the booth? See our booth conversation starters.
After the show: follow-up checklist
- Day 1 to 2: send follow-ups. Start with the hot leads. Use the note from the booth in the first line. See our trade show follow-up email templates.
- Day 1 to 3: get all leads into the CRM. With the event name, the note and the owner. Our guides show how for HubSpot, Pipedrive and Salesforce.
- Week 1: call the leads who asked for a call. Do not wait for them to answer an email.
- Week 2: hold a short team review. What worked, what did not, what to change next time.
- Month 1 to 3: count the results. Meetings, deals and revenue from the show, against the cost. Use our trade show report template.
- Respect GDPR. Give people a simple way to opt out, and do not keep data you do not need. The GDPR asks you to keep personal data only as long as you need it (Article 5 GDPR) and to tell people how you use it (Article 13 GDPR).
Common mistakes on a trade show checklist
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No goal with a number | Nobody can say if the show worked. | Write one goal months before. |
| Lead capture is decided on day one | The team uses paper, photos and five apps. | Choose and test it the week before. |
| Scans without notes | Sales gets names, but no reason to call. | One-line note for every lead. |
| Business cards in a bag | Someone types them weeks later, or never. | Scan cards at the booth, not at the office. |
| Follow-up after two weeks | Leads forget you, or a competitor calls first. | Write emails before the show, send within days. |
| No event tag in the CRM | You cannot count what the show brought. | Tag every lead with the event name. |
Take the typing off your checklist
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What should be on a trade show checklist for exhibitors?
Goals, deadlines from the exhibitor manual, shipping, travel, booth team and shifts, invitations, lead capture, a CRM test, a daily show routine, and follow-up after the show.
How far in advance should you prepare for a trade show?
Start 3 to 6 months before. Many services have discount dates well before the show, so check the exhibitor manual early and put every deadline in one calendar.
What do you need to bring to a trade show booth?
Chargers, power banks, extension cords, tape, pens, business cards, printed price lists, water and snacks. Also bring a tested way to capture leads on every phone.
When should you follow up after a trade show?
Within one or two days for hot leads, and within the first week for everyone else. Write the emails before the show so you can send them fast.
How do you keep track of leads at a trade show?
Use one lead capture method for the whole team, add a note and a score to every lead, tag each lead with the event name, and send them to your CRM the same day.