A trade show checklist for exhibitors, from 12 weeks out to a month after.
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6 min readIn short
Work backwards from the show in eight areas: goals and budget, logistics, stand and collateral, people and schedule, lead capture and consent, meetings, follow-up and measurement. This checklist puts each task at the week it is due, from 12 weeks out to a month after, and gives every area a named owner.
Write three goals with numbers before you book anything.
A goal without a number cannot be missed, so nobody notices when it is. Pick three, make each one countable on the stand, and agree them with whoever signs the budget. Here is an example for a made-up exhibitor, Harbourline Freight, with a total budget of EUR 30,900 including staff time.
| Goal | Target | What it implies |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified leads | 150 with a work e-mail and consent | EUR 206 per lead at the full budget |
| Meetings held at the stand | 30 across three days | EUR 1,030 per meeting, 10 a day |
| Speed of follow-up | Every hot lead contacted within one working day | A named owner and a reply rule for each lead |
Count scans separately from leads. A scan is attention, a lead is a person you can write to. Cost per lead is the total cost divided by the number of leads, and the same goes for meetings.
12 weeks to 8 weeks out: decide and book.
- Included: Goals and budget: sign off the three goals and a budget that includes staff time, travel, print and tools. Name one budget owner.
- Included: Logistics: confirm the stand's size and position. Read the exhibitor manual and put every order deadline in a shared calendar: electricity, internet, furniture, rigging, cleaning and hospitality.
- Included: Logistics: book travel and hotels now. Rooms close to a large show are the first thing to go.
- Included: People and schedule: choose the team and the stand manager. List who speaks which language.
- Included: Stand and collateral: write the design brief and list every placement: banner, badge, namecard, leaflet, e-mail signature and screen.
- Included: Lead capture and consent: define what counts as a lead, who owns it and how fast it is answered. Draft the form fields and the consent line.
- Included: Meetings: list your top 30 customers and prospects, and decide who invites whom.
- Included: Measurement: choose the metrics, the source names and where they will be stored.
4 weeks out: build, brief and send invitations.
- Included: Stand and collateral: send print files. Ask the printer for the delivery date and add three days of margin.
- Included: Lead capture and consent: build one tracked link per placement, the lead form and the thank-you page. Send a test lead through to the CRM.
- Included: Meetings: send the invitations with a booking link, written in the venue's time and with the visitor's time beside it.
- Included: People and schedule: set the show's days, opening hours and the team for each day. Write the roster using the booth staffing schedule.
- Included: Logistics: ship stand materials so they arrive at least three days early. Keep the tracking numbers and customs paperwork in one folder.
- Included: Follow-up: write the follow-up e-mails for hot, warm and cold leads and the 'missed us' page.
The go/no-go test before print ships.
A banner with a code that does not scan stays up for three days. Run these eight checks on the final proof, and do not release the file until each one passes. One named person signs 'go'.
- Step 1.
Scan the proof on an iPhone and an Android phone, from the distance a visitor will stand at. The QR code size guide gives the sizes.
- Step 2.
The code opens the right page on mobile data, not only on office wifi.
- Step 3.
Every placement has its own source name, and none is copied from another.
- Step 4.
A test lead reaches the CRM with an owner, the source and the consent text.
- Step 5.
The stand number, hall, dates and hours match the organiser's latest plan.
- Step 6.
Someone who did not write the copy reads the address under the code aloud and types it.
- Step 7.
The after-show fallback is set, so the code still works the week after.
- Step 8.
The logo file is the official one, at the right size and with clear space around it.
2 weeks to the day before: rehearse and freeze.
- Included: Two weeks: run a full rehearsal with a stopwatch. A test lead goes from a phone scan to a CRM record and a team alert. Fix whatever takes longer than a minute.
- Included: Two weeks: name a stand-in for every role and make a pack list with an owner for each case.
- Included: One week: remind every invitee about their meeting with both time zones. Freeze changes to forms and links.
- Included: One week: confirm that every delivery has arrived or is tracked. Print backups of the QR code and the roster.
- Included: The day before: walk the stand. Check power, internet, screens and lighting. Scan the banner from two metres on two phones, in the hall's light.
- Included: The day before: put the live board on the stand screen, load the kit and brief the team for 30 minutes on roles, breaks and the hot-lead rule.
On the stand, every day.
- Included: Start: a 5 minute briefing, kit check, screens on, phones charged and backups to hand.
- Included: During: every lead gets a one-line reason and a next action. Hot leads go to a closer within two minutes.
- Included: End: a 10 minute debrief with three numbers: leads, meetings and hot leads without a reply. Charge devices and restock leaflets.
The kit list for the stand:
- Included: Chargers and a power strip, plus two power banks.
- Included: A spare phone, charged, with the lead form open.
- Included: Printed backup of every QR code and the roster.
- Included: Gaffer tape, scissors, cable ties, a marker and a small first aid kit.
- Included: A mobile hotspot, in case the hall's wifi fails.
- Included: Water, mints and a clean cloth for the screen.
- Included: Business cards or leaflets, in a box that is easy to refill.
The day after, the week after and the month after.
- Included: Day after: contact every hot lead within one working day. Swap the event page for the 'missed us' version. Thank every person you met in a meeting.
- Included: Day after: collect shipments, check the kit and return hired items.
- Included: Week after: every lead has an owner, a stage and a next action. Clean the CRM records and start the follow-up sequences.
- Included: Week after: produce a one-page report with leads, meetings and cost by rep and placement, and a CSV for finance.
- Included: Month after: compare the result with the three goals. Work out cost per lead and cost per meeting. Write three lessons for next year.
- Included: Month after: delete the personal data you do not need, and record the decision on next year's stand.
Name one owner for every area.
| Area | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Goals and budget | Marketing lead | Three goals and the budget are signed off |
| Logistics | Event manager | Every delivery has a tracking number and a date |
| Stand and collateral | Designer or marketing | The proof has passed the go/no-go test |
| People and schedule | Stand manager | Roster, breaks and stand-ins are written down |
| Lead capture and consent | Marketing operations | A test lead reaches the CRM with consent |
| Meetings | Sales lead | Invitations are sent, confirmed 24 hours before |
| Follow-up | Sales manager | Every hot lead is answered within a working day |
| Measurement | Marketing operations | The report compares the result with the goals |
The capture rules are in how to capture and follow up trade show leads, and the page behind the banner is covered in event landing pages for exhibitors. Print this page and tick it off with your team.
Quick answers.
When should exhibitors start preparing for a trade show?
About 12 weeks before. That gives you time to book travel, read the exhibitor manual and its order deadlines, choose the team, brief the design and set goals with numbers. Print files usually go out about 4 weeks before.
What should be on a trade show checklist?
Goals and budget, logistics, stand and collateral, people and schedule, lead capture and consent, meetings, follow-up and measurement, each with tasks dated against the show. Add an on-the-day kit list and a named owner for every area.
What do you pack for a trade show stand?
Chargers and power banks, a spare phone, printed backups of the QR codes and the roster, tape, cable ties, scissors, a mobile hotspot, water and a first aid kit. Pack leaflets in a box that is easy to refill.
What goals should I set for a trade show?
Set three that you can count on the stand, such as qualified leads with consent, meetings held and follow-up speed for hot leads. Divide the total cost by each target to see what it implies per lead and per meeting.