Exhibitions are expensive. Once you add up the stand space, graphics, travel, hotels, staff time and the promotional items nobody really wanted, a two-day show can cost more than months of other marketing. That’s not a reason to avoid them. The right show, with the right people walking past, can produce more serious conversations in a weekend than you’d get in a quarter. Good trade show planning is what makes that happen.
The businesses that get value from exhibitions tend to treat them as a project with a clear goal, a timeline and a follow-up plan. The ones that don’t tend to turn up with a banner, a bowl of sweets and a vague hope.
This guide covers trade show planning from start to finish, from deciding whether to book to what happens after the show closes.
Decide whether the show is worth it
Before booking, ask the organiser for information about who attends. Useful questions include:
- How many visitors attended last time, and how is that figure counted?
- What job titles, sectors and regions do visitors come from?
- Who exhibited last year, and are any of them coming back?
- What marketing will the organiser do to bring visitors in?
If you can, visit the show as a guest first. Walk the floor, see which stands are busy and why, and talk to exhibitors about whether it’s worth it for them. You’ll learn more in an hour than from any sales pack.
Set a specific goal
“Raise our profile” is hard to measure and easy to overspend on. Better goals are specific: book twenty qualified meetings, collect details from fifty potential distributors, launch a new product to existing customers, or meet three named target accounts. Your goal shapes the rest of your trade show planning: the stand design, who you send, what you give away and how you follow up.
Also work out roughly what a good outcome is worth. If one new contract would cover the cost of the show several times over, you can justify spending more on the stand. If the average order is small, keep the investment lean.
Understand the stand options
Most shows offer two broad types of stand.
Shell scheme
The organiser provides walls, a fascia board with your name, basic lighting and sometimes carpet. You add graphics and furniture. It’s simpler and cheaper, and a good choice for first-timers or smaller budgets.
Space only
You get bare floor space and build whatever you like, within the rules. It gives more freedom and more impact, but costs more and involves more logistics. Space only stands usually need drawings approved by the organiser in advance, and must meet the venue’s safety requirements.
Position matters too. Corner stands, spots near entrances, cafés and seminar areas usually get more passing traffic. They often cost more, so weigh that against your goal.
Read the exhibitor manual
Every show has an exhibitor manual. It’s long and dull, and it contains almost everything that can go wrong. Read it early in your trade show planning and note the deadlines. Typical things covered include:
- Deadlines for graphics, stand plans, electrical orders and catalogue entries.
- Build-up and breakdown times, and what happens if you miss them.
- Rules on stand height, materials and fire safety. Venues usually require materials to be flame retardant.
- Rules on sampling food or drink, playing music or running demonstrations.
- Delivery arrangements and whether you must use approved contractors.
- Insurance requirements and risk assessments.
Late orders for things like electricity and furniture often cost more, so book them before the deadline.
Design the stand for people walking past
Visitors decide in seconds whether to stop. Your stand has to tell them who you are and why they should care, from several metres away.
- Put the most important message high up where it can be seen over people’s heads.
- Say what you do in plain words. A slogan that only makes sense once you know the company won’t stop anyone.
- Keep graphics simple: one main message, a strong image and your name. Save detail for literature and conversations.
- Leave the front of the stand open. A table across the front works like a barrier.
- Give people a reason to stop: a demonstration, a product they can handle, a useful free guide, or a question on the wall that speaks to a real problem.
Order graphics well before the deadline. Production and delivery take time, and proofs almost always need at least one round of changes. Check measurements against the organiser’s stand plan carefully, especially for shell scheme panels.
Promote it before the show
Don’t rely on passing traffic. In the weeks before, tell existing customers and prospects where you’ll be, with your stand number. Book meetings in advance where you can. Use the organiser’s free promotional tools, such as exhibitor listings and social media materials. Add a line to email signatures and a banner to your website.
Staff the stand well
The people on your stand matter more than the graphics. Choose staff who are comfortable starting conversations with strangers and who know the product. Brief them on the goal, the key messages, what counts as a good lead and how to record it.
Plan shifts so nobody is exhausted by mid-afternoon. Set simple rules: no eating on the stand, no huddling in a group staring at phones, and always acknowledge people who stop.
An exhibition doesn’t produce customers. It produces conversations. The follow-up is what turns them into customers.
Capture leads properly
Make lead capture part of your trade show planning and decide how you’ll record leads before the show. Many organisers offer badge scanning apps; otherwise a simple form on a tablet works. Whatever you use, capture a few notes on each conversation: what they’re interested in, how warm they are and the agreed next step.
Be clear with visitors about how you’ll use their details. If you plan to add them to marketing emails, UK data protection and electronic marketing rules apply, so make sure you collect the right permissions. Take advice if you’re unsure what applies to your situation.
Follow up quickly
Follow-up is part of trade show planning, so plan it before the show, not after. Ideally, every lead gets a personal message within a few working days, while the conversation is still fresh. Hot leads get a call. Others get a useful email relevant to what you discussed, not a generic brochure.
Track what happens to leads over the following months, so you can judge whether the show was worth doing again.
Trade show planning checklist
- We’ve checked visitor profiles and, ideally, visited the show before.
- We have a specific, measurable goal for the show.
- We’ve chosen shell scheme or space only and a sensible position.
- The exhibitor manual has been read and all deadlines are in the diary.
- Electrics, furniture and other services are ordered on time.
- Stand graphics have one clear message, visible from a distance.
- Graphics are measured against the stand plan and meet fire safety rules.
- Existing customers and prospects know our stand number.
- Staff are briefed, on a shift rota and know how to record leads.
- Lead capture method is set up, with permissions handled properly.
- Follow-up emails and calls are planned before the show.
- We’ll track leads for several months to judge the return.
Help with your next show
We design stands and graphics that work on a busy show floor. Take a look at our exhibition graphics service, or our event marketing work if you’d like help with the promotion and follow-up as well.
