The Five-Step Trade Show Checklist That Actually Works

Here's my Foolproof Trade Show Planning Checklist for Exhibitors

Whenever I talk with any company who will be exhibiting at an event or trade show, I always share these simple five steps for success. And while each of these steps should be self-evident, they are rarely discussed as a team or shared as a cohesive plan with all participating team members. And this breakdown of communications is often the main point of frustration discussed in any post-mortem show meeting.

Following these steps as a team will set you on the right path for having your best show yet.

The Five Steps for Trade Show Success

Step One: Agree on Why You Are Attending the Event

Are you launching new product? Wanting to secure press? Finding new channel partners? Finding new marketing partners? Looking for new vendors? Looking for new end-users? Or are you attending to show face and to network?

Defining the why is critical as this sets the stage for everything else. What is your main goal?

Now the natural tendency is to say yes to all of the above and while that may be true, it is always better to have one clearly defined goal and to have everything else radiate out and support that singular mission. For example, if you are attending a show because the show coincides with your upcoming product launch schedule, let that be your main driver and then each element such as securing press for the new launch is a supporting piece.

Step Two: Define Who Is Attending and Ask What Work Has Already Been Done

Ask each participating team member who they've reached out to. Who have they connected with? What legwork have they been doing to support your overarching success?

This is where networking actually comes into play. The real networking work happens before the trade show ever even begins—not during the show.

Step Three: Revisit How Your Booth Flow Will Support Your Goal

If your goal is to meet with buyers and new channel partners, do you have a dedicated space for meetings? Do you have refreshments? Have you maximized your hospitality efforts without compromising the demo experience? Is your messaging on point or are you inadvertently sending mixed messages that undermine your stated goals?

Step Four: Determine How You Will Track and Catalog All Opportunities

Most opportunities are missed because commitments are not properly noted. Talking about doing something is radically different than ensuring that it gets done.

(And as an aside—if your team is doing the outreach and work as defined in step two, most of the commitments should already be part of your plan. Or at the very least, the concepts or ideas of what you want to achieve should never be a surprise.) If you notice that many of your discussions at the show center around things that are not relevant to your main objective, then there is still room for improvement in tightening up your internal directives.

Step Five: Ensure You Have a System to Monitor Follow-Up

95% of the way does not get the deal done. I have seen this happen countless times. You nailed every step. You spent the money. And yet no one closed because everyone got busy when they went back to work and simple follow-ups never happened. If you don't have a culture of closing the loop, then going to the show is never going to return positive results.

By following this checklist, you are well on the way to having your best trade show experience to date. Having a few of your employees on the same page is excellent. Having all of your employees working with the same shared goals and expectations is unstoppable.