Trade show checklist for B2B sales teams
A trade show checklist for sales teams that sell products: what to do 8 weeks out, 2 weeks out, at the booth and in the week after, with samples and follow-up.
By the PromptLab team6 October 20264 min read
A trade show pays back in the weeks after it, not on the floor. The orders come from meetings booked before you arrive, the right samples on the stand and follow-up inside a week. This checklist runs from eight weeks out to the week after, for a sales team that sells physical products.
Use it as a working document. Give each item an owner and a date. When the show is over, the last group connects to our guide on how to follow up after a trade show and the follow-up email templates.
Eight weeks out: decide what the show is for
Set the goal first. A booth with no goal collects business cards and nothing else.
8 weeks before
Two weeks out: book meetings and prepare the booth
Booths get passing trade. Meetings with named accounts are where the value is.
2 weeks before
At the show: capture everything while it's fresh
Notes taken at 4pm on day one are better than notes written from memory on Monday.
At the show
The week after: follow up fast
Speed matters most this week. The first supplier to send a useful, specific email is easier to remember than the fifth.
The week after
The items people skip
- The show tag. Without it you can't tell show leads from the rest, and you can't work out what the show earned.
- Samples with no record. A handed-out sample that isn't logged is a follow-up that never happens.
- A named owner per lead. "The team will follow up" means nobody does.
- Evening notes. Details fade quickly, and the product of interest is the first to go.
- Cutting the list. A week after the show, drop leads with no next step. A shorter list gets worked.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start planning for a trade show?
About eight weeks before. Samples, literature and meeting requests all have lead times, and the best slots with key accounts go early.
How many leads should I expect from a trade show?
That depends on the show, the booth and your market, so set your own target from past shows. Judge the show on sample requests, quotes and orders rather than on the number of cards collected.
How soon should I follow up after a trade show?
Within two working days for hot leads and within a week for the rest. Our follow-up guide has the timing and wording.
What should we bring besides samples?
Current price lists, spec sheets, a quote template and a way to capture leads on the spot. Bring a phone charger too, because lead capture dies with the battery.
How do I measure the return on a trade show?
Tag every lead with the show. A few months later, count the quotes, orders and revenue linked to that tag and set it against the total cost of the show.