The exhibitor checklist, from booking to follow-up

Decide what the show is for

Write down a number of meetings or qualified leads and a budget ceiling: space, booth, graphics, freight, show services, travel and giveaways. After the show this is how you decide whether to go back.

Start a custom booth now

If you are having a booth designed and built, brief the builder now with the size, budget, products, storage, AV and any hanging sign. Design, approval and fabrication take months.

Check what is included with the space

Read the contract and the floor plan. Many spaces come with back and side drape, an ID sign and a few badges. Electrical, carpet, furniture and internet are usually extra.

Get the exhibitor service kit

The kit (also called the exhibitor manual or service manual) is the show's rulebook and order form in one. Copy every deadline from it into your plan. It lists the advance-price deadline, the warehouse window, move-in times, height limits and forms.

Big booths: floor plan and hanging sign

Shows commonly ask exhibitors with island booths or 400 sq ft and more to submit a floor plan with heights, materials and flooring, and to get any hanging sign approved. Hanging signs often have to ship separately, with their own labels.

Booth you already own: set it up

Put it together at the office. Look for damaged panels, missing hardware, dead lights and graphics with old products or phone numbers. There is still time to replace parts.

Rental or pop-up: order it

Get the frame size and the graphic templates from the supplier before anyone designs graphics.

Write the graphics

People walking an aisle read a booth in a few seconds. One headline that says what you sell, one strong image, the logo up high where it clears the crowd. Detail belongs on a screen or a sheet at the counter.

Send files to the printer

Fabric and banner printers commonly need two to three weeks plus shipping. Approve the proofs against the frame templates: size, bleed, and every phone number and web address.

Order giveaways

Allow two to four weeks for production plus shipping. They have to arrive before the freight leaves.

Choose staff and book rooms

Plan shifts of a few hours, and count setup and teardown days. Book rooms in the show's hotel block early. Blocks often close around a month before the show.

Place show service orders by the discount deadline

Electrical, carpet, furniture, booth cleaning, labor, the lead retrieval scanner. Orders after the advance-price deadline are billed at the standard rate, and some contractors also charge standard rates on orders not paid by the deadline. In the 2026–27 kits we read, this deadline fell 17 to 33 days before opening.

Internet and catering may come first

Venue internet and catering often have their own, earlier deadline. In one 2026 kit they were nine days ahead of the main contractor's.

Register badges and send the insurance certificate

The space includes a set number of exhibitor badges, often based on booth size. Many shows also want a certificate of liability insurance naming the show and venue, and some need a sampling authorization and a local health permit if you hand out food or drink.

Invite people

Put a show page on your website with the booth number and a meeting link, then send the first pre-show email about four weeks out. Book meetings with the customers and prospects who matter most.

Ship to the advance warehouse, or plan for move-in day

Advance warehouses typically start receiving about 30 days before move-in and want freight in a week to ten days before it. After that a late charge applies. Direct-to-show shipments are only received on your assigned move-in date and time.

Pack so a missing box is easy to prove

Label two sides of every box with the show's own labels. Photograph and list what is in each one. Track it, and confirm with the show contractor that every piece arrived.

Book the return now

Choose the outbound carrier and fill in the bill of lading before you travel. At close, carriers have a check-in deadline; freight left without one is usually re-routed with the show's carrier at your cost.

• Check every order confirmation against the booth plan: outlet location, carpet color, furniture count, labor times.
• Send the staff schedule and brief the team: goals, the demo, three qualifying questions and how to tag a lead.
• Pack a booth kit: tape, zip ties, scissors, power strip, extension cord, chargers, wipes, a small first-aid kit, spare graphics hardware.
• Send the last reminder to everyone with a meeting booked.

• At move-in, check that everything ordered and shipped is in the booth. Report anything missing at the service desk before opening; claims made after the show are rarely credited.
• Log every lead with a note while it's fresh. Without a note, a badge scan only gives you a name.
• Hold a five-minute debrief at the end of each day.
• At close, wait for empty crates to come back (it can take an hour or more), pack, and hand in the outbound paperwork.

• Within two days: follow up with every hot lead.
• Within a week: every lead is in the CRM with its notes, and everyone else has had a follow-up.
• One week: team debrief on what worked and what to change.
• Two weeks: check the final invoices from the show and contractors against what you ordered.
• One month: count meetings, leads, pipeline and cost per lead against the goals you set.
• Six weeks: decide whether to rebook. Some shows sell next year's space on site or soon after, in priority order.