Trade shows aren't just about showing up and hoping for that perfect lead to walk right up to you and ask where they can sign on the dotted line.  They require strategy before, during, and after the event. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years.

The Trade Show Reality Check

We've all been there. You spend a small fortune on that perfect booth, fly your team out, print those fancy brochures, and stand there with a smile for three days straight. Everyone's exhausted, you've collected a stack of business cards, and then... nothing happens. Sound familiar?

I actually started my career in the exhibition industry working for First Conferences (acquired by Thomson Reuters) and then leading a portfolio of global events at Clarion.

Then as a marketing leader at Attest and Student Beans, I invested £££ budget to get us in front of prospects at major industry trade shows, sending the sales team out to the show floor.

Generally our booth looked pretty good, the team was prepped, and we had great conversations, but when our CEO asked about the ROI two weeks later, I started to get a little bit nervous. Where was all that pipeline we promised?

The truth is, trade shows aren't just about showing up and hoping for that perfect lead to walk right up to you and ask where they can sign on the dotted line. 

They require strategy before, during, and after the event.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years.

  1. Before the show: Getting on people's calendars when they're still planning their visit
  2. During the show: Having meaningful conversations, not just scanning badges
  3. After the show: Following up in a way that doesn't scream "generic sales email"

Let me walk you through what actually works, based on what I've learned the hard way.

Getting on Calendars Before Anyone Sets Foot on the Show Floor

The biggest mistake? Thinking the magic happens only at your booth. By the time most people arrive at a trade show, their schedules are already packed.

What actually works:

Start way earlier than feels comfortable.

I used to wait until a month before the event to start outreach. Big mistake. Now we begin 4-6 months out, when people are just marking the event on their calendars. LinkedIn messages like "Planning to be at CompTech in September? Would love to grab coffee while we're both there" work surprisingly well this far in advance.

Missed that window? Don’t worry, you can still catch-up…but like the Chinese proverb says, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the next best time is today. So don’t delay…get your pre-event campaign into motion asap.

How RevvedUp helps: We’ll help you build a list of your target accounts that are attending the event and start personalized outreach campaigns months in advance, so your calendar fills up before you even board the plane.

Make it personal, or don't bother

Generic "We'll be at booth #4219!" messages get ignored. Instead, I look for something specific about their company or recent announcement: "Saw your new product launch last month—would love to hear how that's changing your approach to X while we're both at the show."

How RevvedUp helps: Our AI scans recent news, funding announcements, and company updates to craft personalized outreach that resonates with each prospect. 

Create FOMO with exclusive experiences

Rather than hoping people find your booth, invite select prospects to something special—a small dinner, VIP happy hour, or private product preview. We've found that 15-person dinners generate more pipeline than hundreds of random booth conversations.

How RevvedUp helps: We can handle everything from identifying the right VIPs, to sending tiered invitations based on prospect value.

Making Every Conversation Count When You're There

After hours on your feet, all booth conversations start to blur together. Without the right approach, you'll collect leads that go nowhere.

What actually works:

Arm your team with conversation starters, not sales pitches

The best booth conversations don't begin with "Let me tell you about our features." They start with "What brought you to the show this year?" or "What's the biggest challenge you're facing with [industry problem]?" 

Give your team 3-5 good questions that reveal whether someone is a genuine prospect. Discovery doesn’t have to wait until you’re back in the office on a schedule zoom call…get ahead while you can.

Take real notes on real conversations

This sounds obvious, but it's astonishing how many booth scanners contain nothing but "Follow up" in the notes field. I make my team use a simple framework: What problem do they have? Why is it important now? Who else is involved in the decision? When would they want to solve it?

Print off actual A5 cards with those crib questions and a space to scrawl the answer on if you need to!

Create moments, not just handouts

People remember experiences, not brochures. For example instead of the standard swag, bring a professional photographer to take LinkedIn headshots. Your booth will have a line all day, and every conversation starts naturally while people wait.

The Follow-Up That Actually Works

Most trade show leads die in the follow-up phase. Either they get a generic "Thanks for stopping by our booth!" email, or worse—they hear nothing for weeks while the sales team prioritizes "hot" leads.

What actually works:

Speed beats perfection

The half-life of trade show excitement is about 24-48 hours. I've found that a simple, personal email sent the same night works better than a perfect, carefully crafted message sent a week later. 

Something like: "Great chatting about your inventory challenges today. Here's that case study I mentioned about how Company X solved the same problem."

However at particularly busy trade shows, your team might only be able to do this for the top 5% of priority prospects.

How RevvedUp helps: Our platform lets you automatically send personalized emails based on the actual booth conversations you logged. Emails can go out the next day while you're having breakfast, so prospects wake up to your follow-up before anyone else's.

Different conversations deserve different follow-ups

Not every booth visitor needs the same next step. Sometimes the right move is a demo, sometimes it's sharing an article, sometimes it's connecting them with a current customer facing similar challenges. Take the time to personalize the next step based on what you actually discussed.

How RevvedUp helps: Our platform categorizes leads based on conversation notes and automatically triggers the right follow-up sequence. High-intent prospects get meeting invites, while early-stage leads receive educational content relevant to the challenges they mentioned.

Play the long game with some leads

Some of your best booth conversations will be with people who aren't ready to buy yet. (Just 3% of folks are typically ‘in-market’ at any given time).

Instead of forcing them into your standard sales sequence, create a specific nurture path that acknowledges the relationship started at the event: "Since we met at CompTech, I thought you'd find this interesting..." These long-game relationships often become your biggest deals later.

How RevvedUp helps: Our AI-driven nurture campaigns keep event connections warm for months after the show, sending personalized content based on each prospect's interests and engagement - even if it’s just a once-a-quarter touchpoint that’s hyper-personalized to them.

The Real Question: Was It Worth It?

After every show, calculate what it actually delivered. This isn't just about immediate deals—some of our best trade show ROI came from relationships that took a year to develop. But you should be able to trace pipeline back to specific conversations and follow-ups.

If you're honest with this assessment, you'll know which shows deserve your budget next year and which ones were just expensive networking events.

Trade shows can be gold mines or money pits. The difference isn't luck—it's having a human strategy for before, during, and after the event that focuses on building relationships, not just collecting badges.

What's been your experience with trade shows? I'd love to hear what's worked for you.

Want help maximizing your next event? Our team at RevvedUp specializes in turning trade show conversations into actual pipeline.

Let's chat about your next show