Most things that go wrong at a trade show were decided weeks earlier. Artwork sent late, a display that does not fit the space, a power socket nobody booked. None of it is difficult, but all of it has a deadline attached.
This checklist sets out what to do and when, from eight weeks before the doors open to the last walk-through on the morning of the show. Work through it in order and nothing lands on you the night before.
Eight Weeks Out: Space, Goal and Display System
Start with the floor plan. Confirm the exact dimensions you have booked, which sides are open, and what is directly around you. A booth at the end of a run behaves differently from one in the middle, and you cannot design until you know which you have.
Decide what the stand is for before you decide what it looks like. Collecting leads, launching a product, meeting existing customers and recruiting all need different layouts, and a booth built for one is usually wrong for another.
Then choose the display system. If your booth sizes change through the year, pick something that reconfigures rather than a build for one footprint. This is also the point to check the show's height limits, because they are set by the organiser and they vary.
Four Weeks Out: Graphics, Print and Technology
Artwork takes longer than people allow for. Printers work to a file deadline, and a missed one is the most common reason a stand ships without its graphics.
Keep the message on the back wall short enough to read from across the aisle. Your name, what you do, and one reason to stop. Detail belongs lower down, on the counter or on a banner stand beside it.
Order print and giveaways at the same time, and order for the traffic you expect rather than the traffic you hope for. Leftover brochures travel home with you.
Technology needs booking, not just packing. Power, wifi and any screens or demonstration equipment are ordered through the organiser, usually at a deadline, and almost always cheaper before it than after.
Two Weeks Out: Shipping and Setup Deadlines
Confirm the shipping window with the venue. Most halls accept deliveries only inside a set period, and anything arriving outside it goes into storage at a cost.
Label every case clearly with the show name, your company and the booth number. Cases without booth numbers end up in the wrong aisle.
Work out who is building the stand. If the venue requires union labour you cannot do it yourself, and that has to be booked rather than arranged on the day. The cost of getting a display to a show is easy to underestimate, so price it early.
One Week Out: Staff Roles and Visitor Flow
Decide who is on the stand and when. Two people on rotation beats five standing in a cluster, and a staffed booth with a clear entrance pulls more visitors than a busy one people cannot walk into.
Give everyone a role for the day: who greets, who demonstrates, who captures leads, who covers breaks. Agree how a lead gets recorded before the show rather than inventing it at the stand.
Walk the layout on paper one more time. Visitors should be able to see what you sell from the aisle and reach the counter without squeezing past a colleague.
What to Pack for the Stand
The display ships. This is the box that travels with you, and it is the one people forget.
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Lead capture: scanner or app, charged, plus a paper fallback
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Extension lead, adaptors and charging cables
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Scissors, cable ties, gaffer tape and a multi-tool
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Cloth and cleaning spray for counters and graphics
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Spare business cards and a printed copy of the booth number and stand plan
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Water, snacks and comfortable shoes for a day on a hard floor
On Site: The Final Walk-Through
Get to the stand before the doors open and look at it from the aisle rather than from behind the counter. That is the only view that matters.
Check the graphics are straight and lit, the counter is clear, the lead capture works and the demonstration runs. Confirm your power is live and your wifi connects, because both are easier to fix an hour early than ten minutes late.
Quick Trade Show Checklist
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Booth dimensions and open sides confirmed
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Exhibition goal agreed
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Display system chosen and height limits checked
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Artwork approved and sent before the print deadline
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Print, samples and giveaways ordered
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Power, wifi and equipment booked through the organiser
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Shipping window confirmed and cases labelled with the booth number
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Build labour arranged
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Staff rota and roles agreed
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Stand kit packed
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Final walk-through done from the aisle
Final Thoughts
A trade show is one of the few marketing activities with a hard, immovable deadline. The work is not complicated, it is just time sensitive, and the exhibitors who look calm on the morning of the show are the ones who started eight weeks out.
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