First-time exhibitor checklist
A six-month timeline with owners, deadlines and deliverables, through the second week after the show.
Appoint a project owner and keep one shared tracker: task, owner, deadline, status and supporting file. Retain written confirmation for bookings and payments. This is a suggested schedule; organizer deadlines, visa appointments and freight lead times need separate checks.
Six months before: agree the scope
Verify the official dates, venue, product scope and audience. Set an objective in qualified meetings or product tests and approve a budget that includes travel, freight and staff time. Before signing, check the stand number, area, inclusions, payment schedule, cancellation terms and payee. Decide who can change the budget if the team cannot travel.
List each traveller’s activities, including demonstrations or installation. Check official entry requirements against passport, residence and purpose, and ask how to obtain an invitation. Avoid concentrating spending in non-refundable bookings while essential arrangements remain unresolved.
Three to four months before: book services
Download this edition’s exhibitor manual. Extract deadlines for construction approval, power, connectivity, rigging, deliveries and dismantling. Use the current organizer and venue documents rather than last year’s assumptions.
Ask a forwarder for an outward and return plan based on dimensions, weight, value and intended use. Separate returning samples, giveaways and goods for sale; flag batteries, liquids and wooden packaging. Compare hotel cancellation terms and the route to the correct hall entrance. Anyone receiving freight or checking the stand needs an appropriate arrival date.
Two months before: prepare useful sales material
Choose a small range of products. Prepare English or local-language sheets covering model, specifications, minimum order, lead time and quotation conditions. Have technical staff review terminology and give the interpreter a glossary and demonstration script. Do not imply a certification you do not hold.
Invite target customers with a stand number, agenda and two possible meeting times. Prepare a lead form for application, quantity, timing, next action and preferred contact method. Keep an offline backup and assign responsibility for contact data.
Three weeks before through departure: check delivery
Confirm tracking, customs contacts, delivery slots and return collection. Check passports, entry documents, insurance, badges, contractor passes and emergency numbers. Save key documents offline and rehearse the demonstration and lead-recording process. Allocate reception, note-taking and outside visits so the stand remains staffed.
Read equipment labels for voltage, frequency, power and connectors, and confirm supply with the venue. A plug adapter does not change voltage. Give every unresolved issue an owner and a completion date.
During the show and the following fortnight
Inspect the stand each morning. Each evening, review contacts, promises and tomorrow’s schedule. When a price or specification is uncertain, record the question and agree a reply date.
Prioritize promised follow-up within two days; complete agreed information, quotations and sample arrangements during the first week. By week two, reconcile return-shipping documents and service bills. Produce a one-page review of budget variance, qualified opportunities and outstanding commitments. Continue tracking longer sales cycles: a stack of business cards is not a sales result.