Trade Show Checklist for Exhibitors
EVENT PLANNING GUIDE
Trade Show Checklist for Exhibitors
Updated on September 28, 2026 | Written by Rachella Thomas
Exhibiting at a trade show is almost a mini event project in itself.
The trade show organiser handles the wider event, but as an exhibitor you still have your own event to plan within it: your booth, staff, freight, equipment, collateral, lead capture, travel, setup, and pack-down.
And there will be deadlines. Lots of them.
This checklist guides trade show exhibitors managing the planning and delivery of their own booth.
The Exhibitor Manual
Your first job is to read the exhibitor manual from beginning to end.
Every show works differently, and this is where you'll usually find your booth inclusions, organiser deadlines, venue rules, freight instructions, setup and pack-down times, and anything you're required to order, submit or arrange.
Don't just read it and file it away.
Pull those requirements into your own planning timeline. Add the deadlines for artwork, exhibitor passes, freight, furniture, power, internet, insurance documents, contractor information and anything else that applies to your booth.
The exhibitor manual tells you what the organiser needs. Your timeline turns those requirements into a plan for getting them done.
Trade Show Checklist
Once you've mapped out the organiser requirements, use this checklist to build out the rest of your trade show plan. It’s distilled from decades of trade shows we've produced. Use it alongside the official exhibitor manual and add anything specific to your company, booth or show.
Before the Trade Show
Objectives & Organiser Requirements
Before you order signage and furniture, clarify what you're trying to achieve by exhibiting.
▢ Confirm your objective for the show
Leads? Sales? Meetings? Product launch? Brand awareness? Your objective should influence what happens at the booth and how you measure whether exhibiting was worthwhile.
▢ Read the exhibitor manual from beginning to end
Not glamorous, but important. Highlight deadlines and anything that applies to your stand.
▢ Add organiser deadlines to your planning timeline
Include forms, artwork, exhibitor passes, freight, power, internet, furniture and any other services that need to be ordered.
▢ Confirm your booth allocation, dimensions and inclusions
Know exactly what you've paid for and what's already provided before you start ordering extras.
▢ Check venue and organiser requirements
Look for rules covering signage, rigging, electrical equipment, food sampling, demonstrations, contractors, insurance and anything else relevant to your booth.
▢ Confirm setup and pack-down times
And check when your team and contractors are actually permitted to access the site.
Booth & Display
Now you can start working out what goes into the space.
▢ Confirm the booth layout and visitor flow
▢ Design and order signage and graphics
▢ Order furniture and display equipment
▢ Confirm lighting and power requirements
▢ Arrange internet if required
▢ Order screens, monitors or other AV equipment
▢ Plan product displays or demonstrations
▢ Confirm storage for boxes, bags, staff belongings and spare collateral
▢ Check accessibility within your booth
▢ Confirm how everything will be installed and removed
Don't design the booth from the front elevation alone. Think about what happens when people are actually standing in it. Where does your team go? Where do conversations happen? Where are bags hidden? Can people move through the space without blocking the aisle?
Freight & Deliveries
This is an area where reading the organiser's instructions really matters.
▢ List everything that needs to travel to the show
▢ Confirm freight deadlines and delivery instructions
▢ Check whether freight goes directly to the venue or through an appointed contractor or holding facility
▢ Label every item according to the organiser's instructions
▢ Include your company name and booth number where required
▢ Allow enough time for delayed freight
▢ Track important shipments
▢ Photograph or record what's packed before it leaves
▢ Plan how empty cases and packaging will be stored during the show
▢ Arrange return freight before you arrive on site
That last one is easy to forget. Getting everything to the show is only half the freight plan. You also need to know how it's getting home.
Staffing
▢ Confirm who is attending
▢ Arrange exhibitor passes or badges
▢ Create a staff roster if the show runs for long hours or multiple days
▢ Allocate responsibilities
▢ Brief everyone on your objectives and key messages
▢ Explain how leads should be captured
▢ Share setup, opening and pack-down times
▢ Provide venue, travel and accommodation information
▢ Plan staff breaks
Don't roster the booth so tightly that nobody can leave it. Trade shows are tiring, and your team still needs time to eat, take a break and walk the show themselves.
Lead Capture & Collateral
If generating leads is one of your reasons for exhibiting, decide how you'll capture them before the doors open.
▢ Confirm whether the organiser provides a lead-scanning system
▢ Set up and test your own lead capture process if required
▢ Decide what information you actually need to collect
▢ Agree how staff will record useful notes from conversations
▢ Prepare brochures, samples, business cards or other collateral
▢ Order giveaways if you're using them
▢ Prepare any QR codes and test them
▢ Confirm where captured lead information will go after the event
▢ Decide who is responsible for follow-up
A pile of scanned badges isn't particularly useful if nobody remembers why each person wanted to talk to you.
Travel & Accommodation
▢ Book accommodation early
▢ Confirm flights, trains or other travel
▢ Arrange transfers or local transport
▢ Share itineraries with the team
▢ Check arrival times against setup requirements
▢ Allow enough time for staff involved in booth setup to arrive before access closes
At the Trade Show
Setup
Give yourself enough time to find problems while there's still time to fix them.
▢ Check in with the organiser
▢ Locate your booth and confirm it matches your allocation
▢ Check delivered freight before unpacking
▢ Report missing or damaged items promptly
▢ Assemble displays and furniture
▢ Install signage and graphics
▢ Set up products and collateral
▢ Connect and test power, lighting, internet and AV
▢ Test demonstrations and presentations
▢ Check the booth from the aisle once setup is complete
▢ Remove boxes, rubbish and unnecessary packaging
▢ Confirm where empty packaging will be stored
Before the Doors Open
▢ Do a final booth walk-through
▢ Clean screens, counters and display surfaces
▢ Stock collateral and giveaways
▢ Test QR codes and lead capture
▢ Make sure staff know the day's schedule
▢ Confirm who is covering the booth first
▢ Check any demonstrations or appointments scheduled for the day
▢ Put personal belongings out of sight
Pro Tip: Stand where an attendee will see the booth first. It's amazing what you notice from the aisle that you don't see while you're standing behind the counter.
During the Show
▢ Keep the booth appropriately staffed
▢ Capture leads and useful conversation notes
▢ Restock collateral and samples
▢ Keep displays tidy
▢ Check equipment throughout the day
▢ Monitor scheduled meetings and demonstrations
▢ Keep an eye on organiser updates
▢ Give staff proper breaks
▢ Note recurring attendee questions or feedback
End-of-Day Reset
If it's a multi-day show, don't just walk away when the doors close.
▢ Restock anything running low
▢ Charge devices and lead scanners
▢ Secure valuable equipment and products
▢ Clean and reset the booth
▢ Review the day's leads
▢ Note anything that needs fixing before tomorrow
▢ Brief the team on any changes for the next day
After the Trade Show
Pack-Down & Return Freight
Don't start dismantling early just because the show has gone quiet. Wait until the organiser officially closes the event.
▢ Follow the organiser's pack-down instructions and timing
▢ Account for equipment, products and display materials
▢ Pack reusable items carefully
▢ Label return freight correctly
▢ Confirm collection arrangements
▢ Keep tracking details and freight documentation
▢ Remove all company materials from the booth
▢ Return hired equipment as required
▢ Check the space before leaving
Lead Follow-Up
The value of exhibiting isn't determined when the trade show closes. A lot of it depends on what you do with the conversations afterwards.
▢ Export and organise captured leads
▢ Add notes while conversations are still fresh
▢ Prioritise the strongest opportunities
▢ Assign follow-up responsibility
▢ Send promised information
▢ Follow up within the timeframe your team agreed
▢ Record outcomes in your CRM or sales system
Review What Worked
Before everyone moves on to the next project, take a little time to review the show.
▢ Compare results against your original objectives
▢ Review leads, meetings, sales or other relevant measures
▢ Review the final cost of exhibiting
▢ Ask the booth team what worked and what didn't
▢ Record attendee feedback and common questions
▢ Note what you would change about the booth or staffing
▢ Record freight, supplier or organiser issues
▢ Save useful documents and information for next time
Pro Tip: Do this while you still remember the annoying little things. Six months later, you'll remember that something didn't work. You probably won't remember exactly what it was.
Save This Checklist for Your Next Trade Show
Trade shows get much easier once you've done a few because you stop rebuilding the process every time.
Keep your checklist. Keep your planning timeline. Keep your supplier details, freight notes, booth measurements, final costs and the little lessons you picked up on site.
Then, when the next trade show gets booked, you won't start from scratch. You'll have your own event planning process in place that you know works.
Planning the Trade Show Itself?
If you're on the other side of the event and you’re responsible for planning and delivering it, our Trade Shows Kit includes the professional planning templates you need to manage the wider event.
→ If you found this Event Kit Guide useful, feel free to share it with a fellow event planner or your event network. They’ll appreciate you passing it on.
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Rachella Thomas is an award-winning event producer with more than 26 years of experience delivering major events. Her work includes the Australian Open, Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and other renowned large-scale events and festivals.
Rachella founded Event Kit, where she turns decades of professional event know-how into practical tools for event planners worldwide.
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