What Is a Trade Show?
What is a trade show, and how does it work?
A trade show is an event where companies in one industry exhibit their products and services to buyers, partners, distributors and press. Each exhibiting company rents a booth on the show floor, staffs it with sales and product people, and meets the visitors who walk the aisles. Trade shows are also called trade fairs, expos or exhibitions.
Most trade shows are business to business: visitors come to source products, compare suppliers and find partners, not to buy for themselves. Many run alongside a conference program, so attendees can learn in the sessions and meet suppliers on the floor in the same trip.
Updated by the Eventdex team
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How a trade show works
A trade show brings several groups together, and each comes for something different:
The organizer
An association, a media company or a specialist events company books the venue, sells booths and sponsorships, recruits attendees and runs the show.
Exhibitors
Companies that buy a booth to show products, meet customers, find distributors and collect leads they can follow up after the show.
Attendees
Buyers, specifiers, partners and press who register to see what is new, compare suppliers side by side and meet them in person.
Sponsors
Companies that pay for visibility beyond a booth: a named keynote, the lanyards, the event app or a networking reception.
Types of trade shows
The format changes with the audience and the industry:
| Type | Who attends | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Industry (B2B) trade show | Buyers and professionals from one industry | Exhibitors show products and collect leads; often paired with a conference |
| Consumer show or expo | The general public | Exhibitors sell and demo directly to visitors, as at home, auto or travel shows |
| International trade fair | Buyers and exhibitors from many countries | Large shows where distributors and agents are found, often across several halls |
| Hosted buyer event | Pre-qualified buyers invited by the organizer | Buyers attend scheduled one-to-one meetings with suppliers |
| Conference with exhibit hall | Conference delegates | A smaller show floor visited between sessions |
| Virtual or hybrid trade show | Online visitors, or online and in-person visitors | Virtual booths with chat, video calls and downloadable content |
Trade show terms explained
Exhibitor manuals and organizer emails use a vocabulary of their own. The terms you will meet most:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Booth (or stand) | The space an exhibitor rents on the show floor, sold by size and location |
| Inline booth | A booth in a row, with neighbors on both sides and one side open to the aisle |
| Corner booth | A booth at the end of a row, open to two aisles |
| Island booth | A large booth open to aisles on all four sides |
| Floor plan | The map of the hall showing every booth, aisle and feature area |
| Exhibitor manual | The organizer's rules, deadlines and order forms for exhibitors |
| Move-in and move-out | The set-up days before the show and the tear-down after it |
| Lead retrieval | Scanning a visitor's badge at the booth to capture their contact details |
| Hosted buyer | A qualified buyer invited by the organizer to meet selected exhibitors |
| Show services | Contractors who supply furniture, power, freight handling and signage |
How to get the most from a trade show as a visitor
A trade show floor can hold hundreds of booths, and a visitor who arrives without a plan sees the busiest aisles and little else. A little preparation turns a day of walking into a list of useful contacts:
Register early
Early registration is often cheaper or free for qualified visitors, and your badge can be ready when you arrive.
Shortlist exhibitors
Use the exhibitor list and floor plan in the event app to mark the booths you must see, and plan a route through the hall.
Book meetings in advance
If the show runs a matchmaking or hosted buyer program, request meetings with the suppliers that matter most before the show opens.
Let exhibitors scan your badge
Scanning shares your contact details so exhibitors can send what they promised. Say what you need, so the follow-up is relevant.
Mix the floor with the sessions
Conference sessions and demos on the show floor are often the best way to learn what is new in the industry.
Sort contacts the same day
Note who you met and what you agreed each evening, while the conversations are still fresh.
How organizers run a trade show
A trade show is two sales jobs at once: selling booths to exhibitors and attendance to visitors. The work, in order:
Set the date, venue and floor plan
Choose a hall that fits the expected number of booths, and draw the floor plan with booth sizes, aisles and feature areas.
Price and sell booths
Price booths by size and position, publish the floor plan, and let past exhibitors rebook first.
Publish the exhibitor manual
Deadlines for profiles, badges, shipping and orders; booth rules; and move-in and move-out times.
Open attendee registration
Use registration questions that tell exhibitors who is coming, such as job role, industry and buying interest.
Market to attendees
Promote what attendees will see and learn, and give exhibitors material to invite their own customers.
Run check-in and badges
Print badges on arrival or send them in advance. Badges carry the codes exhibitors scan for leads.
Support exhibitors on the floor
Give exhibitors a lead retrieval app and, for hosted buyer programs, scheduled meetings.
Report afterwards
Attendance, leads and meetings for each exhibitor and sponsor. These results drive rebooking for next year.
How Eventdex runs a trade show
Eventdex is trade show software for organizers and their exhibitors. It does not source venues or supply show services such as freight or furniture. It runs booth sales, registration, badges, leads and meetings.
Booth sales on the floor plan
Upload the hall plan, mark each booth, and let exhibitors choose an available booth and book it online.
Event floor plan softwareExhibitor portal
Exhibitors manage their company profile, brochures, booth staff and scanned leads in one place.
Exhibitor management softwareRegistration and badges
Attendee and exhibitor registration, walk-in registration onsite, and on-demand badge printing on Zebra, Epson and Brother printers.
Check-in and badge printingLead retrieval
Exhibitors scan badges, rate leads, add notes and qualifier answers, and export them to their CRM.
Lead retrieval appHosted buyer meetings
AI meeting recommendations and scheduled one-to-one meetings between buyers and exhibitors.
Business matchmaking
The Eventdex platform
Everything a trade show runs on
- Floor plans and booth bookingExhibitors choose and book booths on an interactive floor plan.Learn more about Floor plans and booth booking
- Trade show registrationAttendees, exhibitors and walk-ins on one registration system.Learn more about Trade show registration
- Check-in and badge printingQR check-in and badges printed on demand.Learn more about Check-in and badge printing
- Lead retrievalBadge scanning, lead rating and CRM export for exhibitors.Learn more about Lead retrieval
- Hosted buyer matchmakingRecommended and scheduled meetings between buyers and suppliers.Learn more about Hosted buyer matchmaking
“Very smooth... Liked selecting meetings and blocking off time. Amazing! Would use again! ... I met with the people I wanted to meet and appreciated the option to read the profiles and decline meetings if someone would not be a good fit.”
University at Buffalo
Eversource Energy
Georgia Tech
Influence Communications
FAQ
What Is a Trade Show?: common questions
What is the purpose of a trade show?
To bring an industry's suppliers and buyers together in one place, so exhibitors can show products and collect leads, and attendees can compare suppliers and find partners in one trip.
What is the difference between a trade show and an expo?
Often none: the words are used interchangeably. When they are distinguished, a trade show is for industry professionals and an expo is open to the public.
Can anyone go to a trade show?
Consumer shows are open to the public. Industry trade shows usually require registration and may limit entry to professionals in the field.
How are trade show booths priced?
Organizers price booths by size and position, with corner and island booths usually costing more than inline ones. Exhibitors also budget for the booth build, shipping, travel, staff and show services.
What is lead retrieval at a trade show?
Lead retrieval is how exhibitors capture visitors' details: they scan the code on a visitor's badge with an app or scanner, add notes and a rating, and export the leads after the show.
Is a trade show the same as a conference?
No. A conference is built around sessions and speakers; a trade show is built around exhibitors and their booths. Many events combine both.
Run your next trade show on Eventdex
Start with a free interactive floor plan, or talk to an event specialist on +1 (866) 434-5088.