The Ultimate Pre-Show Planning Checklist

Twelve weeks before your show is when the strategic decisions need to be locked in. Start by defining your show objectives in specific, measurable terms. "Generate leads" is not a goal. "Capture 200 qualified leads with decision-maker titles from companies with 500+ employees" is a goal. "Build brand awareness" is vague. "Drive 1,000 booth visitors and collect 50 product demo sign-ups" gives your team something concrete to work toward.

At this stage, confirm your booth space assignment and review the show's exhibitor manual cover to cover. The manual contains critical deadlines for electricity, internet, rigging, and material handling that you do not want to miss. At shows like CES, where the Las Vegas Convention Center hosts over 4,000 exhibitors, late orders for services can be twice as expensive as advance orders — or simply unavailable.

This is also the time to align internally. Schedule a kick-off meeting with everyone involved: marketing, sales, product, and any external partners like your booth builder and staffing agency. Review roles, responsibilities, budgets, and the timeline. Create a shared project management board (Asana, Monday, Trello — pick your tool) where every task has an owner and a deadline. The companies that run smooth shows are the ones that treat them like product launches, not afterthoughts.

By eight weeks out, your booth design should be finalized or in final review. If you are working with a custom booth builder, this is when you should be approving final renderings and confirming that all graphics, signage, and structural elements will be ready for shipping deadlines. For rental or modular booths, confirm your order and submit graphic files. If your booth includes technology like touchscreens, video walls, or interactive demos, order equipment now and begin testing.

Develop all your marketing collateral: sell sheets, product brochures, business cards, and any promotional items. Order quantities based on your expected booth traffic plus a 20 percent buffer. If you are launching a product at the show, prepare press kits and schedule media meetings. At shows like NRF or HIMSS that draw significant press coverage, having a dedicated media outreach plan can amplify your presence far beyond the show floor.

Submit your staffing request to your agency if you are using external staff. Eight weeks gives the agency enough time to source, vet, and confirm qualified candidates in the show city. Provide your staffing brief (see our guide on choosing staff) and schedule training dates. If you are using internal employees, confirm their travel arrangements and begin preparing training materials that cover booth flow, messaging, lead capture procedures, and daily schedules.

Four weeks out is when logistics become the priority. Confirm your freight carrier and shipping schedule. Most booth materials need to ship two to three weeks before the show to arrive at the advance warehouse on time. The advance warehouse is typically cheaper and more reliable than direct-to-show shipping, which can be chaotic, especially at large venues like McCormick Place in Chicago or the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Build a detailed packing list for everything being shipped: booth hardware, graphics, product samples, technology, marketing materials, office supplies, and any ancillary items. Include quantity counts and box numbers. Photograph everything before it ships so you have documentation in case of damage or loss. Label every box with the show name, your booth number, and a contents summary.

Launch your pre-show marketing campaigns. Email your customer and prospect lists to announce your presence and invite them to visit your booth. If the show offers an exhibitor listing or a mobile app profile, optimize it with your messaging and schedule any sponsored placements. Reach out to key accounts and schedule booth meetings during the show. At Dreamforce, some exhibitors book 50 or more on-site meetings before the show even opens — and those pre-scheduled meetings are almost always the highest-quality conversations of the event.

Two weeks before the show, conduct your staff training sessions. For agency staff, this is typically a 60- to 90-minute video call covering your company, products, messaging, and lead capture procedures. For internal staff, hold an in-person or virtual training that also covers booth flow, demo scripts, and qualification criteria. Distribute a one-page "cheat sheet" that staff can reference during the show.

Test all technology. Charge and configure every tablet, laptop, and display device. Test your lead capture app with a few practice entries to confirm that data syncs correctly to your CRM. If you are running product demos, do a full run-through on the actual equipment you are bringing to the show. Nothing kills booth confidence faster than a demo that crashes in front of a prospect because nobody tested it on the show hardware.

Finalize your daily schedule, including move-in and move-out times, staff shift assignments, team meeting times, and any off-site events or dinners. At SEMA, for example, the show floor closes at 5 PM but the real networking happens at off-site events in the evenings. Make sure your team knows the full schedule, not just the show floor hours. Distribute an on-site contact list with cell phone numbers for every team member, your show services coordinator, and your staffing agency's on-site manager.

Move-in day sets the tone for your entire show. Arrive at your booth space early and verify that all shipped materials have arrived. Check your freight against your packing list and immediately report any missing or damaged items to your freight carrier and show management. At union venues, coordinate with your appointed labor for booth assembly — have printed build instructions and a floor plan available for the crew.

Assemble your booth in stages: structure and walls first, then graphics and signage, then technology and displays, and finally marketing materials and finishing touches. Walk through the completed booth from an attendee's perspective. Can someone walking down the aisle immediately understand who you are and what you do? Is the demo area accessible? Are the lead capture stations positioned where staff can easily reach them between conversations?

Hold a final team walkthrough the evening before or morning of day one. Every staff member should physically walk through the booth, know where everything is, test the demo equipment, practice with the lead capture system, and understand the daily schedule. Address any last-minute questions. By the time the show floor opens, your team should feel confident, prepared, and energized — not confused, rushed, or stressed.

Create a daily opening checklist that a team lead runs through every morning before the show floor opens. This should include: power on all displays and verify they are showing the correct content, test internet connectivity, confirm that the lead capture system is working and syncing, restock all marketing materials and promotional items, verify that demo equipment is functioning properly, and confirm staff assignments for the first shift.

Keep a "show kit" at the booth that includes basic supplies: packing tape, zip ties, a multi-tool, phone chargers for every type, extension cords, a first aid kit, breath mints, hand sanitizer, and pain relievers. These small items prevent small problems from becoming show-stopping disruptions. Also keep a printed copy of your exhibitor services order, your show management contact, and your booth number — you will need these more often than you think.

At the end of each day, secure valuable items, power down equipment that should not run overnight, and do a quick inventory of marketing materials. If you are running low on anything, arrange for overnight delivery or have a backup plan. The number of exhibitors who run out of brochures or promotional items by day two of a four-day show is staggering — and it is entirely preventable with ten minutes of daily planning.