Trying to feel ready before the busy tradeshow season begins? We get it. It’s a lot of work! Our team of fractional experts have been through it all - walking shows, manning booths, representing brands, participating in panels, and networking outside of the show.  

We compiled a few of our tips, tricks, and must-have packing items to help the final few weeks of prep run a bit smoother.

Before the Show

You’ve spent months painstakingly working through the details of booth design, logistics, and schedules in preparation for tradeshow season. Don’t let last-minute hiccups derail your momentum.

Create a Single Source of Truth

Compile everything necessary for expo success in one key document to avoid confusion and missed details. We recommend a shared PowerPoint or Google Deck, dedicating one topic per slide.  

“It becomes almost like your ‘run of show’ or expo brand book.” Lara, our commercialization and product launch expert, explains. “It includes your schedule, packing list, how many samples you need and how to prepare them, talking points about your brand, everything.”

Clearly state your brand voice, elevator pitch, answers to FAQs, and key product differentiators. Knowing your brand inside and out equips your team with confidence to begin conversations while providing a consistent experience to the show walkers.  

Additional slides to include are booth shift schedules - when supplies and workers will arrive to set up, who is manning the booth at what times, what each member’s specific responsibilities can include, and everyone’s contact information.  

Prep Your Home and Away Team

Knowing your booth team will be in multiple locations with odd schedules, while your home team will be shifting their workload to help cover, prepping for the weeks before, during and after is crucial to keep operations running smoothly.  

Referring to our previous section, the most important thing to prep your booth team on is the single source of truth document. Ensure that members nail the elevator pitch, help answer as many product questions beforehand, and practice capturing leads efficiently.  

The home team’s goal is to continue business as normal. To maintain a manageable workload, we recommend meeting with your whole team to list out critical tasks and their priority level over the coming weeks, while making a “to-do later” list once the full team is back together. Designate a few home members as urgent contact points for the booth team; they may need to print or ship last-minute materials if issues arise. Vice versa, a founder or senior salesperson should schedule a few windows of availability to step away from expo craziness and assist the home team with troubleshooting or quick decisions.  

Remember, show prep is about aligning expectations of your entire team while creating balance and flexibility to ‘make it all work’.  

Pack a Booth Emergency Kit

Besides essential booth setup items, samples, and marketing materials, bringing these extra items may save on stress and (another) last-minute store run.  

“If you pack only one extra thing,” Lara exclaims, “double-sided tape! Trust me. You never know when things will fall apart in the booth, or you need to put a quick something together for the new product showcase in the hall.”  

Check with your expo contact prior to the show to see what supplies will be available during set-up. You may need to pack or make a store run to obtain cleaning sprays, a little pull cart, hammers, zip ties, etc. Remember, you’re building a booth that needs to stay up and look clean and tidy for the next few days!

Managing Wi-Fi is another big concern pre-expo and during. You can’t rely solely on a site’s bandwidth to access prepped documents. We recommend downloading everything from product sell sheets to the single source of truth to your desired device. Additionally, bring a folder with printed copies and a USB with a digital copy. Then you’re set in case luggage gets lost, sell-sheets become water stained or crumpled, or a printing trip is required.  

Pro-tip: pack a portable hotspot and external battery packs if you’re relying heavily on your tech.

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During the Show

You’ve prepped, packed, and survived setup day. Now it’s showtime! Make your booth work for you while your team networks with purpose.  

Utilize Key Booth Elements

Every brand has their own strategy and look. Some booths are crazier and brighter, some are cozier and more intimate, some are cleaner and minimalistic. However, memorable booths seem to share the same underlying characteristics:

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- Clear branding: Show attendees need to know who you are and what you offer in the first 5 seconds of seeing your booth.  

- A clean presentation: Nothing suggests an unorganized business more than boxes and clutter. Keep supplies out of sight for a more polished look. Designate a floater to pick up wrappers, take out the trash, and straighten up marketing materials throughout their shift.

- Hero products showcased: Don’t overwhelm someone with your entire product line. Have your best products front and center with samples readily available.  

- Simple lead capturing: Whichever way your team decides to gather leads, have it ready and have it fool-proof. We’ve seen it all from writing in notebooks and stapling business cards, to compiling information in a WhatsApp group chat, to QR codes and apps fully automating the process.

- Backup plans: If your QR code’s landing page won’t quickly pop up, have those half-sheeters or business cards ready. If your phone freezes, have a shared notebook in arm’s reach to jot down key details.  

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At the end of the day, you’re at a food trade show. Set up your food for success, and let its quality speak for itself.  

Create a Flow

From the time an attendee walks into your area to the time they leave, creating a consistent and smooth experience will leave a lasting impression.  

What’s your initial engagement strategy? Do you have interactive demos or tastings to draw a crowd? Are you moving about to greet attendees instead of statically staying behind a table? Are your brand ambassadors walking nearby with samples and directing walkers to your booth?  

Cue the floaters. Lara elaborates that a floater, “is a friendly team member to greet, qualify interest, and share key info. They can help bring in crowds or move them through your space. They can hand out samples while talking about your product. They sort of jump in and help wherever they can.”  

Then you have senior salespeople handling strategic chats with key buyers, retailers, and partners. Lara suggests keeping floaters’ handoffs to senior salespeople simple, but informative. “’I’d like to introduce you to [name], who leads our sales team. They can provide the specific details you’re looking for about [their process question].’ Then stay nearby for a couple minutes to offer context if needed.”

Make Meaningful Connections

It may be difficult to think of quality over quantity when thousands of people walk past your booth. However, a handful of meaningful conversations yield more fruit than an afternoon of casual chats. Quality conversations don’t have to be long-winded. We advise keeping it simple and focused to respect everyone’s time.  

Lara suggests keeping a warm, confident intro to 30 seconds or less, and “leading with a simple question like ‘What are you looking for at Expo?’ to get people talking about their needs. Then focus on how your product solves their problem.”

Lastly, don’t forget to be an active listener. Active listening sounds basic, but genuine attention helps make conversations memorable. People want to interact, not be talked at all day. And if someone asks a question you can’t answer, be honest. Ask for their contact information so you can follow up after the show and prove their question was important to you.

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You did it!

You made it through the show week, tired but victorious. Take some time to decompress (everyone else is too) and then crack open your lead list, scan through social, and meaningfully follow up.  

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If you’re walking the show and not manning a booth, check out:

Lara Tiro’s Munching on Molecules Podcast

Episode 12: How to Make the Most of Expo West 2025 – Tips for First-Time Attendees

JPG Resources Blog Article

Expo Season Survival: 7 Key Tips for CPG Brands to Prevent Burnout