Exhibit at your next trade fair with a plan, from choosing the show to the return
The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit gives small manufacturers, brands, artisans and exporters every file for the whole job: show choice, budget, timeline, stand, meetings, staff, lead grading, follow-up and twelve months of measuring.
- A 15-sheet Trade Fair Workbook: weighted show scoring, budget against actual, master timeline, exhibitor manual deadlines, meetings, stand rota, lead register, follow-up tracker and return dashboards
- A 6-sheet Show Return Calculator: stand capacity, cost per qualified lead, break-even orders and a five-show comparison
- 4 fillable PDF forms (12 pages): show selection, stand design brief and readiness checklist, lead capture and daily debrief, post-show review
- 44 ready-to-edit messages, 37 stand conversation lines, 29 AI prompts and a 6-page stand print pack
The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 228 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you exhibit at a trade fair successfully?
Set one objective, choose the show on audited evidence, budget every cost and work out the orders needed to pay back, plan six months ahead, fill your diary before you travel, brief the team, grade every lead A to X, follow up within 48 hours and track orders for twelve months. The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit from Bodhih Training gives you a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Exhibit at a Trade Show: A Step-by-Step Plan and ROI.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
A big bill and a bag of business cards
Stand space is only part of the cost. Without a full budget and a break-even figure before booking, it is easy to spend a year's marketing money on a week with no way to judge it.
The wrong show, or the wrong hall
Visitor totals look impressive until you learn most visitors are from sectors you do not sell to. Choosing on audited breakdowns and past exhibitors' experience takes a few emails most exhibitors never send.
Badge scans with no notes
On day four nobody remembers who wanted what. Without a grade and a one-line note for every conversation, follow-up becomes guesswork and the best leads wait behind the worst.
Follow-up that starts after the jet lag
Buyers go home to dozens of exhibitor emails. The ones that arrive first, are specific and keep their promises get the meeting. A ten-day sequence by grade makes that routine.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the evening you book your next show. Before you sign, you open the Show Return Calculator, type the stand price and every other cost, and read the number of orders the show needs to pay back. You decide with your eyes open.
As the weeks pass, the Timeline sheet tells you what is due, the manual deadlines are logged the week they arrive, and two invitation waves fill the diary. When you brief the team, everyone has the same message, the same questions and the same lead-grading card in their pocket.
Now imagine the last evening of the show. The debrief takes fifteen minutes, every lead is graded, and the day 1 messages to your A and B leads go out from the hotel before dinner. Ten days later, each serious buyer has a proposal or a next step and an owner.
Whether you start with the show scoring sheet tonight or the calculator tomorrow, the kit gives you a file for each step, so the first show you run this way also teaches the next one.
20 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: trade fair map
The whole job in ten steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, brand it in five minutes, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan.
Trade Fair Workbook
15-sheet workbook for one show: settings, weighted show scoring, budget with planned, actual and variance, master timeline, exhibitor manual deadlines, meeting planner, stand rota, samples and carnet check, lead register with grades and weighted pipeline, ten-day follow-up tracker, twelve-month return tracker, show return KPIs and two dashboards with charts.
Show Return Calculator
6-sheet calculator: total show cost, stand conversation capacity, cost per qualified lead, break-even orders and win rate, and a five-show comparison with a chart.
Show selection worksheet
Two-page fillable worksheet: objectives and the evidence for one candidate show, then a six-criterion weighted score and a book, visit-first or reject decision.
Stand design brief and pre-show readiness checklist
Four-page fillable form: a stand design brief for your designer or contractor (messages, display, meeting space, accessibility), then a readiness checklist from six weeks out to the opening morning.
Lead capture form and daily debrief form
Three fillable pages: a one-page lead capture form with qualifying questions and the A, B, C, X grade (print a stack), and a two-page daily stand debrief.
Post-show review
Three-page fillable review at day 14 and again at month 12: results against targets, cost per lead and per qualified meeting, what to keep and change, and the decision on next year.
Exhibitor message library
44 ready-to-edit emails and messages: invitations and appointment requests, organiser, contractor and forwarder emails, same-day stand messages, the ten-day follow-up by lead grade, recaps and thank-yous.
Stand staff briefing pack and conversation scripts
Brand-ready briefing template (show facts, roles, prices, security and IP, daily rhythm), 37 conversation lines and qualifying questions in seven groups, and a ten-rule stand charter the team signs.
Buyer document templates
Brand-ready product one-pager, trade price list with Incoterm and validity, sample terms and an NDA discussion sheet for a lawyer to formalise.
Worked example pack: a leather-goods maker at an international gift fair
The kit's main forms and sheets completed for one composite case: Kosha Leather Works from show choice and budget to stand brief, meetings, lead forms, debriefs, the ten-day follow-up and the twelve-month return.
AI prompt pack for exhibitors
29 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step, from choosing shows to the twelve-month review, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus the human review and data rules.
Which-show decision card
Fourteen 'if this, do this' rows for choosing a show, visiting first, pavilions, virtual editions and buyer-seller meets, plus five questions that settle most decisions.
Trade fair mistakes to avoid
Twenty common and costly exhibitor mistakes, each with what to do instead.
Numbers that matter: trade fair KPI card
Fourteen numbers a show runs on, with plain-words definitions, exact formulas, where each lives in the workbook and what to do if it moves.
Trade fair rules and country notes (October 2026)
Dated orientation on ATA Carnets and temporary import, export support schemes and pavilions, visa invitation norms, audited visitor data and lead data protection.
Stand floor print pack
6 bright A4 pages for the stand: staff briefing card, lead-grading card, laminate-ready daily stand checklist, who-to-call card, opening lines and qualifying questions card, and a stand rules poster.
Six-month show countdown calendar
30 events from 26 weeks before opening to the month-one return update. The sample show opens on day 170: move the events to fit your show date after importing into Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar.
Trade fair task board (import file)
42 tasks from 26 weeks out to the twelve-month review, with phase, owner role, timing, priority and the kit file to use. Imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 20 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 58 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Small manufacturers, brands, artisans, exporters and their teams exhibiting at domestic or international trade fairs and B2B expos
- Currency
- Any: type your currency code on Settings
The Stand That Talked to Nobody
Why most first shows disappoint, and the eight-step exhibitor loop that turns a stand into business.
What a Trade Fair Can and Cannot Do
What a show can and cannot do, one clear objective, visiting first, and when virtual formats, buyer-seller meets or delegations beat a stand.
Choosing the Right Show With Evidence
Choosing shows on evidence: audited visitor data, organiser breakdowns, past exhibitor feedback, a weighted score, pavilions and support schemes.
The Budget and the Return You Need
Budgeting every category, then working out the orders, qualified leads and stand capacity a show needs to pay back.
The Master Timeline and the Exhibitor Manual
The six-month timeline, the exhibitor manual, shipping exhibits and ATA Carnets in plain words, and visas.
A Stand That Works
One message, an open front, a hero display, a meeting corner, accessibility, samples, price lists with Incoterms and confidentiality.
Filling the Diary Before You Fly
Target buyer lists, two invitation waves, matchmaking platforms, confirmations and AI-assisted research with human checks.
Staffing and Briefing the Stand Team
Stand roles, the rota, the briefing pack and stand charter, languages, safety, security and protecting your designs.
Conversations on the Stand
Opening lines, qualifying questions, the three-minute demo, price questions, competitors and closing with a next step.
Capturing and Grading Leads
Badge scans and lead forms, A, B, C and X grades, notes that make sense in a month, data protection and the daily debrief.
The Ten-Day Follow-Up and the Twelve-Month Return
The ten-day follow-up by grade, the hand-over to your pipeline, AI for lead clean-up, and measuring twelve months of return.
The Second Show Is Cheaper
Why the second show costs less per qualified meeting when the first one is written down.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit e-book: about 8,900 words, ten chapters, six diagrams, a twelve-question post-show review and a glossary
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Trade-Fair-Map: the whole job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, brand it in five minutes, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan
Workbooks
- Trade Fair Workbook (15 sheets): settings, show scoring, budget, timeline, manual deadlines, meetings, stand rota, samples and literature with carnet check, lead register, follow-up, return tracker, show return KPIs, dashboard and budget view
- Show Return Calculator (6 sheets): inputs, stand capacity and cost per lead, break-even orders and win rate, compare five shows, summary chart
Forms
- Show selection worksheet (2 pages)
- Stand design brief and pre-show readiness checklist (4 pages)
- Lead capture form and daily debrief form (3 pages)
- Post-show review (3 pages)
Word templates
- Exhibitor message library (44 messages, brand-ready)
- Stand staff briefing pack and conversation scripts (37 lines and a 10-rule stand charter, brand-ready)
- Buyer document templates: product one-pager, trade price list, sample terms and NDA discussion sheet (brand-ready)
- Worked example pack: a leather-goods maker at an international gift fair
- AI prompt pack for exhibitors (29 prompts)
Cheat sheets
- Which-show decision card (14 situations and five deciding questions)
- Trade fair mistakes to avoid (20 mistakes and what to do instead)
- Numbers that matter: trade fair KPI card (14 numbers with exact formulas)
- Trade fair rules and country notes, dated October 2026
Print pack
- Stand floor print pack (6 pages): staff briefing card, lead-grading card, daily stand checklist, who-to-call card, opening lines card, stand rules poster
Calendar and import
- Six-month show countdown calendar (30 events, ICS)
- Trade fair task board (42 tasks, CSV for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira)
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to choose between shows using audited evidence and a weighted score, or decide to visit first
- You will be able to budget every category and work out the orders a show needs to pay back before you book
- You will be able to run a six-month timeline with every exhibitor manual deadline logged and owned
- You will be able to brief a stand team with roles, a rota, scripts and a stand charter
- You will be able to qualify visitors in two minutes and grade every lead A, B, C or X with a useful note
- You will be able to follow up every qualified lead within 48 hours and run a ten-day sequence by grade
- You will be able to measure cost per qualified lead, cost per qualified meeting and twelve-month return
- You will be able to use AI tools for research, drafting and lead clean-up while keeping buyer data safe and decisions human
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Prospecting Discipline
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentNegotiation Fundamentals — Concessions, Trades and the Walk-Away
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentPresentation Delivery Assessment with a Spoken Round for Managers, Sales and Client-Facing Teams
Take the assessment →JobularyIf-then plans that make habits stick (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 3
The Break-even sheet then answers the question that matters: how many orders would this show need to produce to cover its cost? For Lakshmi, at an average first order of 380,000 rupees and a 38% margin, each order contributes 144,400, so the show needs about twelve orders to pay for itself. With a realistic win rate on qualified leads of one in five, that means about forty qualified leads. The Capacity sheet checks whether that is possible. Five days, nine hours a day, two people free to talk and one and a half real conversations each per hour gives about 135 conversations. If 30% are qualified, that is about 40. The numbers just meet. That is why Lakshmi set her target at 40 qualified leads, not 100, and why she stopped thinking about a bigger stand. More space without more people does not create more conversations.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing the show | Go where competitors go | Weighted scoring on six criteria with audited data, past exhibitor feedback and a visit-first rule |
| Budget | Stand price plus flights | Every category with tax, actuals, variance, payment flags and a break-even calculator |
| Timeline | A generic checklist | Due dates calculated from your show date, manual deadlines tracked, calendar and task board |
| On the stand | Be friendly and hand out brochures | Roles, rota, briefing pack, conversation scripts, stand charter and pocket cards |
| Leads | A bowl of business cards | A, B, C, X grades, one-minute notes, a lead register with weighted pipeline and follow-up flags |
| Return | Count orders in show week | Twelve-month return tracker, cost per qualified meeting and a post-show review |
Made for you if…
- Small manufacturers and artisans exhibiting at domestic or international trade fairs
- Brand owners and D2C founders taking a stand at a B2B expo
- Exporters and traders planning their first or next overseas show
- Export managers and small teams who run shows for the business
- Agencies and consultants who prepare clients to exhibit
- Companies joining a national pavilion or buyer-seller meet
Probably not for you if…
- Event organisers running the show itself (see the event professionals' kits)
- Anyone looking for a promise of orders or sales: this kit gives you methods and tools, not forecasts
- Large corporates with an in-house events team and agency already handling every step
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Plan the next show once, then let every show teach the next
Open the workbook, type your show date and your candidate shows, and see the whole job on one screen. Whether you start with the calculator tonight or the show scoring tomorrow, each file is ready to use today.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own stand team where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
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Take your product abroad with a plan.
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Build every cross-border price from the true cost.
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Run your own D2C web store day to day.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkCan I use this with my staff?
Yes, within your own business under the personal licence: brief your stand team, share the forms and print the pack for your stand. Company and multi-site licences are available from solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works for any show in any country, and the workbook and calculator use whatever currency you type. Country-specific rules on carnets, support schemes and visas are kept in one sheet dated October 2026 that covers named countries. Customs, visa and data protection rules change, so check them locally before you act.
How do I choose the right trade show?
Start with one objective and a list of the buyers you need. Ask organisers for audited visitor figures broken down by country, sector and job role, speak to past exhibitors who sell what you sell, and visit as a visitor if the evidence is thin. The workbook scores each show on six weighted criteria.
How much does it cost to exhibit at a trade fair?
It varies widely by show, country, stand size and how far you travel. Space is often well under half the total once you add stand build, graphics, shipping, travel, hotels, staff and samples. The kit's budget sheet covers every category and the calculator shows the orders you would need to cover the cost.
How do I measure trade show ROI?
Track orders and contribution from show leads for twelve months, then compare contribution with the total show cost. Read it alongside cost per qualified lead and cost per qualified meeting. The Return Tracker and Show Return sheets calculate all of these.
How soon should I follow up after a trade show?
Within 48 hours for your best leads, then a short sequence over ten days: recap, the thing you promised, a call, and a proposal or clear next step. The message library has the words for each touch by lead grade.
Do I need an ATA Carnet for my samples?
Often it is one good option for taking exhibits and samples abroad and bringing them back without paying import duties, but not every country or every item fits. Ask your freight forwarder and your national carnet issuer early. The dated rules sheet explains the basics and names issuers in several countries.
Does the kit promise orders or sales?
No. It gives you methods and tools to plan, run and measure a show well. Results depend on your product, your market, the show and many things outside anyone's control.
How can I measure my starting point?
If you want to measure your starting point, AssessAll offers related assessments sold separately: Prospecting Discipline, Negotiation Fundamentals: Concessions, Trades and the Walk-Away, and the Presentation Delivery Assessment with a Spoken Round. They suit the people who will prospect, negotiate and present on your stand.
How do I turn this into a development plan?
Use the 30/60/90 day plan for the show itself, and for the people, turn each habit into an if-then plan: if a buyer stops at the stand, then I ask an opening question. Jobulary explains how if-then plans make habits stick at work.
How much does The Trade Fair Exhibitor Kit cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
