Trade Show Checklist for Your First Show
Most trade show checklists tell you what to do. Very few tell you when. And when is the part that decides whether you make it.
If this is your first show, the order matters more than the list. 3 deadlines set everything else, and all of them are counted backwards from opening day.
The 3 deadlines that set everything else
Floor space gets booked first. The good positions, near the entrance, on a corner or on a main aisle, are taken many months ahead. The stand can be designed in parallel with anything. Floor space cannot be recovered.
The type of build decides how much time you need. If you found the show late, modular or custom stops being a design preference and becomes a calendar constraint. The difference is set out in custom or modular exhibition stands.
The last change date comes well before installation. Ask for it when you sign and put it in the calendar with an alarm.
The timeline, short version
| When | What you do |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 months before | book the space, ask for the hall plan, fix the total budget |
| 4 to 6 months before | ask three suppliers for quotes on the same brief, decide the build type |
| 3 to 4 months before | sign, approve the render, read the technical regulations |
| 2 months before | order utilities, finalise graphics, book meetings |
| 1 month before | confirm transport and the installation window, test the contact form |
| 1 week before | material lists, shifts for the team, emergency kit |
| installation day | arrive at the start of the window, check the lights, look from the end of the aisle |
Get the timeline for your show »
The budget is not just the stand
The stand is usually 30 to 40% of the total investment. The rest is floor space, technical fees, transport, accommodation, people and promotion.
This is the most common first-time mistake. The budget gets approved for the stand, and the rest appears along the way, when there is nothing left. For the build side, what an exhibition stand really costs gives you the order of magnitude.
What happens if you start 2 months out
It is not impossible, but the doors close one by one.
A custom build is out of the question. Modular remains, and within modular only what is available in that period.
You end up reading the organiser’s technical regulations after approving the design, which means you can break them without knowing. A design that exceeds the maximum height gets rebuilt entirely, and the rebuild is paid for.
Utility orders sent late are charged extra almost everywhere.
Every venue publishes its own build up windows and access rules, and they differ more than most first time exhibitors expect. The exhibitor resources of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, are a good place to understand what is standard before you read your own venue manual.
This checklist assumes a show you can drive to. If you are going abroad, the venue rules and the freight change the plan, and we set out the reference fair per industry in exhibition stand builders in Europe and where companies actually exhibit.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I order an exhibition stand?
4 to 6 months for a custom build, 2 to 3 for a modular system. The difference is large and gets ignored often.
What size should I choose for a first show?
The smallest floor area that still gives you a conversation space separated from the aisle. A small stand organised well works better than a large empty one.
What is the last day I can still change something?
It is a specific date the supplier can give you at signing. Ask for it in writing. Almost nobody asks and everybody needs it.
What does exhibiting cost in total?
The stand is 30 to 40% of the total. The rest is space, technical fees, transport, accommodation, staff and promotion.
What we do at this stage
We have built at shows across Romania and Europe, including Klingspor at MetalShow, Klarwin at ExpoApa and ARKA at Parcel and Post Expo in Amsterdam. We know the halls and the installation windows, so we can say from the start what is realistic and what is not.
Before choosing a supplier, it is worth reading which exhibition stand builder actually builds your stand.
Tell us which show you are going to
If you have the date and the city, we will tell you the same day which build types still fit the calendar and which do not.
