How to Get a Strong ROI from Investing in a Trade Show: Steps Market Leaders Take to Maximize Success

Trade shows remain one of the most powerful marketing tools in 2025, providing a unique opportunity for businesses to generate leads, build relationships, and showcase their products or services to a highly targeted audience if executed strategically. From my experience, customers are eager to attend shows and reengage with suppliers, possible new vendors, and peers. Several clients often ask about trade shows and whether they deliver an ROI. Unfortunately, at the risk of sounding like an attorney, my answer is, “It depends.” Trade shows can be expensive without a clear strategy with little return on investment (ROI). I train salespeople to work their booths at trade shows, attend shows, and work with them to grow their business. If your team has a trade show plan and they work on their plan, you will see a substantial return from your investment in trade shows.

We recently conducted voice-of-customer research for a client, asking prospects where they go for solutions to business problems, challenges, and constraints. I was surprised. I expected to hear what I often hear…first, we search online, then call others in our network and ask for advice.

For this company, we found that over 80% of the people we interviewed attended two key trade shows in this industry. My client was planning on backing out of shows due to the expense. Instead, we worked with their sales and marketing teams to drive a higher ROI from their two key trade shows each year.

Here are market leaders’ key steps to ensure a strong ROI from trade show investments.

1. Set Clear, Measurable Goals

Why It Matters: Market leaders define their objectives before committing to any trade show. Whether it’s lead generation, brand exposure, launching a new product, or meeting with existing clients, setting specific goals allows for focused efforts. I often have people push back. “Mark, this is more of a branding exercise, so we should not expect an ROI.” Or “It would be conspicuous if we did not attend the show in a big way since our competitors will all be there with big booths. What would our customers and prospects think if we were not there?”

Although I know it may not be popular, my advice is this…everything we do in business has a cost. It costs your company time, real dollars, and the opportunity cost of what you could have done. I expect everything we invest in to deliver an ROI, or we do not do it. If we choose to invest, we have a plan with clear goals and measure them.

How to Implement: Break your goals into measurable metrics like the number of leads captured, sales closed, or partnerships formed. I have the same rules for myself. I just invested in attending a fantastic trade show called TISE for fabricators and suppliers in the countertop, flooring, and cabinet industry. My clients invested in booths and post-show events. My investment was in travel, room, meals, and the opportunity cost of what I could bill for a day of training.

Use KPIs to track success. Examples include cost per lead, conversion rates, and overall revenue generated from the show.

I spoke on two panels and attended one after-show event. I found six companies that wanted training from that investment in time and funds, and we are working out the statements of work now. I made five industry connections with other service providers who agreed to share me and my services with their network and found two trade associations who asked I write sales articles and deliver webinars to their members. Since returning home from the show, I have seen 12 business owners who heard my discussions and want to connect on LinkedIn. Everyone was entered into my CRM, and I expect, based on what I know today, a 12X -15X or more return on my investment.

2. Select the Right Trade Shows

Why It Matters: Not all trade shows are created equal. Leading companies carefully select events that attract their target audience, ensuring they spend time and money in the right environment. For example, late last year, I was asked to speak at a conference that serves business owners who want to buy or sell a business in the next two to three years. The conference engaged thought leaders like private equity investors, commercial banks, business brokers, business valuation experts, and attorneys who write sales contracts. This was an excellent conference, and I plan to attend it again, but it was not a trade show with miles of booths. Industries often have one big show and several smaller regional shows and conferences. My clients receive a more significant ROI at conferences than huge shows.

How to Implement:

Research each trade show’s audience demographics, attendance numbers, and reputation. Prioritize shows that cater specifically to your industry or key buyers. You can engage in smaller; niche shows if your goal is deeper industry connections or large national events if brand visibility is a priority.

3. Invest in Pre-Show Marketing

Why It Matters: A trade show’s ROI begins before the event starts. Market leaders create buzz ahead of time, driving traffic to their booths and establishing interest with attendees before they arrive. Marketing plays a key role in reinforcing your company’s value proposition, new products, and services and drawing customers and prospects to your booth based on the impact your company can have on their outcomes.

How to Implement:

Reach out to existing leads or clients and let them know you’ll attend the event.

Promote your booth and any special demonstrations or offers through email sequence campaigns, social media, and direct mail. Collaborate with the trade show’s organizers to get featured in event newsletters or promotions.

Volunteer to deliver training and presentations.

Marketing to help your sales teams book meetings with their customers and prospects attending the show.

4. Design an Attention-Grabbing Booth

Why It Matters: A well-designed booth is critical to attracting attendees and standing out from competitors. Market leaders create visually appealing, interactive booths that draw attention and invite engagement. Remember that your booth design should be as strategic as your marketing messaging. Your booth should communicate your unique value proposition and your company’s impact on customers. There must be continuity between your booth design, marketing, and salespeople’s conversations while booking appointments.

How to Implement:

Invest in high-quality booth design with eye-catching graphics, clear messaging, and branding.

Please ensure the booth is functional and invites interaction through product demos, touchscreen displays, or virtual reality (VR) experiences.

Consider offering a giveaway, assessment, educational session or contest to increase foot traffic and engagement.

5. Train Your Team for Success

Why It Matters: Your booth staff are your brand’s face at the trade show. Market leaders understand that an informed, energetic, and approachable team can make all the difference in converting prospects into leads. Again, some people reading this may not like what I am about to say, but I have found the best results if everyone working your booth is trained before the show floor opens. I recently led the training for one of my clients forty minutes before the show floor opened. We want everyone working the booth to be ideally dressed the same each day to help interested customers and prospects easily find them. I recommend no chairs in booths besides meeting areas, and no one working the booth is sitting on a cell phone or laptop computer.

How to Implement:

Provide thorough training on your products, messaging, and trade show goals.

Ensure the team proactively engages with visitors rather than passively waiting for people to approach.

Teach them to ask qualifying questions to understand the prospects’ needs better. This will ensure more targeted follow-up after the event.

Teach them to scan a visitor’s badge or use other devices to capture leads.

6. Leverage Technology for Lead Capture

Why It Matters: Efficiently capturing and tracking leads ensures follow-up and accurate ROI measurement. Market leaders use the latest technology to streamline this process. The recent TISE show had badge scanners to exchange information quickly and easily. I also trained one of my clients to quickly exchange contact information on their cell phones and schedule follow-up conversations at the end of each meeting.

How to Implement:

Use digital lead capture tools like badge scanners or mobile apps to gather visitor information quickly.

Implement tools that sync with your CRM system for seamless post-show follow-up.

Categorize leads based on interest level so your sales team can prioritize follow-ups.

Rent trade show attendee lists. Shows often rent their attendee lists to those who supported their event. Capture these lists. Send the list through an email list accuracy tool, filter the list to clients that match your ideal customer profile, and then develop a post-event marketing and sales follow-up campaign.

7. Offer Demos and Interactive Experiences

Why It Matters: The more attendees can engage with your products or services, the better the chance of building strong relationships and creating memorable experiences. When we conduct voice-of-customer research, we find that, in each engagement, customers and prospects are hungry for new information to improve their businesses and bottom line.

How to Implement:

You can offer live product demos that show how your solution solves real-world problems.

Include interactive elements like product samples, touch screens, or VR experiences to keep attendees engaged longer.

You can encourage hands-on participation, as this leaves a lasting impression on potential buyers.

Industry thought leaders- every industry has thought leaders members listen to in their podcasts, conference discussions, and articles they write. Work with your industry thought leaders and schedule a time for them to be at your booth to deliver valuable industry insights.

8. Create Exclusive Offers

Why It Matters: Offering something exclusive to trade show attendees incentivizes immediate engagement and can create urgency. Market leaders often drive additional value through limited-time offers or trade show-only deals. I suggest my clients create a show incentive that begins two weeks before the event and has a hard stop two weeks after.

How to Implement:

Create special pricing, discounts, or bonuses available only at the trade show.

You can offer free consultations, product trials, or extended warranties to attendees visiting your booth or scheduling follow-up meetings.

You can make your offers time-sensitive to encourage quicker decision-making and follow-through.

You can offer free assessments with consultations.

9. Network Beyond the Booth

Why It Matters: While the booth is the central hub, networking beyond your exhibit can lead to unexpected opportunities. Market leaders build relationships with attendees and other exhibitors, sponsors, and industry influencers.

How to Implement:

Attend networking events, seminars, and keynote sessions to meet potential clients or partners.

Arrange private meetings with key prospects or industry leaders during the event.

You can join panel discussions or speaking opportunities to showcase your expertise and increase brand credibility.

Give before you get. Share leads with new contacts for complementary services. You will find they want to reciprocate, and quickly, you will have several conversations that lead to revenue.

10. Follow Up Promptly and Effectively

Why It Matters: The value of trade show leads diminishes quickly without timely follow-up. Market leaders know effective post-show communication is key to converting leads into sales.

How to Implement:

Follow up with each contact you make within one hour of your engagement. Send a short email and a LinkedIn invitation.

Before the event, prepare a post-show follow-up plan. This plan should include personalized emails, phone calls, or meeting arrangements.

Segment leads based on priority and tailor your communication accordingly.

Ensure all leads are entered into your CRM immediately and set reminders for follow-up actions to keep the momentum going.

As we explain in our prospecting skills course, professional follow-up involves an agreed-upon cadence, an omnichannel approach, and message continuity with each outreach. A conversation could take up to 20 follow-up attempts.

Sales managers track follow-up progress and hold sales accountable. Often, I see salespeople or independent sales representative firms quickly disqualifying leads, which I call QDD. They assume the person is not a “good lead” to reduce their number of follow-up calls. By managing and coaching their sales teams, sales managers must ensure this does not occur.

11. Measure ROI and Learn from Every Event

Why It Matters: Measuring ROI helps you understand the value a trade show brings to your business and improves your approach to future events. Market leaders constantly review performance and adapt their strategies accordingly.

How to Implement:

Track key metrics such as cost per lead, deals closed, and total revenue generated.

Survey attendees to gain feedback on your booth and overall experience.

Conduct a post-event review with your team to identify what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve for the next show.

Capture all costs. Booth, travel, meals, hotels, marketing, new booth design and set up, union fees for moving our booth to our show space, rental cars, and Ubers. We must understand the total investment we are making in attending trade shows. e must make data-driven future decisions.

· Based on our return, what is our future strategy for this event? · Have a more significant booth presence and post-show events · Have the same investment · Downsize investment · Attend and book meetings but not display · Not attend and invest in other areas delivering a more significant return

12. Maximize Post-Event Content and Engagement

Why It Matters: Trade shows generate valuable content and insights that can be used long after the event to keep prospects engaged and nurture leads.

How to Implement:

Share content from the trade show, like photos, videos, or blog posts, on your website and social media channels.

Could you repurpose product demo videos or keynote presentations into content for your marketing campaigns?

Continue the conversation with leads via webinars, case studies, or follow-up educational content.

Please make sure sales leaders monitor the lead follow up process.

Did your team invest in a trade show? What was your total investment? What is your desired ROI from investments? Did your team execute a pre-show email sequence campaign inviting customers and prospects to visit your booth? How many customers did your team meet with at the event, and what are the next steps? How many of the badges you scanned are suspect, prospects, or current customers? Have you assigned each possible lead to a specific person for follow-up? When do you think they should follow up? What new complementary other business leaders did you meet, and what are the next steps for each?

Investing in a trade show can deliver a strong ROI when approached with a strategic mindset. Or it could be like throwing thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars out the window with no ROI.

Market leaders ensure success by setting clear goals, engaging attendees through interactive experiences, capturing leads efficiently, and following up with personalized outreach. Businesses can turn these events into significant growth opportunities by continuously refining their trade show strategies.