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Trade Show Marketing: 7 Things To Do Before the Event
John Himes
May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at the right trade show can be a huge boost for B2B tech companies. But to get the most return on investment, you need to be strategic with your trade show marketing.
Trade shows and in-person events are having a moment. It’s not just vibes; there’s also data supporting this trend. According to recent Statista research, a majority of marketers are optimistic about the effectiveness of trade shows, and 34% of companies intend to increase their annual exhibit-marketing budget.
For most exhibitors, attending trade shows represents a major line item in their overall marketing budget. To maximize value, your marketing needs to be organized and effective.
As a marketing agency supporting B2B deep tech companies, Dynamic Tech Media has developed effective strategies and frameworks for trade shows and conventions marketing. In this three-part series, we’re sharing our best advice for trade show marketing: before, during, and after the event.
Tradeshow marketing demands a relationship-based approach
Start by answering this question: Why do you want to go to a trade show in the first place?
While it’s great to show off your engineering and learn about the latest and greatest during technical sessions, the real value of conference-going is in creating and strengthening relationships. Business is built on relationships, whether that’s with customers, partners, or suppliers. Trade shows bring you all into one room so you can smile and shake hands.
This isn’t an abstract concept. The main reason you’re spending money to go to a trade show is so you can collect prospects, move leads through the sales process, and close deals. That’s why it’s so important for your company to show up as its best self: this is your opportunity to shape your industry’s perception of your brand.
The marketer’s job is to influence that perception in a way that’s advantageous for the company. We need to make it easier for our target audience to connect with the brand and our people.
If you’ve decided to invest in attending a trade show, you’ve already decided it’s worth spending money on plane tickets, hotel rooms, booth fees, and more. You should do everything you can to maximize the return on that investment.
That means planning ahead with your marketing, thinking strategically, and making sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row so you can capitalize on the exposure you get and the contacts you make.
7 marketing tasks you need to complete before attending a B2B trade show
Don’t wait until crunch time to start preparing your trade show marketing. We recommend getting organized at least a month or two out so you have plenty of time to strategize and navigate stakeholder review cycles.
Here are our top 7 event marketing tasks to do before packing your bags for the conference.
1. Design the Booth
Pretty basic, right? You want your booth to be eye-catching for passersby, and you want it to be a good representation of your brand. This is your first impression!
When designing your display, think about the space constraints of the booth size you’ve booked. You want it to look full but not crowded. It should feel welcoming.
Here are some elements to design, and items to order, well ahead of time so you’re not stressed about delivery:
- Backdrops
- Retractable banners
- Tablecloths
- Seating
- Lighting
- Tech like TVs, kiosks, or VR headsets
2. Print trade show marketing materials and order swag
I can already hear some of you groaning. Why bother making something that most people are just going to throw out when they get home?
First, there’s the simple fact that you need something to give out that will help people remember you. Attendees visit a lot of booths and have a lot of interesting conversations. Looking at your print materials later boosts recall.
Second, neuroscience research shows that paper-based marketing materials stick with people better than digital content. Even if someone only spends a minute reading through your brochure before tossing it, they’re much more likely to remember it.
Third, it’s easy to share. Whether it’s over coffee at the hotel’s continental breakfast the next morning or dropping it on a colleague’s desk when they return back to the office, sharing print materials among decision-makers can be a huge gain for B2B tech companies that need to sell into a committee.
Fourth, print is a great visual aid for in-booth conversations. This is especially true if your trade show marketing materials feature infographics or other visuals that break down complex concepts.
Some trade show marketing materials to consider are:
- Brochures
- Data sheets
- Printed case studies
- Solution overview one-pagers
- Fun stuff like comics, magazines, or cards
- Stickers
- Branded swag
Be sure to talk to your salespeople to make sure they have what they need and they know how to use the materials you’ve prepared.
3. Plan a social media campaign to run before, during, and after the trade show
Creating a social media marketing strategy for trade show marketing is like creating a travel itinerary. You don’t need to plan out every last detail—and in fact it’s better if you leave some room for improvisation—but you need a plan to serve as a foundation.
Break your social media campaign into three phases: before, during, and after the show.
Beforehand, you want to promote the fact that you’re going to be there, encourage your followers to visit your booth, and highlight any talks, sessions, or special events you’re participating in.
During the trade show, build momentum by posting realtime updates, show off how guests are having a great time visiting your booth, and let people know where they can find you.
After the show, prioritize takeaways and provide valuable insights into what you learned at the conference. Think about interesting or telling conversations you had. Did a prospective customer ask a question that others may also be interested in knowing the answer to?
Pro tip: many conferences have premade assets that you can pull from. Check the website for a media kit or ask the organizer. They may have social graphics you can slap your logo and face on, or at the very least they should have event logos and hashtags you can use on your posts.
Finally, try to prepare as much as you can ahead of time. For instance, if you’re planning on plugging photos taken at the event into a larger graphic, make that graphic in advance so when it comes time to post all you have to do is drag and drop.
4. Create a landing page or blog post for the trade show
For visitors who want to engage on a deeper level, bring them into your digital marketing funnel by creating a landing page or blog post that’s specifically catered to the event.
It doesn’t need to be anything complicated or fancy. Explain why you chose that specific show, share a bit about what you do, mention any special events or talks, and don’t forget to say where people can find you at the show.
Link to this page in some of your social posts.
Don’t forget to make it easy for visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Speaking of…
5. Create digital and analog conversion mechanisms
In marketing, business results and conversion go hand in hand. Make sure it’s easy and tempting for expo hall visitors to convert into newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
A classic analog strategy you often see is asking people to drop their business cards in a bowl in order to win a prize. You add them to your list, and they might win a LEGO Millennium Falcon.
One of my favorite examples of this in action came from Pure Storage at the Supercomputing conference. They had a kiosk set up where you put in your email address and info, they took a picture of you, and then they used AI to turn you into a “data superhero.”
They sent the picture to your email (added to mailing list), and they said in order to win the grand prize you would need to follow them on LinkedIn and post the picture, tag them, and use their hashtag #DiskIsDone. Years later, I still clearly remember this because it was so genius!
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6. Reach out to journalists/influencers
When influential people or outlets cover your story, you extend your reach and gain credibility. Take some time before the show to hone your pitch and make sure your story is newsworthy. Then reach out to the media.
If you’re going to be making a big announcement at the show, consider sending them a press release under embargo, which gives them a chance to assess the story but lets them know not to publish anything until after the announcement.
Sometimes conference organizers will give you a list of media professionals who have registered for the event. Check with them to see who will be in attendance, then try to set up interviews with your senior leadership.
Live podcasts are also becoming a mainstay of many trade shows and can provide great airtime.
Remember, journalists want a great story just as bad as you want the exposure. Figure out how to align your incentives.
7. Look for opportunities to get into the spotlight
Conferences need great content. Search for opportunities to get your team involved as speakers, workshop leaders, or panelists.
In addition to boosting your brand and creating awareness among attendees, these events are also great fodder for social media and blog content that you can push out to a wider audience.
Choose a trusted agency partner for trade show marketing
Getting your trade show marketing materials and plans ready for a big event is a complex process with lots of moving parts—and we haven’t even gotten into what you should focus on during and after the convention!
When you work with a trusted marketing agency partner like Dynamic Tech Media, you can move forward with the confidence that it’s all taken care of, giving you the time and headspace to focus on other things.
Stay tuned for part two of this series, where we’ll dive into our top tips for trade show marketing during the event!
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