Trade fair follow-up: turning contacts into enquiries

In short: the success of a trade fair is decided afterwards. Note at the stand what was discussed, sort the contacts by urgency in the same week and follow up personally, referring to the conversation. For promotional emails and newsletters you need consent. And keep using what worked at the stand, photos, questions, samples, afterwards.

How a trade fair stand is designed is covered on our page trade show graphics. This one is about the time after. It is based on the guide of the German trade fair association AUMA and guidance from the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO), as of October 2026.

Follow-up starts at the stand

Anyone who only thinks about what to do with the contacts after the fair has already lost. The AUMA guide advises clarifying in advance what information a lead should contain and how the data will be processed after the fair. For this it recommends a structured lead sheet, on paper or digital, which also serves as a guide for the conversations (AUMA: successful trade fair participation, PDF, German).

A lead sheet for a small business fits on half a page:

• name, company, contact details (or staple the business card on)
• What was it about? One sentence, in the other person's words.
• What was agreed? Quote, call-back, sample, appointment.
• How urgent: hot, warm, cold.
• Who in the business is taking care of it?
• Does the person want information or a newsletter? Yes or no, asked explicitly.

Many trade fair organisers also offer badge scanners that provide more data than a business card. Ask the organiser. But even the best scanner does not replace the note on the conversation.

In the same week: sort

On the first day after the fair, all sheets, cards and scans go to one place, your customer software or a simple spreadsheet. The AUMA guide recommends merging the data after the fair and removing duplicates. Then sort:

• Hot: concrete project, quote agreed. Deal with it immediately.
• Warm: interest, but no time pressure. Follow up personally, with suitable information.
• Cold: general interest, competitors, students. Say thank you, nothing more.

Follow up personally, quickly

The AUMA guide gives a clear benchmark: contact leads ideally within 48 hours, because prospects expect a quick response. And it calls the phase after the fair particularly sensitive when it comes to keeping agreements.

A good message after the fair is personal and picks up the conversation: “At the stand you asked about lettering for your three vans. Attached is what that could look like, and a suggested date for measuring up.” That is something completely different from a circular “Thank you for your visit” to everyone.

For hot contacts, a phone call is worth more than an email. And whatever was promised at the stand, a sample, a quote, a call-back, comes first.

Promotional emails and newsletters: only with consent

Austria has clear rules here, and this section is not legal advice. Under section 174 of the Telecommunications Act 2021, electronic mail for direct marketing without the recipient's prior consent is generally not permitted. The exception without consent requires, among other things, that the contact details were collected in connection with a sale or a service (RIS: section 174 TKG 2021, German). A conversation at a stand alone is not a sale.

The Chamber of Commerce points out that consent is also needed between businesses. As an example of consent to be contacted, it cites handing over business cards at events, and it advises documenting consent for evidence purposes (WKO: email marketing under the TKG, German).

In practice this means: the personal message about the topic of the conversation is the normal case. If you want to add trade fair contacts to a newsletter, ask explicitly at the stand and record the answer on the lead sheet. If in doubt, ask your Chamber of Commerce or a legal adviser.

Keep using the stand

A trade fair produces material that isn't worthless after three days:

• Photos of the stand for website, Google profile and social media, with the consent of the people in them.
• The most frequent questions at the stand: they are the template for website copy and blog posts. How to turn them into copy is covered in the article writing website copy.
• Roll-ups, banners, samples: well-made trade show graphics can be reused in the showroom, the office or at the next fair.
• A dedicated page for the fair: if you offer a QR code at the stand, lead it to a page with the fair offer. More in the article QR codes in advertising.

After three months: take stock

Whether a fair paid off often only shows months later. For every enquiry and every job, note whether the contact came from the fair. After three and after six months, add it up: how many conversations, how many quotes, how many jobs? That is the basis for deciding on the next fair. More on measuring in the article measuring marketing success.

A landscaping firm after the spring fair

The case is constructed, but typical. A landscaping firm spends three days at a regional building and garden fair and collects around 60 contacts. Last year the business cards sat in a box for weeks. This time there is a lead sheet with five fields and a box for the newsletter.

On the Monday after the fair, the owner sorts the sheets: twelve hot, twenty warm, the rest cold. By Wednesday all hot contacts have been called; by Friday the warm ones get a personal email referring to their conversation. Only those who said yes at the stand go into the newsletter. The photos from the stand go into the Google profile. After three months the firm knows how many jobs came from the fair.

Our view

We design and produce trade fair stands, roll-ups and banners, and we often see how much effort goes into three days at a fair. All the more pity when the contacts are left lying afterwards. A half-page lead sheet and a fixed slot on the Monday after cost little and often decide more than the stand itself. How trade fairs, website and advertising work together is shown in our overview marketing for small businesses.

Checklist

• Lead sheet prepared before the fair, with a field for newsletter consent?
• For each contact, noted what was discussed and agreed?
• All contacts merged in one place and sorted on the first day after?
• Hot contacts approached personally within two days?
• Promised samples and quotes dealt with first?
• Newsletter only to contacts with documented consent?
• Photos and questions from the stand put to further use?
• Taken stock after three months?

Frequently asked questions

How quickly should you follow up after a trade fair?

As quickly as possible. The guide of the German trade fair association AUMA recommends contacting leads ideally within 48 hours, because prospects expect a quick response. For small businesses that means: within the week of the fair.

May I send trade fair contacts a newsletter?

Only with consent. In Austria, promotional emails generally require prior consent under section 174 of the Telecommunications Act 2021 (TKG), including between businesses. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce cites handing over a business card as an example of consent to be contacted. For a newsletter, you should obtain consent explicitly and document it, for example with a field on the lead sheet. This article is not legal advice.

What belongs on a trade fair lead sheet?

Name, company and contact details, what was discussed, what was agreed, who in your business is responsible, how urgent the contact is, and whether the person wants further information or a newsletter. Short enough to fill in during the fair.