The 8 Major Dates You Need to Know for Your Trade Shows

Tradeshow are very deadline focused. There can be dozens of dates that you need to keep track of to ensure you are following the rules and getting the best discounts. These deadlines can make or break your show. Lets go through the major ones.

Booth Selection and Reservation

So often, your have to chose your booth for the next year while you are onsite at the show. Missing your time slot for booth selection means you have less to chose from and can be pushed into a less desirable space. (See how to pick your booth spot here) Show management will send out emails on when your time slot is.

If you do not get to select your booth for certain shows, you will still want to register as soon as you know you want to attend. The sooner up the list you are, often times the better booth spot you can receive.

Hotel Rooming Block Reservation

Honestly, this is the part of trade shows that I like the least but if you have more than 10 people traveling to a show or want your group to all stay at the same hotel – a rooming block is essential. You need to actually know 3 dates around rooming blocks.

• When the initial reservations are to be made.
  • You can get the largest selection if you pick early and often can see the best prices as well.
• Room Block Name Deadline
  • This is where each of your rooms must have a date and name submitted for them or you will lose your reservation.
• Last Day for Changes
  • You are able to make changes of names and dates within your block up to this date. After this date, the information is sent to the hotel and any changes will have to be made directly with the hotel.

Early Bird Rental Deadlines

Every item that you rent from the show can have up to three prices. The first price is the least expensive but also has the earliest deadline. Hitting this deadline will help reduce your booth costs. You can find this date in the exhibitors manual.

Advanced Shipping Deadlines

If you are having items shipped to the show floor, you need to know when the advanced warehouse opens and the last day for items to arrive. I do not like shipping directly to the show floor as it increases costs.
Badge Registration Deadline

More and more shows are requiring that all booth staff be registered before they arrive onsite. I have even seen shows who will charge for the staff registrations after a certain day. You need to know how many badges you get for your booth, if you can purchase more, the cost is you can, and when you need to have the names uploaded into the system.

Load in Date

When is the earliest time you can set up? Some shows have a tiered load in, where certain sections of the floor or the larger booths are able to load in before the smaller inline booths. Know when you can load in and the last day/ time for set up.

I have been on many show floors lately that close down at a certain time. They state that those inside the hall can keep working but if you leave, you cannot come back in.

If you are having to hire labor to set up (think electricians and builders), you also want to know what is considered straight time and what is over time. Setting up earlier can help you avoid over time costs that can double labor rates.

These dates are crucial to keeping your trade show on track. You can find them all in the exhibitor manual – which you should always read thoroughly. Make sure to put them on your calendar and invite anyone who needs to know about that deadline. I also add color to mine so that I know at a glance that those are trade show deadlines.

Want to learn how to keep track of all of these dates and so much more for your trade shows? Sign up for our course and receive an interactive workbook for you to use.